Why Marvel's First Asian Superhero, Shang-Chi, Allows Change.

An Asian-American superhero who explores his cultural identity and is confronted with family ties in the struggle to save the world? Probably not. But that's what Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings have to offer.

Directed by Destin Daniel Creton, the 25th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) opens a new path and introduces Simu Liu as his first Asian superhero. 

His primary role sees him as a martial arts master turned assassin who grows up after his mother's death and carries out the orders of his grieving military leader, Father Wenwu, the almighty possessor of the Ten Rings. Exiled from his family, we first meet Shang-Chi.

Who tries to reinvent himself in America by living as a servant named Sean.

But this new parking life (during this week's karaoke session with a colleague and best friend Cathy) is thrown into chaos when an ambush by his father's shadow soldiers from the Ten Rings reveals a plot that forces him to confront his past.

Speaking about the role earlier this month, Liu told reporters, "It's scarce...people who look like me take this position, and I think it's very empowering." Born in Maui, Hawaii, Creton added, "I never had a superhero to relate to as a child who had the opportunity to have a new generation of kids who looked or had a background similar to mine; that was something extraordinary." "

The film's commitment to presentation features a predominantly Asian cast alongside Liu, who scales a spectrum of established and fresh faces. The new names include Meng'er Zhang in her debut film role as Shang Xialing's angry little sister, while Ocean 8 Star and Crazy Rich Asian Awkwafina play Shaun/Shang-Chi's quirky friend and assistant, Katy.

Hollywood rises in the east.

The diverse cast reflects the movement in Hollywood to capitalize on and respond to the changing film culture that is developing in the east. Crazy Rich Asians, based on the novel by Kevin Quan, was the first American blockbuster with an all-Asian cast. He earns just under £200 million worldwide.

This was soon followed by a historic victory for the South Korean film "Parasite," which was named best picture at the 2020 Oscars. 

This year, the Korean-American film "Minari" follows the efforts of a Korean family to pursue their American dream, finishing multiple Oscar nominations with a win. For best-supporting actress for Yuh-Jung Yun - as the first Korean actress.

Director Minari Lee Isaac Chung spoke about the changing face of Asian-American cinema in an interview with the New York Times: "In the beginning, what we see in Asian-American films usually has images of Asians that are more exotic when you put them in Hollywood films. . .

"Then I feel that there is a movement towards a cinema that is purer of identity, a struggle to bring our faces to the screen, also to explain ourselves to a broader audience in one way.