Danny Rand, the immortal Iron Fist of Marvel’s Iron Fist fame, is easily the most famous martial arts-based hero in the Marvel Universe (not counting Daredevil’s ninja moves), but he’s not the only martial arts-based hero in the Marvel Universe. We might actually get a chance to see one of the others on the big screen eventually, as Deadline is reporting that Marvel Studios has hired Wonder Woman 1984 co-writer Dave Callaham to write a screenplay for Shang-Chi, a movie about Marvel’s “master of Kung Fu.”
Shang-Chi is far—far—from a household name these days, but he was a big deal in the ‘70s as Marvel Comics capitalized on the martial arts craze in America (he was also originally the son of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu, as Marvel briefly had the rights to the character). If this movie really happens, it’ll be Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead, giving the studio a chance to make up for one of the big missed opportunities of the Iron Fist show. Danny is a white guy in the comics, but it’s not like these adaptations haven’t veered away from the source material in smart ways before, so some of the initial discourse around Iron Fist questioned why Marvel would make a martial arts show about another white guy when it barely had any prominent Asian characters.
Either way, Iron Fist is dead and Marvel is looking for Asian and Asian-American directors who might be able to do something special with this the way Ryan Coogler did with Black Panther.
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I love it. Even with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four coming back into the fold, Marvel Studios is still focusing on elevating lesser-known characters into big franchises.
If you want a GREAT representation of Shang-Chi I urge everyone to find the comic Secret Avengers #18.Random comic and issue I know. But it’s Warren Ellis writing and David “fucking” Aja drawing, essentially, a Shang-Chi fight scene. And it is FUCKING AWESOME!
Not to mention that that issue also features Sharon Carter wrecking goons with a Satan Claw, which is awesome.
That was cool, but the best version of Shang Chi is Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy’s epic run on the Master of Kung Fu comic.
Marvel: “Good news, Asians! We’re making a movie featuring you!”
Asians: “Let us guess. It’s about Kung F…”
Marvel: “IT’S ABOUT KUNG FU!”
Asians: “…”
Marvel: “You guys love doing that stuff.”
That’s actually rather reductive. Kung Fu is Chinese not “Asian”. The writer is of Chinese descent (and accomplished martial artist) and they are specifically looking for both a Chinese director and Chinese lead, because it’s an intrinsically Chinese story. Despite how Americans like to reduce Kung Fu to a stereotype, it’s a deeply ingrained tradition in Chinese society and a mainstay of their traditional heroes and modern films today.
That’s actually rather reductive. Kung Fu is Chinese not “Asian”. The
writer is of Chinese descent (and accomplished martial artist) and they are specifically looking for both a Chinese director and Chinese lead, because it’s an intrinsically Chinese story. Marvel Studios really wants to cash in on Chinese Box Office receipts.FTFY
While that’s undoubtedly a consideration, Marvel already does very well in the Chinese box office. The team up movies anyway. The single character movies not as much but still good. IW had the highest opening weekend in Chinese box office history. AoU is the fifth highest in history. I’d guess they also want cash in on the recent success of Asian led films and what they learned from the success of Black Panther. Basically that if your trying to tell a story that’s based around a specific cultural identity it’s a good idea to hire people who share that identity. Oh, and I’m sure they won’t mind distancing themselves from the Iron Fist backlash as well.
Please tell me you pushed your glasses up before writing this.
I don’t wear glasses, no. Good image though.
Well, a movie about, say, master calligraphers might be slightly less thrilling…
Calligraphy can be pretty thrilling though…
Marvel: Okay, what if his powers were laundry ba-Asians: I’m on the phone to the ACLU right now.
Marvel: But he’s REALLY good at math as well..hello..HELLO?
Well, to be fair, when they cast a white guy as Danny Rand people seemed to be clamoring for exactly this…
Sad, but so true
Sweet, I’ve always liked Shang-Chi more than Iron Fist. Him popping up in the new Domino series by Gail Simone was delightful.
