The first Avengers film brought together the characters that existed, at the time; in the MCU. A small feat compared to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. It will surprise you then to know that MCU Phase 4 characters were originally meant to be in the first Avengers. Which, came out in 2012.
At the time, Marvel Studios met with the Chinese film group DMG. This was an attempt to potentially get into the Chinese film markets. The offer made at the time was that Marvel would have a scene in the Avengers that would debut one or two Asian characters. It was either Shang-Chi or the Mandarin.
Shang-Chi or The Mandarin
Chris Fenton, writer of Feeding The Dragon; serves as the president of the DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group. He recounts his meeting with Marvel Studios’ former Chief Operating Officer Tim Connors.
“They did offer us the opportunity to create a teaser at the end of Avengers for the China market,” Fenton explains. “That would give us a chance to tease a potential character, either The Mandarin or Shang-Chi. It’s our decision as to which.”
Troubles With The Mandarin
Both DMG and Marvel Studios knew that the Mandarin character was a controversial one, he recalls:
“A Marvel antagonist like The Mandarin was risky. It posed a high-stakes gamble, not just for us, but also for Disney and Marvel. If it backfired, it could prohibit a release of the film in China. Even worse, it could prevent both studios from gaining any traction in China for other films coming later. Worst case, a temporary blackballing… For us, the wrong use of a character like The Mandarin could shut DMG down forever.”
He continued:
“The development team in Beijing felt Shang-Chi was the safer role to promote since he was a “good guy” and a hero, while The Mandarin was clearly a nemesis to Iron Man…You always wanted the Chinese character to be a good guy or a hero, not a villain. Remember to them, China is good, and the West is bad… The country was spreading its wings globally, and it wanted to be viewed as a friend to the world, not an agitator or adversary…”
Fenton pointed out:
“American hubris, and often ignorance, commonly led to studios putting the Chinese in an antagonist role. Additionally, Hollywood didn’t want to waste the part of a hero on a Chinese actor. But a villain role? No big deal. And simply putting Chinese people in a film was mistakenly thought of as the guaranteed price for admission to China’s lucrative market. So, studios did it.”
Luckily, we’re getting Shang-Chi on the big screen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which will hit theaters on May 7, 2021.
Source: CB
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