Shang-Chi Merchandise Teases Giant Dragon In Village Battle

[ShadeShadow]

New merchandise for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hints a giant dragon will have a role in the film's village battle. After Black Widow finally premieres in July, the next film on the Marvel release calendar will be Shang-Chi. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this will be the MCU's first movie to be led by an Asian hero. Kim's Convenience star Simu Liu will step into the role of Shang-Chi for the franchise, and he'll be joined by a supporting cast comprised of Awkwafina, Fala Chen, Ronny Chieng, Michelle Yeoh, and Tony Leung.

Shang-Chi was once slated to premiere in February of this year. However, after the coronavirus pandemic altered the MCU's Phase 4 slate, the movie was pushed back multiple times. Currently, Shang-Chi is scheduled for release on September 3. Marvel kicked off the film's marketing campaign earlier this week with the release of the first Shang-Chi trailer, which confirmed a major change in the character's origins. For the MCU, Shang-Chi's father is Wenwu, aka the Mandarin (Leung), the leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings.

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With the first official Shang-Chi materials also comes a slew of exciting merch. One of the LEGO sets for Shang-Chi teases the presence of a giant dragon (via Walmart). The set is for the film's "Battle at the Ancient Village," which appeared to be glimpsed in the trailer. In addition to the figurines for Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Katy (Awkwafina), and masked fighter Death Dealer, the LEGO set is dominated by a giant dragon, suggesting this creature will come out in full force in the film. Additionally, the set comes with a small winged critter named Morris, who is Katy's companion. Morris can be glimpsed in an additional LEGO set revealed by Marvel, titled "Escape From the Ten Rings."

Previously leaked images of some Shang-Chi Funkos revealed the film will contain a dragon known as the Great Protector. While it isn't confirmed that the LEGO dragon is the Great Protector, the coloring between the two seems to match up. Some suspected the Marvel villain Fing Fang Foom (who is also a dragon) could appear in Shang-Chi, but the creature included in the above toys appears to be an ally. A picture of a child playing with the LEGOs has Shang-Chi perched atop the dragon as opposed to Wenwu, hinting the dragon isn't necessarily to be feared.

Of course, the village battle is likely a set piece Marvel will wish to keep a secret until closer to Shang-Chi's release, so it might be a while before the dragon's true nature is revealed. Even without a large creature like this, though, Shang-Chi promises to have lots of thrilling action. Several beautifully choreographed scenes were glimpsed in the trailer, and there are bound to be many more in the film. All will be revealed in September (provided there are no further delays, of course).