Between this and The Eternals Marvel certainly isn’t afraid to delve deep into their more obscure characters. That’s the level of cultural cache they have right now. Oh, and there’s no way they’re sticking with Shang-Chi’s father being Fu Manchu. One, because the character is public domain now, and two, because I’m pretty sure they want to distance themselves from a character that’s mainly associated with stereotypical Orientalism and yellowface.
To put a finer point on it: They haven’t before, (The Mandarin, The Ancient One) so why would they start now? Fu Manchu ain’t happening.
It’s actually too bad they already used the Mandarin they way they have, because he could be the perfect replacement for Shang-Chi’s father. This could’ve been a way to introduce a long running Marvel villain while sidestepping his original problematic representation. Instead they could’ve rooted him in an actual Chinese story with actual Chinese characters rather than him being a stereotypical Oriental villain.
There’s certainly a lot Iron man 3 could have done differently, but that is actually a cool idea.
The MCU canon has already confirmed that there really is a Mandarin floating around somewhere, so it may not be too late.
I didn’t even know that. I just looked it up and saw they did a one shot on the Thor 2 DVD confirming the Mandarin is more than a legend and is really out there somewhere. That’s perfect then.
The made Mandarin Asian, not Chinese right? (Which is why they cast a non white actor as Mandarin), there was nothing “Oriental” about him, (other than a line about where he chose his name), it was a mishmash of various random “Eastern” cultures though.The one shot has given them enough wiggle room to reboot/reintroduce the character anyway.
Well, the imposter was played by a man of Indian descent with a nondescript accent and vague hairstyle that seemed to be inspired by some historical Asian hairstyles. So, yeah, a mishmash. Though any of that qualifies as Oriental in its historic use. It used to refer to India then was expanded to include all of the East. I wasn’t aware of that one shot. Someone else pointed that out to me too. That leaves the door open to make the Mandarin Shang-Chi’s father after all. Seems too perfect an opportunity for them to pass up.
I think Sir Ben would jump at the chance too
Fu Manchu would be dead simple to ret-con. He’s just basically a James Bond villain.
Fu Manchu would be dead simple to ret-con. He’s just basically a James Bond villain. Which is why Clive Reston as a character (and Nayland Smith’s involvement with MI6) made so much sense in the comics. The whole world of Shang-Chi, full of, I think he put it, “games of deceit and death” is basically a James Bond adventure with kung-fu and superheroes. And there is nothing at all wrong with that.
That first series of Shang-Chi comics in the 70s was awesome, and grade school me read every last one that my uncles had; kung-fu asian James Bond warrior monk in the MCU should tick the majority of the boxes. I support this. And will go watch Enter the Dragon some more.
giving the studio a chance to make up for one of the big missed opportunities of the Iron Fist show. Danny is a white guy in the comics, but it’s not like these adaptations haven’t veered away from the source material in smart ways before, so some of the initial discourse around Iron Fist questioned why Marvel would make a martial arts show about another white guy when it barely had any prominent Asian characters.Come on. Rand is a white guy, it helps him seem like an outsider in K’un Lun, it informs his relationship with Luke, and all you get from making him Asian is a more cliche character.
The same people who complained about not making Iron Fist Asian (for lack of representation) would likely have complained if they’d made him Asian (for stereotyping).
I didn’t want them to make Iron Fist Asian. I wanted them to make Shang-Chi first. Or not neuter Psylocke.
Or put Silver Samurai in something. Or put Silk in something…
They put Silver Samurai (poorly) in The Wolverine. Silk’s probably stuck in the Spider-Verse movies for now (not sure if she’s in the one that just came out, but the same guy who’s working on the Shang-Chi script is also writing the Spider-Verse sequel, so it’s only a matter of time), because of all the complications around Sony mismanaging Spidey as a property.And in a real way they are doing Shang-Chi first, because this seems to be a MCU movie project, not a TV show.
It’s not that he’s getting a better treatment than Iron Fist eventually. It’s that it only took them, what? 20-25 movies before getting an Asian character of any note into to the action? (Shatterstar doesn’t count.)Note: Wolverine’s not part of the MCU.
Well, the Silver Samurai, Psylocke, and Silk have been the property of other studios all this time, so they couldn’t have been in MCU movies. You were the one who brought it out of the MCU with your mention of Psylocke.As someone who’s still waiting for any superhero movie to have a Hispanic lead character (I don’t count the drug dealer with the tattoos who barely speaks from Suicide Squad as a lead) I feel your pain. Still, if the Shang Chi movie’s done as well as Black Panther was, no one’s going to care if it was the first movie or the fiftieth they release. Getting it right is the most important thing.
I did say I would’ve been offended and unhappy if they had cast an Asian actor as Iron Fist back when the casting was announced, and I was told I was wrong and I should feel bad. It definitely soured me on the internet, for sure.
There was a commenter on AV Club before Kinja, who was Chinese and I remember him railing against casting an Asian actor as Iron Fist, too. He also said it was just reinforcing stereotypes and if people really wanted to be allies, to call for recasting someone like Captain Marvel or Nova as an Asian. I agreed with him, once I thought about what he was saying. Wonder how he’s feeling about this news.
Personally, I think Marvel’s best opportunity for race-changing a character was Dr. Strange. The character has a backstory that’s very similar to Iron Fist’s (and is problematic for similar reasons). And, because subsequent writers never went as far into the racial/privilege implications of the backstory as they did with Iron Fist, there’s no story reason that Strange has to be white—surgeons tend to be wealthy and arrogant in every culture.
I always thought that was the one big name character that could be race changed and it wouldn’t be a big deal, too. But, what do I know. People get furious over characters having the wrong hair color, so someone’s going to bitch no matter what.
The Iron Fist show wasn’t bad because Danny was white. It was just not great because Finn Jones was a bad Danny Rand. The show also didn’t highlight how much of an outsider Danny was in K’un Lun which was a missed opportunity to explore the issues with his stereotypical origins. Something the comics themselves did decades ago.
The show didn’t highlight enough about K’un-L’un, period. Full stop. It’s atrocious how little effort they made to SHOW the Hidden City and its influence on Danny, with 13 episodes of time. And it certainly would have provided some necessary contrast with NYC and the condition Danny found it in when he returned home, which might have provided a more reasonable foundation for his decision to remain there than what the show ultimately provided.
I didn’t watch Iron Fist because every single Netflix Marvel show was worse than the one that came before it, so I can’t speak to Finn Jones specifically. But a lot of people, on this site specifically, were against the casting before they saw a second of the show. Like A LOT. And then they railed on the show because of the fight choreography or whatever, which probably was bad, but wasn’t the real reason they were anti Iron Fist. A fuck ton of people were anti Iron First because they cast a white man to play white man Danny Rand.
Danny Rand is first and foremost, a spoiled american rich kid who finds himself in an exotic new world. A rich Asian-American boy who wears Nikes, plays video games and is chauffeured to school is simply not a big stretch of the imagination. The argument that Rand needs to be white to stand out is tantamount to suggesting (unintentionally I’m sure in your case) that Rand would difficult to tell apart from the K’un L’un denizens if he was also Asian. The Kid in King Arthur’s Court is not hard to tell apart from the Medieval people he encounters even though they are all white, because the way the kid acts and speaks is distinctly different. That’s all that’s required to make Danny Rand seem like an outsider: acting.If Iron Fist was of Asian descent it would slightly alter his dynamic with Luke Cage, but you would still have the tension of a rich, privileged member of a “model minority” who forms a friendship with a black man who has experienced the worst of this country. If anything, it is a less cliche dynamic that is still relevant and potent.
If Iron Fist was of Asian descent it would slightly alter his dynamic with Luke Cage, but you would still have the tension of a rich, privileged member of a “model minority” who forms a friendship with a black man who has experienced the worst of this country. If anything, it is a less cliche dynamic that is still relevant and potent. So I guess you’ve missed the long-established cliche of black/Asian pairings in movies, particularly ones based around Asian martial artists?
The Black/White pairing is even more of a cliche, so Black/Asian pairings still more novel, relatively speaking. It’s rare to see a film that teams a Black American with an Asian American. Movies like Rush Hour, Romeo Must Die and Brother feature Asians from China or Japan coming to America, as opposed to two people born and raised in America under entirely distinct circumstances (Rich Man/Poor Man). There have also been lots of b movies where Blacks and Asians train in the same dojo or under the same master, like The Last Dragon, but Black/Asian American buddy pictures are pretty rare. Whereas I can rattle off 48 Hours, Lethal Weapon, The Hitman’s Bodyguard as examples of Black/White pairings.I don’t see how this negates my larger point, that making Iron Fist a rich Asian American kid and teaming him with Luke Cage would work, especially if you believe examples of this type of pairing already exist.
Movies like Rush Hour, Romeo Must Die and Brother feature Asians from China or Japan coming to America, as opposed to two people born and raised in America under entirely distinct circumstances (Rich Man/Poor Man).However, Danny isn’t “born and raised in America.” He’s raised—in the comics from grade school age, I don’t know what they did with it in the Netflix show—in K’un-Lun. That’s the point of the story. That’s a big part of the reason that the Danny/Luke relationship isn’t the cliche black/white buddy cop thing you seem to imagine it to be. Substituting a “rich Asian kid” wouldn’t work, because Danny Rand isn’t, in fact, a “spoiled american rich kid.” He’s a kid whose dad is a nutjob who takes him on a dangerous expedition into the mountains, where he manages to get both himself and Danny’s mom killed. And from that point on Danny isn’t a rich kid at all, he’s an orphan alone in a strange world–and that’s the character we meet at the beginning of the story.Look, anything can be made into a decent story, so I’m sure your Rush Hour 5 concept could be turned into something acceptable, although Chris Tucker might have a hard time bulking up to play Luke Cage. But it wouldn’t be Iron Fist. It would be something that uses the name in order to ignore many of the things that are most interesting about the character.
Crazy Rich Asians managed to illustrate how ABCs could differ pretty significantly from mainland Asians, though I suppose K’un-L’un would have fewer party boats atop luxury hotels.
There are differences other than skin color, but skin color’s definitely a big difference to have (although in the original Iron Fist comics K’un-Lun is very white).
I think at one time in the canon, Harold Meachum was actually the secret leader of K’un L’un. I believe the lore has changed since then, but in any case it doesn’t feel mandatory for Iron Fist to be white.
I don’t think so. Meachum is a really minor character in the comics, he died a few issues after his appearance, before Iron Fist even had a comic with his name on it. But either way, it really undermines the outsider nature if he’s Asian.
Meachum is a major character: in the comics he killed Danny’s father and left his mother to die. He took control of Danny Rand’s fortune and tried to kill him, a path continued by Meachum’s children. And, although I may be mistaken, Meachum at one time either was the August Personage in Jade (leader of K’un) or disguised as such.I don’t agree about undermining the outsider nature if he’s Asian, let’s just agree to disagree.
He’s significant, but in a Joe Chill kind of way. He appeared in three issues, at the end of the third he was killed by a ninja.
Ironically, “killed by ninja” is what I hope to have etched on my tombstone.
Again what is there to lose if the character was an asian or better yet a biracial white-asian guy? I really disagree the “outsider” angle is lost, no matter what race, so long as that person is NOT part of what is their heritage, he’s an outsider. I’m an outsider in asian countries, I’m not really “home” when I visit Asia, and even though I consider America my home, I’m never really seen as an American. Is it really that hard to grasp? Is the classic “outsider” story not enhanced? I’m telling you as an Asian-american guy, I FEEL like a damn outsider EVERYWHERE. and I’m telling you, yes it can work, and you’re just not open to the idea because for some reason people are resistant to change. if he’s a white guy he’s not an outsider in America, he’s an outsider in a mystical asian kingdom. And if he’s asian or part asian, he’s an outsider in america, which is a really big fish out of water story still. Add in the fact he’s biracial and you’ve got yourself a true, he really doesn’t belong anywhere scenario where it is really true of bi-racial asiansUltimately it didn’t matter, Danny Rand went to a white dude who didn’t know kung fu and had the charisma of a log
Exactly! Tons of Asian American have experienced feelings of being an outsider once they visit the Homeland of where their parents come from. Some of this was exploded in Crazy Rich Asians and it was a mega hit precisely because this was such a prevalent feeling that the Asian American community has felt that has never been voiced in film before. Exploring the relationship between a privleged Asian American and more “real” Asians and his feelings of not being Chinese enough would have been fascinating and far more fresh than the upeenth retelling of “white dude goes to a foreign country to find himself”story.
