There were quite a few surprises in store in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, ranging from character traits to plot reveals. The main premise of Shang-Chi heading to Ta Lo and fighting alongside its people against his father is a spoiler in itself, as this wasn’t revealed before the movie’s release.
In addition to that, each main character did at least one thing that viewers wouldn’t have seen coming. This comes down to the movie setting up one thing but then cutting away to something else, and everyone from Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Xialing, and the others pulled off an act that was shocking to see.
Xialing: Beating Shang-Chi Without Mercy In The Fight Club
Although Xialing grew to become one of the Shang-Chi, she started out having no love to give. Her first appearance saw Shang-Chi arrive at the fight club in hopes of saving Xialing, only for the latter to fight him instead.
Not knowing that Shang-Chi was tricked into coming, Xialing took out all her anger at her brother for abandoning her. However, it was unexpected to see her be so merciless, as Xialing pretty much demolished Shang-Chi to leave him incapacitated.
Trevor Slattery: Having Ownership Of The Interdimensional Morris
After his cowardly role in Iron Man 3, Trevor definitely deserves points for being Shang-Chi. He not only willingly headed into Ta Lo but also stayed there to fight for the village, although the bigger surprise was his appearance with the interdimensional being he named Morris.
When Shang-Chi and his friends found Trevor imprisoned by Wenwu, Trevor revealed he only had Morris as his companion whom he believed to be a figment of his imagination. However, Morris’ existence also led the party to Ta Lo as Trevor somehow managed to make Morris his pet and communicate with him.
Wenwu: Accepting That Ying Li Wasn't Coming Back
Wenwu spent the entirety of his screentime looking for his wife as he believed her to be calling him from Ta Lo. He was so convinced by it that Wenwu prepared to destroy the village. Not even his children and the people of Ta Lo were able to make Wenwu see that he was being manipulated by the Dweller-in-Darkness.
It was then a shock when Wenwu accepted that Ying Li truly was gone as he handed the Ten Rings to Shang-Chi and welcome his demise. The story seemed to be pointing toward Wenwu remaining in denial, so it wasn’t expected to have him go out by helping his son while acknowledging that he was wrong.
Ying Li: Defeating Wenwu With Ease
It was quickly established that Wenwu was a supremely powerful man when the opening depicted him having lived for centuries by defeating everyone who came in his path. Ying Li appeared to be just another fight for him to win, only for Wenwu to be completely outmatched by her.
While viewers would have figured that Ying Li would put up a decent fight, it was surprising to see her finish Wenwu off as if he were a joke. Almost equally as unexpected was for her to fall in love with him while they dueled.
Katy: Convincing Wong To Sing Karaoke
Katy was easily among the Shang-Chi who also proved her worth as a fighter by protecting Ta Lo alongside her friends. Still, her journey of going from a normal person into a hero was expected since the story was setting her up this way.
What did come out of nowhere was Katy somehow convincing Wong of all people to go sing karaoke with her and Shang-Chi. This was surprising due to Wong’s generally serious personality and also because everyone was supposed to be worrying about the beacon the Ten Rings were sending to even consider the possibility of the three characters suddenly singing.
Ying Nan: Revealing Her Status As Ying Li's Sister
Ying Nan showed up out of nowhere when the group arrived at Ta Lo and didn’t seem to be any different from the usual mentor figure trope. However, her identity was then revealed to be closely connected to Shang-Chi, as she turned out to be his and Xialing’s aunt.
The movie had frequently brought up the fact that the siblings had no other family, only for Ying Nan to be a highly powerful relative. This surprise was worth it as it allowed viewers to quickly connect with Ying Nan’s character and add to the responsibility that was on Shang-Chi’s shoulders to protect Ta Lo.
Razor Fist: Fighting Alongside Ta Lo
While Ta Lo isn’t the most dangerous location in the MCU, it could very have become that had the Dweller-in-Darkness gained the victory. Razor Fist, who had up until the climax repeatedly attempted to kill the heroes, decided to their cause.
He was motivated to do so when he saw his weapons were useless, but it was still a shock to see someone who had been hellbent on claiming the heroes’ lives to then be fighting alongside them. Moreover, Razor Fist ultimately accepted Xialing as his new leader, which nobody would have predicted when he’d originally wanted her eliminated.
Shang-Chi: Abandoning His Sister And Not Planning To Return To Her
Shang-Chi proved himself to be unlike other MCU heroes by having big-time flaws in his character that he had to overcome. It was initially made to appear as if he’d been separated from his sister by circumstances out of his control, but Shang-Chi then itted that he had willingly abandoned Xialing.
This act isn’t expected of a superhero in their debut movie, yet Shang-Chi was fully guilty of leaving Xialing behind. She confirmed that he had promised her he would return in three days, but he broke that promise. There’s no excuse for what he did, with this being something that viewers would have had a difficult time accepting.
