Kevin Feige has confirmed that Fu Manchu does not feature in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings.
The character was Shang-Chi’s father in the comic book version of the story, but has widely been derided as racist and a symbol of the Yellow Peril stereotype.
In an interview with Chinese film critic Raymond Zhou at the film’s premiere this week, Feige spoke out about Fu Manchu not being included in the movie. “[Fu Manchu] is not a character we own or would ever want to own,” he said, Variety reports.
“It was changed in the comics many, many, many years ago. We never had any intention of [having him] in this movie. Definitively, Fu Manchu is not in this movie, is not Shang-Chi’s father, and again, is not even a Marvel character, and hasn’t been for decades.”
The Marvel boss also spoke about concerns that the plot of Shang-Chi would see the titular character, played by Simu Liu, abandoning his home country in favour of the West. “That sense of running away […] is presented as one of his flaws,” he said. “It is a flaw to run away to the West and to hide from his legacy and his family – that’s how the movie is presented. And how he will face that and overcome that is part of what the story’s about.”
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings will be released in the UK on September 3.
Meanwhile, Liu recently responded to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s comments that the film’s rollout is an “interesting experiment”. The new Marvel movie will be the first to be released in cinemas for 45 days before arriving on Disney+ for streaming since the pandemic shook up theatrical releases.
“We are not an ‘interesting experiment’,” Liu responded on social media. “We are the underdog; the underestimated. We are the ceiling-breakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year. We are the surprise.”
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