In just a few weeks, Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters and introduces a new Asian superhero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On Monday night, though, the stars of the highly-anticipated film walked the red carpet to celebrate the film's premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
The event, which was livestreamed by Marvel, gave a select few fans to meet the cast and crew of Shang-Chi as they stepped out in their finest ensembles. Among the list of attendees were Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Benedict Wong, Ronny Chieng, Dallas Liu, Jayden Tianyi Zhang, Andy Le, Jodi Long, and Sir Ben Kingsley. Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton was also present, along with Marvel boss Kevin Feige and Eternals director Chloe Zhao.
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While Marvel premieres usually occur on a much larger scale, the ongoing pandemic put restrictions on the number of people who could attend. Critics were able to attend the premiere and watch the film along with the cast and crew, whereas fans were invited to send in their Shang-Chi questions, some of which were answered by the stars on the red carpet. So far the reviews for the film have been quite positive. Reactions showing up on social media thus far have mostly praised the film for its action, story, cinematography, and representation.
The stars made it a point to acknowledge the fans who were present at the venue. Liu, Awkwafina, and other stars were seen interacting with and taking pictures with some of the fans present on the sidelines. Liu was fascinated by the number of people who had shown up in Shang-Chi costumes, with different iterations of his suit, without them even having seen the film yet. Based on the Shang-Chi trailers, many of the fans had already created cosplay outfits, which they seemed to be extremely proud of.
One thing that most of the cast and crew commented on during the premiere was the fact that Shang-Chi was bringing in more diversity into the MCU, a step in the direction of living up to Stan Lee’s philosophy. The first Asian superhero-led film works towards the representation of a large segment of society that has been feeling left out up until this point. Liu, a Canadian actor with Chinese heritage, believes that such a film is “so critically important.” On the red carpet, he spoke about how a lot of people, including himself, have grown up “feeling like they didn’t truly belong.” He has previously spoken up about the recent Anti-Asian hate crimes, too.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige was also present at the premiere. When asked about what the film could potentially mean for diversity in the MCU, Feige was certain that such a project would give people “the chance to see themselves reflected on a big giant screen.” Awkwafina agrees with the sentiment and believes that younger children who will watch Liu’s Shang-Chi on the big screen will probably “see themselves in him.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premieres in theaters on September 3, 2021.
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Source: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube
