Marvel Confirms A Big Shang-Chi Iron Fist Powers Theory
Sean Walker, the VFX Supervisor for Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings, has confirmed the film really did subtly set up the MCU's Iron Fist. There's a sense in which the Marvel Cinematic Universe should really be compared to a TV series, in that every movie is basically the next episode - and involves setting up for the next. There's long been speculation Shang-Chi could have set up the MCU's Iron Fist.
In the comics, Iron Fist gained his powers when he discovered the mystical realm of K'un-Lun, which can only be found once every 15 years. There, he learned to manipulate the power of his own Chi, and ultimately gained the blessing of a dragon that lived within K'un-Lun, becoming the land's sworn protector and champion - the immortal Iron Fist. There are striking similarities between K'un-Lun and the realm of Ta Lo, discovered in Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings. This has led to speculation that, in the MCU, both Ta Lo and K'un-Lun could number among the mythical Seven Capital Cities of Heaven - places of tremendous power, each blessed by the presence of a mighty dragon.
Speaking exclusively to Screen Rant, Shang-Chi's VFX Supervisor Sean Walker revealed Shang-Chi's mother Ying Li was actually manipulating Chi when she fought Wenwu in the film's opening scenes. "She's affecting the environment herself with her own Chi," he confirmed, meaning Ying Li was indeed tapping into the same power source associated with Iron Fist in the comics. Dialogue in Shang-Chi suggested Ying Li was blessed by the Great Protector as champion of Ta Lo, presumably making her their version of Iron Fist; it's notable she even wears the trademark green and yellow associated with K'un-Lun's Iron Fists in these opening scenes.
It's actually quite possible Ta Lo was originally going to be the MCU's version of K'un-Lun. In the same interview, Walker revealed Marvel didn't choose the Dweller-In-Darkness' name until they had almost finished shooting; it was originally called "The Beast," a creature associated with the ninja clan known as the Hand who traditionally threaten Daredevil. Given Marvel didn't lock down some names until so late in the day, then, the similarities between Ta Lo and K'un Lun, not to mention between Ying Li and Iron Fist, could be very deliberate indeed.
This revelation certainly raises a lot of questions about the future of Iron Fist in the MCU. That's especially the case given the various Marvel Netflix shows are moving to Disney+, including Iron Fist; what's more, Marvel Studios has recently begun reusing cast from these shows, notably Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin and Charlie Cox's Daredevil. It remains to be seen whether they'll bring back Finn Jones' Danny Rand - he wasn't exactly as popular and critically acclaimed as Cox and D'Onofrio - but the odds of Marvel doing something with Iron Fist soon seem to have increased after the release of Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Source: Screenrant
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