Yes, although K’un L’un is more a version of mythical, ancient Asia than modern China, it is a way of exploring cultural dislocation.Interestingly, that theme of being an outsider was significant element of Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu. He grew up in isolation, and didn’t feel comfortable in China or the West. The difference is that Danny Rand is specifically American, which would make for an even bigger culture clash.
I agree with this 100%.
So right. And the correct answer, as it seems Marvel agrees, wasn’t to race-change Danny Rand, it was always to feature Marvel’s Asian martial arts hero, Shang Chi.Look, Iron Fist started as an awful, extremely problematic combination of fetishized exoticism and white savior nonsense. Seriously, if you look at his debut appearance, it’s freakin’ awful—the reveal at the end that a white, blond guy is the martial artist in the mask is treated like the most brilliant twist in the history of sequential media. I get the desire to target him for an on-screen race change, I really do.However, subsequent Marvel writers took that chop-socky origin and turned into the skid, using the character of Danny Rand to open a discussion about race. They used Danny’s race and wealth to talk about privilege at a time when that wasn’t even a term used outside of AA Studies academia. As a person of color, it’s hard to overstate how important it was to see Danny Rand’s relationships with Luke Cage and Misty Knight. Unlike so many white/black character partnerships, Luke wasn’t Danny’s sidekick, Luke often treated Danny as a barely-tolerated younger brother; and at a time when it was pretty rare to see any interracial relationships in media not only were Misty and Danny together, but it was pretty clear she held the upper hand in her relationship with this white, wealthy super-powered guy.
If you’re really that determined to see an Asian character do martial arts in a Marvel movie, the character to go with has been standing there all along, waving politely. He’s Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu.
It’s always a tricky balancing act, because I think Marvel are damned if they do and damned if they don’t.Personally
I wanted Danny to stay the same as his comic book origins, mainly
because of the dynamic between him and Luke and more importantly him and
Misty (for the reasons you have suggested).
Beat me to it. Danny Rand being a white guy is sorta the point. Yeah it’s a problematic “white savior” narrative but making him Asian wouldn’t have been better. I think the biggest problem with an Iron Fist show is the same problem countless Iron Fist comics have had to deal with, he’s not that interesting of a character so people don’t care much about him.
I always argue that making his mom Asian and dad white would’ve been the way to go, still would’ve looked like an outsider but internally you could’ve had this war between world’s dynamic
“Rand is a white guy, it helps him seem like an outsider in K’un Lun.”Translation: All Asians are alike and immediately fit in with other Asians no matter where they are from or how they grew up. Because that’s how Asians work. They’re basically the Borg.
No, but you’re way more of an outsider if people can immediately tell you’re an outsider from looking at you, rather than having to hear you speak.
Remember when minorities mention that white people still like to define what’s racist or like to interpret someone else’s experience to show what they really mean?This. Thread. Is. It.
I was born in Canada, but ethnically Chinese. I have a very complicated relationship with my “homeland”And I am definitely an outsider when I visit China or China adjacent, meanwhile white people are treated like celebrities for saying a random phrase in Chinese, or get gigs on Chinese television for speaking the language in their stilted accents.
Sure, you’re still an outsider, but you’d be less of an outsider than if you were, say, a black guy. meanwhile white people are treated like celebrities for saying a random phrase in Chinese, or get gigs on Chinese television for speaking the language in their stilted accents.So they’re so very outsider-ish that they can make entire careers out of it. Not exactly detracting from my point.
