Anyway...it's kind of a detailed (aka loooong) read, but I think some of you will enjoy it. So check it out and please feel free to let me know what you think - good, bad, or otherwise.
KEY PLAYERS
Zheng Shang Chi (Shang-Chi)
Actor - Andy On (age- 39..but I think he can easily play a Shang-Chi in his early to mid 30's)
Personality - Determined. Extremely disciplined. Fiercely loyal. Enigmatic. Spiritual. Values his solitude but places a high importance on his friendships. Struggles with the more aggressive traits of his personality, which he feels only draw him closer and closer to becoming like his father.
Enhanced Abilities - Although he possesses no superpowers, Shang-Chi has a lifetime of combat training behind him and is an expert in all known forms of armed and unarmed combat. He is also well versed in areas of military strategy and espionage.
Character History - Shang Chi was born in the Hu'nan province of the People's Republic of China, son to a near mythical crimelord named Zheng Zu and a British woman named Bei Feng. Trained privately by the greatest masters of various disciplines from all across the globe, Shang was raised under the ever watchful eyes of his strict but supportive parents. During private moments with Zheng and Bei, Shang-Chi was told that all of his training was being directed towards making him a great leader that would change the course of mankind for the better. After discovering that his parents were actually the leaders of a brutal international crime syndicate and having witnessed the vicious death of his mother at his father's hands, Shang made it his life mission to destroy his father and his murderous empire.
Actor - Tony Leung Ka-Fai (age- 59)
Personality - Singularly focused. Analytical. Cunning. Arrogant. Dominating. Brilliant. Ruthless. Driven to bend others to his will.
Enhanced Abilities - Zheng Zhu is a dark arts practioner from the mystical realm of K'un Zi and is adept in many supernatural subjects. He has also found a way to extend his life by several hundred years through unknown means. In addition, Zhu possesses a genius level intellect and hundreds of years of training in most known (and several little known) forms of armed and unarmed combat.
Character History - To the world, Zheng Zhu is a well-educated and extremely wealthy businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who is highly secretive of his personal life and is rarely seen in public. Beyond this limited public persona, however, Zheng Zhu is also revered as the ruthless "Master Khan" of a powerful international criminal empire that is involved in everything from illegal arms dealing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, terrorism, murder, and more. Deeper still is the reality that Zheng Zhu is an accomplished sorcerer and dark arts practitioner that was born in a mystical city called K'un-Zi several hundred years ago. At some point in the distant past, Zhu left the hidden city in order to establish his Si-Fan criminal empire in ancient China.
Bei Feng (Black Lotus)
Actress - Maggie Cheung (age- 52)
Personality -Astute. Brave. Manipulative. Fiercely protective. Strives for perfection in all things. Is accepting and untroubled by her dichotomous roles of being a loving wife/mother and a merciless crimelord.
Enhanced Abilities - Although she possessed no superpowers, Bei Feng had a lifetime of combat training and was considered an expert in several forms of armed and unarmed combat. She was well versed in areas related to surveillance, espionage, target acquisition, security infiltration, political strategy, spycraft, and marksmanship.
Character History - Bei Feng was a devoted member of the Si-Fan criminal outfit right up until a few weeks before she was viciously murdered by her husband Zheng Zhu. Her family's affiliation with the Si-Fan group spans many generations, and Bei Feng served in its U.K.-based operations with unwavering loyalty - earning the nickname “Hēi liánhuā" or "The Black Lotus") from other members of the organization. In time she became one of Zheng Zhu's most trusted operatives and became romantically involved with Zheng after earning a position as one of his personal guards. After giving birth to Shang-Chi, Bei Feng began grooming her son to one day take control of the Si-Fan empire in the hopes of increasing it's power and influence even more and bringing about a new world order. However, shortly before her death, she discovered that her husband only pretended to share in her plans and instead planned to sacrifice Shang's life in a dark ritual that would extend Zheng's already unnaturally long life. After manipulating her son into escaping from Zheng's reach for a short while, she and Shang-Chi were eventually recaptured and Bei was viciously murdered by her husband when he engulfed her body in a pit of dark hellfire.
Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Smith)
Actress - Charles Dance (age- 70)
Personality - Singularly focused. Analytical. Charismatic. Inspiring. Articulate. Resourceful. Thrives in leadership roles. Tends to be blunt and decisive. A natural leader. Comfortable with the moral ambiguity that comes with his position.
Enhanced Abilities - Smith possesses no superhuman abilities. He is, however, a master tactician, strategist, and military operator.
Character History - Not much is known about the man known simply as "Smith". What is known is that he is a long standing enemy of Zheng Zhu and the entire Si-Fan organization and that he was consulting the paramilitary strike team that led the charge against Zheng Zhu and his forces the night that Shang-Chi was able to escape from his father's custody. He is believed to be a former member of MI-6 and/or British Military Special Forces as he often demonstrates skills suggesting military and intelligence training. He also has an vast network of informants, government contacts, and allies that supply him with information about Zheng Zhu's criminal dealings.
