We had already analyzed and deduced, and now director Destin Daniel Cretton has finally confirmed where Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline.
In a new interview with Fandango, Cretton revealed that the film is initially set “in the present day in the UCM timeline.“ However, to be clear, the director confirms that Shang-Chi is set in the post-Blip. That is, around 2023 and 2024.
Positioning the character’s origin as a superhero in this period makes a lot of sense for the MCU, which won’t have to, for example, explain why Shang-Chi didn’t go into battle against Thanos.
Until MCU Phase 3, everything was quite easier to understand since most of the movies were set in the same year as they were released in the real world, or at least in a distant and correctly identified past. So in that sense, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was set in 2014, while Captain Marvel was in 1995.
At some point, we must remember that the MCU became slightly ahead of us in the real world. This happened after the release of Avengers: Endgame, whose storyline took a five-year jump and went directly to 2023.
Later that year, Spider-Man: Far From Home progressed to 2024. WandaVision, meanwhile, debuted MCU Phase 4, and the story was set just a few weeks after the end of Avengers: Endgame (i.e., in 2023).
Meanwhile, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier takes place exactly 6 months after Iron Man’s funeral.
With more recent releases, things have gotten even more complicated to keep up with, with Black Widow taking place before Avengers: Infinity War, with Eternals covering approximately 7,000 years of history, and with Loki and What If…? exploring alternate timelines…
Cretton further defined Shang-Chi as:
“I think Shang-Chi is a cross between a classic kung fu film and a family drama, but it’s also really funny.”
“This movie is the first time that I think Marvel has put a lot of their emphasis in the action design and, specifically, the choreography.
And it’s their first time really tackling a more purely martial arts movie, which is super exciting to be a part of.”
Meanwhile, the film has gained new posters. See:
Take a look at the exclusive @4DXUSA poster for Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! Experience it in theaters September 3. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/lkDsx9Mzd8 pic.twitter.com/NCJpsix0FJ
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 16, 2021
The exclusive @RealD3D poster for Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is here! Experience the film in theaters September 3. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/LVuAgdj7YS pic.twitter.com/ObyyCplQzs
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 16, 2021
Here’s the exclusive @IMAX poster for Marvel Studios’ #ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings! Experience it in theaters September 3. Get your tickets now: https://t.co/06AxIw0ScN pic.twitter.com/YKtsg0UsVu
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 16, 2021
Unlike productions like Cruella and Black Widow, the movie will not be made available on Disney+ when it opens in theaters – a move already planned by the company.