You’re missing the point, the struggles any Asian-north american faces is the case of never truly belonging somewhereOne look at an Asian and they assume foreigner in north america, and as soon as I acted and spoke like a foreigner I wouldn’t belong in China either. And isn’t that Danny’s plight? Feeling out of place in K’un Lun and his birthplace?You’re saying this constant struggle of seeing an asian feeling out of place in an asian country and america is NOT compelling? Heck let’s make this real and have a Biracial white and Asian Danny Rand and you’ve got yourself someone who really feels they don’t belong anywhere But the audience is dumb and needs to see a white person struggle otherwise it’s not a “true” struggle. But Danny has to be white because the comic book history says so. It’s not like comic books change anything to make things more interesting right?
How old is Danny when he shows up at K’un-Lun? Maybe 6-8? I feel like that’s young enough that you can adopt the accent, although obviously they’re never going to have a white guy attempt a Chinese accent. At that point you’re basically raised there, so I don’t know if an Asian guy would end up really that much of an outsider.
As a Hispanic American who’s lived in his parents’ homeland (and was never allowed to forget, now matter how hard I worked on my Spanish, that I was “el Americanito” there) I get what you’re saying. But you understand it’s not at all the same thing, right? If you’d moved to China as a child and been raised there, you wouldn’t be so much the outsider by the time you reach adulthood, would you? Danny Rand’s raised in Kun Lun from a young age, which is why he gets culture shock two ways: in Kun Lun, where he can’t fit in although it’s where he’s spent most of his life, and in America, where he doesn’t fit in because his mindset isn’t that of other white Americans. For Danny to start out being “the other” in America hampers that somewhat.
of course it’s not the same experience, what I am saying is a white man does not need to be the face of a fish out of water story to make the character of Danny Rand work.Also the story of the Iron Fist MCU does not take place in K’un Lun, but it takes place in America.
Soon to follow are screenplays for Werewolf by Night and Tomb of Dracula.
I’m still waiting on a damn ROM movie. C’mon, Marvel!
What came first; the ROM toy or the comic?
The toy. Mattel still owns the rights to Rom, the character, but Marvel owns all the ancilliary material (Dire Wraiths, non-Rom Spaceknights, etc.)
*Hasbro
I would love a Rom movie. Those comics, both story and art, were wildly better than one would expect from a toy license. Micronauts too for that matter. Currently though they’re both licensed by IDW. I would expect that if Disney started throwing their weight around they could probably get those licenses. There’s actually a sort of Easter egg in the background of a shot of Antman and The Wasp during a quantum realm scene that appears to be a city within a dome. The first thing I though when I saw it was Micronauts.
The Micronauhts was surprisingly well written and sophisticated for a comic based on a line of toys. If I remember correctly (this was decades ago) the final issue included a chilling yet touching story about a mother who let her toddler son play with the bones of the father. “Think of it as playing dress up with his clothes”
It really was. It was also remember it being shockingly dark and violent, and just adult oriented in general, for a comic based on a toy line.
Oh, don’t fuckin’ tempt me with a good time…
One can only hope, they were great.
Tomb of Dracula was actually made into an OK anime “Dracula: Sovereign Of The Damned.”
Does it have tentacles?
Shit, I’m first in line for a proper Man-Thing reboot, especially if it’s a Howard the Duck team up.
I am HERE for this.
Damn, I didn’t even know that collected volumes of Shang-Chi existed. I’m going to have to check those out.
They put the six of them (4 MoKF, 2 DHoKF) out over the last two years and intimated that we’d better get while the getting was good because the Sax Rohmer estate had allowed a very temporary license to print the issues with Fu Manchu or something like that. Basically the same “get it now, while you can!” forced-scarcity trick Disney pulls with their infamous movie vault.Which should have been a red flag, because what in fact happened was that they way overestimated demand, and you can get the books for nearly half-off on Amazon. And on top of THAT, Marvel came out with the first of a Shang-Chi Epic Collection (nice, cheap, color paperback) set, too. I assume Disney money smoothed over any complaints the estate may have had.So I may have overpaid a bit for my omnis (not much, though; I only paid about 60-70% of cover price myself), but I wanted to be sure I got them, and dang they look nice on that shelf.
