Most parents feel safe letting their kids accompany them to see the latest
Marvel blockbuster, but there's also plenty of
MCU content that's meant just for the grown-ups. With that in mind,
here are a few things only adults will notice in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
"On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair ..." Those ten words from Katy in the
scaffolding scene will almost certainly resonate with every adult in the "Shang-Chi" audience,
who can't help but recognize the introductory line to one of the most popular songs in 20th
century adult-oriented album rock. Written and performed by the
Eagles and released in 1977 on the album of the same name, "Hotel California" won
the Grammy for Record of the Year and soared to the number one position on the Billboard charts.
Of course, kids in the "Shang-Chi" audience won't know any of this,
as it seems unlikely they're sleeping under a Don Henley poster on their bedroom wall. However,
"Hotel California" has become an inescapable part of the American songbook — you might not
be rocking the Eagles on Spotify, but you're no less destined to hear the song in an elevator, at
the bank or ... you know ... featured prominently in one of the year's biggest blockbuster movies.
Of course, the song comes around again later on, when the good guys
have triumphed and Katy and Shaun want to celebrate with Wong — and some karaoke.
Like the Eagles' connection, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is stuffed with
references more likely to make mom and dad laugh than the kids — but what Marvel
always does well is write these lines so everyone can understand the context,
regardless of their pop culture prowess.
Then again, "pop culture" is stretching things when Katy makes passing reference to Talbots,
a 74-year-old American specialty retailer with more than 400 locations nationwide.
The store is best known for being the go-to place to grab a holiday gift card for your grandmother.
In another scene, Shaun is called "Gangnam Style." This attempted slur compared him to Psy,
the worldwide sensation who in 2012 set a world record for having the first clip on YouTube to
surpass a billion views; as of 2021, the "Gangnam Style" music video had reached 4 billion views,
and was the tenth-most viewed and fifth-most liked video on YouTube. Shaun explains that
this is both insensitive and ignorant, since he is Chinese and Psy is from South Korea.
Katy also references Jeff Gordon, one of the most influential and decorated drivers in the
history of NASCAR. Currently an announcer for Fox NASCAR, Gordon is a four-time Cup Series champion,
three-time winner of the Daytona 500, and became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR
title at the age of 24. As it turns out, the reference is a bit of foreshadowing, as Katy's
obvious enthusiasm for racing later manifests itself in some slick moves behind the wheel of
Razor Fist's car while our heroes navigate the magically-shifting jungle around Ta-Lo.
To understand the true origins of Shang-Chi, you have to go back to a time and place:
comic books in the early 1970s. When the character first appeared in "Special Marvel
Edition" #15 in 1973, Marvel was dominating the industry, but saw growth potential elsewhere:
riding the martial arts craze kicked off by Bruce Lee and his huge hit "Enter the Dragon."
It's easy now to look back on those movements as condescending, money-grabbing,
largely-white-financed efforts to co-opt heartfelt sentiment. It's also undeniable that for the first
time in popular culture, Asian-American audiences were seeing themselves on screen — not as
punchlines and purse-snatchers, but as heroes. Which isn't to say those Shang-Chi adventures
have aged well. He was originally presented as the son of Fu Manchu,
a character who perpetuated "Yellow Peril" stereotypes. The early comics often portrayed
Shang-Chi as "subservient," kicking butt in battle but requiring guidance in social situations.
As a result of these and other issues in the character's problematic history,
writer Dave Callaham has revealed that the behind-the-scenes team for "Shang-Chi" created
a list of racist stereotypes they were determined to, quote, "destroy" while scripting the movie.
In Shaun's modest apartment at the beginning of the film, he has all the essentials of bachelor
life: a bed, a TV, space to do push-ups. He also has some cool posters adorning his walls,
which might allude to themes director Destin Daniel Cretton was attempting
to tap into for his Marvel debut. One of the posters is for 2004's
"Kung Fu Hustle." Written and directed by Stephen Chow, it's a Chinese action-comedy that follows
an aspiring gangster, a poor village, and the colorful characters that orbit them.
Often lumped in with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero"
as modern examples of wuxia films that have caught on with American audiences,
the film is nonetheless unique in that it brandishes a sense of humor not present in
the others. As it turns out, it is a tone very similar to the one struck by "Shang-Chi" as well.
"A guy with a freakin' machete for an arm just chopped our bus in half!"
Oh yeah, it also features a character who specializes in fighting with iron rings.
Another poster is perhaps less of an obvious influence on "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the
Ten Rings," but no less classic of a film. It's Walter Hill's "The Warriors," which is
about a near-futuristic New York ruled by eccentric gangs. Considered a cult classic,
the film contains brutal violence, a gleeful nihilistic attitude, and style to spare.
Sure, they look cool in the movie. But some adults watching may know that iron
rings are a real part of multiple martial arts disciplines — especially "Kung Fu Hustle" fans.
Watch any video of a Kung Fu master using iron rings and you'll get an idea of how they can add
resistance to arm movements, hardening muscle and strengthening the arms and fists of combatants.
Warning: they are extremely noisy, so you might want to leave them at home if
you're hoping to preserve the element of surprise against your opponent.
Of course, real life iron rings won't allow the user to throw fireballs, climb up them like
steps or throw them like boomerangs. But if the non-magical kind were good enough for Bruce Lee,
they'd probably help with your training as well. "I actually did take a little bit of martial arts
as a youth, so I'm gonna try and grade this fight as we're going."