Marvel has released their latest offering in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the form of Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and despite it being somewhat of an anomaly in the MCU fans have so far been positive. Until now, every single MCU character has made even a fleeting appearance in one of the 24 feature films or 4 TV series on Disney Plus, apart from Shang Chi. With this in mind, you would be forgiven for being confused and not particularly excited for the launch. However, Shang Chi makes it clear from the start that the master of Kung Fu has been living a life of anonymity until now and fans seem OK with that. With most of the first reviews that have trickled through rating the film 5 stars, it seems that Marvel has gotten away with pulling an origin story for a previously non-existent character out of thin air.
What Are Marvel Most Famous For?
While Marvel is more well known for teams like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers, there has been a steady trickle of origin stories over the years with mixed reviews. These origin stories always see less well-known (and a few more well-known) superheroes breaking through the ranks to receive their own solo movie, and if the film does well it’s not long until other content follows.
While Hulk was questionably part of The Avengers, he did appear in multiple films after receiving his own origin story film in 2003 with a mixed reception, followed by a reboot in 2008. Not long after the first Hulk film was released, a Hulk video game was announced. Rather predictably the game allows the player to visit different locations and smash everything in sight when not playing missions. When it comes to missions the player works to defeat different bosses using his powers.
What Other Superheroes Have Their Own Games?
Hulk isn’t the only superhero to receive his own game either. A string of successful Spiderman films led to a string of equally successful games where players used Spiderman’s powers to climb walls, glide across the city, and defeat enemies in increasingly detailed hand-to-hand combat fights. With Shang Chi’s prowess as a martial artist, could this be something that would lend well to a video game along the same lines as the Spiderman series? It’s definitely possible when you think about how the gameplay could be changed from shooting webs to highlighting Shang Chi’s abilities. As well as being a highly-skilled martial artist Shang Chi is said to be an excellent marksman, able to throw shuriken with unimaginable accuracy. He has strong proficiency in weapons with knowledge of all martial arts weapons as well as being able to utilize makeshift weapons when needed. Shang Chi is also able to control his nervous system to resist pain, drugs, or poisons, which could make for some really interesting gameplay.
What’s The Deal With Shang-Chi?
Even if Shang Chi didn’t get his own Marvel video game there’s the opportunity for some incredible crossovers. Before being cast as Shang Chi in the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, actor Simu Liu was already a huge fan of Marvel. When asked for his thoughts on where Shang Chi’s story could go next, the actor stated that he would love to see Shang Chi duel Spiderman. His idea was based on one of the comics where Shang Chi teams up with Spiderman and teaches him martial arts and Kung Fu. While Simu Liu said that he would love to see the two of them fighting, that opens some doors for future video game ideas regardless of whether they team up or fight against each other.
With Hulk already getting his own origin story and Spiderman getting an entire series of films and video games there’s no telling where Shang Chi’s story could go if he proves a hit with fans. It might not be the first spin-off of 2021 and Phase 4 either. Black Widow received her own solo movie earlier this year, although that was met with quite a lot more controversy and received mixed reviews from fans with scores ranging from 60% to 80% across various review websites. Will Black Widow also receive her own video game? It’s hard to say. However, she has quite similar powers to Shang Chi, so seeing the two of them team up could make for an interesting crossover.
What Do The Fans Think So Far?
So far Shang Chi is receiving excellent feedback from fans and critics alike in his MCU debut. While there were concerns about bringing a new superhero into the MCU with no prior mention, Marvel seems to have been able to escape much of the criticism as fans are loving the new addition to the line-up. Will Shang Chi become a regular feature in other MCU offerings? Or will he go down the route of Spiderman with his own series of films and games? Only time will tell.
There are already spin-offs being created, with games and memes circulating the internet already. Marvel is always a popular feature within the gaming community for things like fan stories, spin-off features, comic books, and more. One really popular place that we see lots of characters created from films including Marvel is within the online gambling community. If you head to any online casino then you’ll invariably find a range of games that are themed towards popular films and TV shows. This is because brand awareness is important and casino operators know that people are likely to flock towards games that feel familiar – which they will do when they feature popular characters such as Shang-Chi. You can find some of these characters and others at operators on this list provided by Gambling Deals. When you check out the list or indeed visit any online casino you can be sure that there will be a range of games featuring well-known characters that you know and love.