Indeed they do. I’m going to have to get them myself.
Its on Comixology too.
Hey, nice selection of Harold Lamb. He was criminally overlooked in the big pulp resurgence of the 70’s, nice to see him getting his due and hopefully still finding an audience.
Hey, HighAndTight, can I borrow most of your books? Never mind – but can you tell me what that Doc Savage collection is?
Yeah! It’s this right here.The Man of Bronze is back with a vengeance! In this brand-new, archival edition, the harrowing adventures of Doc Savage return straight from the 1970’s — fully remastered and ready for action. With art rendered by John Buscema, Tony DeZuniga, and Ernie Chan to accompany writer Doug Moench, this book is a must-have for any and all fans of Doc Savage and his Amazing Five. Revisit the classic Curtis Magazine issues and relive the glory days of the Man of Bronze!
Collecting the complete, first eight issues of the 1970s Doc Savage Magazine in its entirety, complete with vintage advertisements, features, and more!
Thanks!!!
A decade ago or so somebody got me that Walking Dead Compendium that was like 400+ pages. I hated it so much, the most uncomfortable book I’ve ever tried to read. Those Sandman collections look nice sitting on your shelf, but give me the trades anyday. Can’t argue with your taste though.
Yeah, I have to agree that for the most part, trades >>>> omnis when it comes to the actual reading experience. Books as large as those Sandmans basically have to be read while sitting at a table with a podium, which, like you, I find more than a little alienating. I much prefer a beat-up TPB that I can throw in my backpack and read in the park or the subway or my bed.
If this movie really happens, it’ll be Marvel’s first film with an Asian leadSeriously, where’s our damn Black Widow solo film?!
It’s coming in 2020, supposedly. Please don’t make them rush it.
Currently re-watching Into The Badlands with friends, and it really drives home that the main unforgiveable failing of Iron Fist was just how damn boring and uninspired the martial arts fight scenes were.
Currently re-watching Into The Badlands with friends Hadn’t heard of – or I guess forgot I’d heard of – that show. Looked it up on Wikipedia. Sounds good, found out it’s on Netflix… So what the hell am I doing stuck at work?
Forget
Done. And I mean DONE.
How about they worry about making a good movie instead of trying to retrocon your pearl-clutching politics into everything? The bright orange (originally very yellow) Shang Chi being the son of Fu Manchu is like being the son of Uncle Remus. But that’s somehow not important? There was an exhibit about immigration and racism in the Statue of Liberty years ago that prominently displayed a “Master of Kung Fu” comic to show that racism still exists in the mainstream.
The bright orange (originally very yellow)Shang Chi That’s the only bothersome thing about the Omnibus reprint books (well, the price too) – no one did any kind of color unsaturation? … or whatever it would be to like… um. Tone it down. B
First thing they should do: Find the phone number for Iron Fist’s stunt coordinators. Then drop that number into the nearest shredder.Second thing: Stock up on orange make-up. Just kidding.Third: See if it’s possible to make a PG-13 version of Raid-like fight choreography. He may not be Chinese, but see if you can involve Iko Uwais in some way.Finally: It might not be possible right away, but please import some of the Moench/Gulacy plot and character complexity to the material. And forget Fu Manchu.
Find the phone number for Iron Fist’s stunt coordinators. Then drop that number into the nearest shredder Amen. I’m not going to look it up, but the stunt people on Daredevil CAN’T be the same team as on Iron Fist, can they? DD’s fight scenes are incredible, not just from a stunt standpoint but dramatically. So … get those guys for Shang-Chi.
Agreed. Daredevil’s fight scenes were pretty amazing. That first season hallway fight scene was as good as it gets. So many directors in the superhero genre can’t shoot a fight scene.
