How did we end up with a Marvel Cinematic Universe where Iron Fist tries to be a gritty street drama while Shang-Chi is the one who goes to magical dimensions and meets dragons?
Despite his terrific work on the character, you'll see below that very little of Doug Moench's Master of Kung Fu made it to the silver screen; in fact, most of the creator credits for this film related to the guest stars, not the featured character. The film version of Shang is just barely inspired by the comic book version.
I think I expected a... martial arts film? Which is what the movie begins as, then turns in a by-the-numbers fantasy epic and seems to take an eternity to wrap up. It's a pity that Marvel Studios thinks they always have to to "big." Small would have served the character's mileu much better.
My full list of Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credits can be found here!
Stan Lee: co-creator of Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Captain Marvel, a cosmic hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Wong, a Chinese hero (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964); of Iron Man, a hero who wears sophisticated armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Mandarin, a Chinese warlord and international terrorist who wears ten rings that imbue him with superhuman powers; the Mandarin as an enemy of Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #50, 1964); of the Black Widow, an international spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964); of the Abomination, a Russian man exposed to gamma rays which transform him into a monstrous scaly green creature (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)
Doug Moench: co-creator of Shang-Chi's sister, a criminal mastermind (Master of Kung Fu #26, 1975); of Razor-Fist, an enemy of Shang-Chi who has a blade in place of one of his hands (Master of Kung Fu #29, 1975); of the Golden Daggers, a criminal organization who fight Shang-Chi (Master of Kung Fu #40, 1976); of Shang-Chi's sister as the leader of the Golden Daggers (Master of Kung Fu #44, 1976); of Death Dealer, a masked assassin who serves Shang-Chi's father and battles Shang (Master of Kung Fu #115, 1982)
Jack Kirby: co-creator of Bruce Banner, a brilliant scientist (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Iron Man, a hero who wears sophisticated armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Mandarin, a Chinese warlord and international terrorist who wears ten rings that imbue him with superhuman powers; the Mandarin as an enemy of Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #50, 1964); of the Black Widow, an international spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)
Don Heck: co-creator of Iron Man, a hero who wears sophisticated armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963); of the Mandarin, a Chinese warlord and international terrorist who wears ten rings that imbue him with superhuman powers; the Mandarin as an enemy of Iron Man (Tales of Suspense #50, 1964); of the Black Widow, an international spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)
Steve Englehart: co-creator of Shang-Chi, a Chinese martial artist raised in Hunan by a father who is the leader of an international criminal organization; Shang sent out as a young man to kill someone on his father's orders; Shang disobeying his father, thereby becoming his enemy; Shang garbed in red gi (Special Marvel Edition #15, 1973)
Jim Starlin: co-creator of Shang-Chi, a Chinese martial artist raised in Hunan by a father who is the leader of an international criminal organization; Shang sent out as a young man to kill someone on his father's orders; Shang disobeying his father, thereby becoming his enemy; Shang garbed in a red gi (Special Marvel Edition #15, 1973)
Paul Gulacy: co-creator of Razor-Fist, an enemy of Shang-Chi who has a blade in place of one of his hands (Master of Kung Fu #29, 1975); of the Golden Daggers, a criminal organization who fight Shang-Chi (Master of Kung Fu #40, 1976); of Shang-Chi's sister as the leader of the Golden Daggers (Master of Kung Fu #44, 1976)
Mark Gruenwald: creator of the Abomination's real name Emil Blonsky (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1, 1983); co-creator of Ta Lo, a spiritual realm connected to Chinese deities (Thor #301, 1980)
Gil Kane: co-creator of the Abomination, a Russian man exposed to gamma rays which transform him into a monstrous scaly green creature (Tales to Astonish #90, 1967)
Keith Pollard: co-creator of Shang-Chi's sister, a criminal mastermind (Master of Kung Fu #26, 1975); of Ta Lo, a spiritual realm connected to Chinese deities (Thor #301, 1980)
Gene Colan: co-creator of Captain Marvel, a cosmic hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Carol Danvers, a blonde woman (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)
Kelly Sue DeConnick: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, wearing a red and blue costume with a yellow starburst on her chest (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)
Jamie McKelvie: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, wearing a red and blue costume with a yellow starburst on her chest (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)
Sax Rohmer: creator of Fu Manchu, from whom Shang-Chi's father is derived; of Fah Lo Suee, from whom Shang-Chi's sister is derived.
Don Rico: co-creator of the Black Widow, an international spy (Tales of Suspense #52, 1964)
Larry Lieber: co-creator of Iron Man, a hero who wears sophisticated armor (Tales of Suspense #39, 1963)
Steve Ditko: co-creator of Wong, a Chinese hero (Strange Tales #110, 1963); of Wong's name (Strange Tales #119, 1964)
Gene Day: co-creator of Death Dealer, a masked assassin who serves Shang-Chi's father and battles Shang (Master of Kung Fu #115, 1982)
Ralph Macchio: co-creator of Ta Lo, a spiritual realm connected to Chinese deities (Thor #301, 1980)
Roy Thomas: co-creator of Carol Danvers, a blonde woman (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)
Gerry Conway: co-creator of the Dweller in Darkness, a mostly unseen demonic force that invades the Earth (Thor #229, 1974)
Rich Buckler: co-creator of the Dweller in Darkness, a mostly unseen demonic force that invades the Earth (Thor #229, 1974)
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