Barbara "Bobbi" Morse (Mockingbird)
Actress - Adrianne Palicki (age- 34)
Personality - Protective. Intelligent. Strong-willed. Stubborn. Analytical. Loyal. Guided by a fiercely held moral code. Relatively open minded, but also very scrutinizing.
Enhanced Abilities - Morse possesses no superhuman abilities. She is, however, a proficient biologist, master espionage agent, a skilled martial artist, and an accomplished sharpshooter.
Character History - Barbara "Bobbi" Morse was one of S.H.I.E.L.D's most skilled and decorated agents up until she was disavowed by the agency after one of her operations lead to the death of three high ranking Russian officials. Returning to civilian life with her ex-husband, Lance Hunter after her resignation, Morse took on a research position with the then newly restructured Transia-Rand Technologies (formerly known as the Transia Corporation) working in the field of biocybernetic interfaces. Morse began working with Shang-Chi and Smith after Si-Fan operatives violently attacked both her and Hunter in their home - demanding that Lance reveal information about Smith and a past mission that he was invovled in (all while threatening Bobbi's life). After telling the lead operative all he knew, the commanding Si-Fan agent politely thanked Lance for his cooperation, before aiming her gun at Morse and shooting her twice in the chest. When Morse awoke, she was in the care of Smith and his team and was reluctantly debriefed about the attack and informed that Hunter had been missing for nearly a month.
Mercedes Knight (Misty Knight)
Actress - Simone Missick (age- 35)
Personality - Assertive. Protective. Empathetic but also very guarded about her emotions. Extraordinarily observant. Self confident. Direct. Very disciplined, but has no problem bending the rules for what she believes to be the greater good.
Enhanced Abilities - Knight possesses a biocybernetic prosthetic right arm that replaces the one she lost in an act of heroism in the line of duty as a detective. The biocybernetic arm was designed specifically for Knight by Transia-Rand Technologies and grants her superhuman grip strength, the ability to interface with certain technologies wirelessly, is resistant to small caliber firearms and edged weapons, and - when charged from a inner power source - can release a considerable (but limited) amount of concussive energy in the form of a punch or forearm strike. Knight is also a brilliant detective with an almost supernatural ability to recreate crimes in her head from simply standing in the crime scene or viewing crime scene photos.
Character History - For many years Mercedes "Misty" Knight was one of the NYPD's best and most decorated detectives. Unfortunately, Knight reluctantly decided to leave the force after sustaining severe injuries and the loss of her right arm in the line of duty. Shortly thereafter, Knight began working with Bobbi Morse and a team of researchers at Transia-Rand Technologies at the request of the company's CEO, Danny Rand and his fiance' Colleen Wing. Showing their gratitude for the sacrifices that Misty made in helping the couple in their war against a terrorist group called The Hand, both Danny and Colleen worked tirelessly and insistently to help their new ally adjust to the abrupt changes in her life. In short notice, the Transia-Rand Technologies team developed a one-of-a-kind biocybernetic arm that helped to restore (and even enhance) some of the function and abilities Knight lost with the loss of her arm. Over time, Misty's anger and frustration gave way to acceptance and growth as Misty eventually became close friends with both Colleen and Bobbi. So when the Si-Fan syndicate attacked Bobbi's home, Misty used her skills and resources as a seasoned detective to quickly track down Smith and Shang-Chi - who she mistakenly believed were responsible for the attack- and demanded that they release Bobbi to her custody under the threat of death. Impressed by the Knight's dogged determination and talents, Smith told her the truth about Bobbi's attack, the Si-Fan crime syndicate, and the dangers that Bobbi would face if she were to leave their safehouse. Deciding to believe the two men, Misty demanded to stay with Bobbi until she regained consciousness.
Jack Tarr (Black Jack Tarr)
Actress - Richard Armitage (age- 45)
Personality - Gruff. Arrogant. Spontaneous. Clever. Sharp. Has a slightly caustic sense of humor. Often forgets to look before leaping into situations. Resolute in his loyalty to Smith.
Enhanced Abilities - While Jack Tarr does not possess any enhanced abilities, he is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant (due mainly to his unpredictable nature), pilot, and mechanic. He also has several other useful skills that he has learned and retained over the course of his "well rounded" life and has proven to be a surprisingly resourceful aide-de-camp to Smith.
Character History - Tarr spent many of his earliest years in and out of the foster care system due to his mother poorly controlled schizoaffective disorder and his father's gambling problems. He stayed in and out of trouble for most of his formative years, but proved to have an innate gift for understanding mechanical systems- a skill that usually made him very useful to those around him. He joined the British Armed Forces as soon as he was able, but often had issues related to his conduct. By all accounts, Tarr was on the brink of being uncerimoniously discharged from the service when he was unexpectedly taken under the wing of Smith and began to turn himself around for the better. To this day, Tarr considers their meeting to be one of the most important moments in his life.