The Master of Kung Fu lives! Hell yes! Shang-Chi rules. I hope it’s a period piece, and I hope its fight choreography is up to par. Marvel films have some great action scenes, but I don’t know if they’ve ever had any true focus on martial arts fighting outside the Netflix shows. It’ll be great to see some of that on the big screen. As far as Iron Fist is concerned: I’m an Iron Fist fan, and I think he has his place. (Though I probably would balk at someone creating him now or even a decade ago.) I think he was at his absolute pinnacle as a character and concept when Brubaker, Fraction, and Aja had their hands on him, and I’m actually disappoined that the MCU version got axed just as we were promised a taste of that version. The expansion of his mythos, the way they balanced his serious and light characterizations, and the art. All good shit. And now for the real reason I’m commenting: Agents of ATLAS, where is that film, Marvel? Give me Jimmy Woo Sr. and his crew of ragtag outsiders having adventures in the ‘50s.
Oh, good. An Asian who’s really good at martial arts. This is progress.
FINISH HIM!
is Scarlett Johansen busy?
Shang-Chi is far—far—from a household name these days You haven’t been to my house.Those hardcover Omnibus editions are great, by the way. I only have the first one so far but they’re findable at less than their $125 list price..I’m stoked for a Shang Chi movie – (though it should be a series). Marvel would do well to shape it as an action-filled espionage thriller, a la James Bond (and if George Lazenby is too old to play Clive Reston, maybe Idris Elba can). The Fu Manchu stuff is problematic, but a hint that Shang is the son of a despotic, immortal Chinese warlord could be dropped. We’ll all be thinking it anyway. (My argument for a revival of the comic, after Marvel lost the rights to Fu Manchu, was – just don’t name him. Alan Moore got by that in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by referring to him as The Lord of Strange Deaths. The old guy had a lot of nicknames, so use one.)The problem I have with Iron Fist – character, comic and tv show – is that Danny Rand is boring. On the Netflix shows he was great in Defenders and Luke Cage, but can’t carry a story on his own. I really, really don’t have that problem with Shang-Chi. You’ve got your fish out of water, you’ve got your beginner spy, your reluctant (but really effective) warrior, you have a star-crossed love story, you’ve got family history drama…. There’s a ton to be done with the character. Hell, have him meet Spidey, that happened in the comics. Or have him meet Otis T. Hackstabber.
This is great news. Can Killraven be far behind?Well. Yes, probably, but in my alternate universe it’s in production right fucking now.
Follow the money, boys: This is another attempt to get Chinese-side money for their global sales. Trust me, if Iron Fister was making money for Marvel, the Shang-Chi movie would be as good as dead.
Follow the money, boys: This is another attempt to get Chinese-side money for their global sales.Trust me, if Iron Fister was making money for Marvel, the Shang-Chi movie would be as good as dead.
I would’ve gone with an Agents of Atlas movie since Jimmy Woo has already been introduced,
but their track record of reinvigorating obscure characters for the
masses is stellar. Everything should be fine so long as they don’t let
Scott Buck touch it.
Marvel’s First Asian Superhero Movie will be a
Character that’s a master at a Martial Art. Wow what a surprise! God forbid an
Asian Superhero could be represented as a Playboy Billionaire Ironman-esque
Hero, or a Super Soldier, and chances are the Marvel Universe would end if a
teenage Asian guy wore a Spider Suit. Nope, Marvel just reminds the Asian
Community, they don’t believe an Asian Male Superhero can be anything else but
a Martial Arts Master. I guess in this case Marvel believes their definition of
“Diversity” really mean Stereotype. While other Asian actors are
fighting for real diverse roles other than the tired and stereotypical Martial
Art Fighter, it seems Marvel truly believes this Character will be the Asian
version of Black Panther. Keep telling yourself that Marvel. I suppose Marvel
just doesn’t have enough characters in their line up for anything really
“Diverse” for a Leading Male Asian Actor. BTW Marvel, hiring an Asian
Director to minimize the appearance of Stereotyping and the racist history of
Shang-Chi is like using make-up on a pile of crap to make it look better. P.S,
don’t forget to have Shang-Chi carry Chopsticks wherever he goes in the movie,
and have him work in an I.T department as his day job. If you’re going to
stereotype Marvel, go all out. Pathetic!