Zheng Bao Yu (Cursed Lotus)
Actress - Ming Xi (age- 28)
Personality - Strong-willed. Ambitious. Direct. Cunning. Efficient. Dismissive. Sociopathic. Guards against showing emotions in any real way. Easily fixated on the pain and discomfort of others.
Enhanced Abilities - In close quarters, Bao Yu can enthrall men - and men only - into an extremely suggestive state, allowing her the ability to force her victims into acting against their own self interest. The control typically wears off once the victim naturally falls asleep or is knocked unconscious. Bao Yu is also well-trained in hand-to-hand combat and is lethally skilled in the use of a pair of custom made, fixed blade karambits
Character History - Zheng Bao Yu is the daughter of Zheng Zhu and an unknown woman, and is the half-sister of Shang-Chi. She is every bit as devious and cunning as her father - but in a notably colder and more detached way. She has a relatively close relationship with her father and appears to have his trust in most matters. She is secretly referred to as the "The Cursed Lotus" within the Si-Fan syndicate due to way that she intimately and sadistically tortures male victims for extended periods of time, all the while forcing them to plead for more. For most of her life she has lived in the shadow of Shang Chi and the subject of her older brother is one of the few things that can draw out any sort of sincere emotion from her. She has made it her mission to capture Shang-Chi, bring him to their father, and slowly torture all those that Shang-Chi has grown close to over the years.
SUPPORTING PLAYERS
Colleen Wing
Actress - Jessica Henwick (age- 24)
Character History - Colleen Wing is a martial arts expert and former member of The Hand. She meets and falls in love with Danny Rand during his mission to defeat The Hand. Later on, as part of a small group of vigilantes battling The Hand throughout New York, she meets and befriends Misty Knight and Bobbi Morse.
Lance Hunter
Actor - Nick Blood (age- 35)
Character History - Lance Hunter is a former MI-6 agent and former S.H.I.E.L.D agent who has had past dealings with Smith, Jack Tarr, and Shang Chi. He is brutalized and kidnapped by Zheng Bao Yu and the Si-Fan sect for purposes only known to their leader. His detainment draws Bobbi Morse into the long going battle between Smith and the Si-Fan syndicate.
Wong
Actor - Benedict Wong (age- 46)
Character History - Wong is a Master of the Mystic Arts who is brought in by Smith during the last act of the film in order to deal with the large scale magical threat being masterminded by Zheng Zhu - a plan to siphon and harness the near limitless power of the elder god Chthon.
A FEW PLOT POINTS
1. HOW MUCH "NATURE" AND "NUTURE" PLAYS A PART IN WHO WE BECOME AS PEOPLE.
While I don't think it should take away from the overall action-based aspect of a Shang-Chi origin story, some portion of the movie needs to show how Shang-Chi struggles with the idea that even though he was born the son of an evil man (nature) and was raised to be just as cold and calculating as his father (nuture), at the end of the day his "way" is not set in stone and that his day to day actions define him more.
2. HOW THE PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN SHANG-CHI'S BROAD, TAOISTIC BELIEFS AND MISTY'S MORE STRAIGHT FORWARD, EXISTENTIALISTS BELIEFS CREATE A DEEP RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO HEROES.
Even though some people might not agree, I think that a romantic relationship (or at the very least sexually tense "will they or won't they" Mulder & Scully type vibe) between Shang-Chi and Misty Knight could make for one of the more dynamic romances in the MCU. Simone Missick has already established Misty Knight as a proud, independent, and strong-willed character that deals in cut & dry facts and the gritty realism of the world. If Andy On's portrayal of Shang-Chi brings an equal amount of pride, independance, and strength of will yet also delves into the character's more philosophical and spiritual traits, then I think their relationship would come across as more dynamic. Misty could weigh in on Shang's somewhat naive belief that he may be "destined" to inevitably become his father (something that Jack Tarr often reinforces with not-so-subtle jabs and comments). Shang could help Misty become more at peace with the fact that many aspects of life will always remain out of her control. But the real trick would be the fact that it shouldn't come across as a "sassy black sista meets Confucious quoting Shoalin monk" Rush Hour-ish caricature. In my opinion, SImone Missick and Andy On would deliver it as two in-depth characters who are geniunely helping each other grow and open themselves up to possiblity of being in love.
3. HOW FAMILY IS MORE THAN BLOOD AND GENETICS
Seems pretty straight forward, but Shang-Chi will often have to confront the fact that his blood relatives are responsible for much of the pain and hurt that his surrogate family of teammates has suffered and continues to suffer because of his desire to go his own way in life. So while he isn't close with his father or sister, we in the audience need to see him conflicted by the idea that both of his families seem to be locked in a "to the death" struggle.
4. HOW THERE IS A THIN LINE BETWEEN AN ACT OF JUSTICE AND AN ACT OF REVENGE.
In the final confrontation between
Shang-Chi and
Zheng Zhu, there has to be a moment when
Shang-Chi must chose between turning his father over to a socerer named
Wong (who represents an order of mystic arts masters who safeguard our world from sorcerers like
Zheng Zhu) or to murder him in coldblood for the many acts of violence that he has commited over his lifetime.