Est Reading Time: 3 mins

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings offers many biblical integration points, especially where facing our demons are concerned, which we unpack in this Christian review of the movie. Marvel’s latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Shang-Chi, is not the average Marvel hero flick. Maybe “average” is a bad adjective. I’m not trying to imply that Marvel’s films aren’t always visually stunning, engaging, and high quality. Marvel films, in my opinion, are some of the best cinematic content in production today. Shang-Chi, in many ways, might top them all, though.

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings Christian Review

Warning: the following text contains spoilers.

Shang-Chi beautifully carves out yet another realm of possibilities and wonder not yet explored within the MCU. A realm of fantasy full of multi-tailed foxes, faceless winged pets, and dragons. A realm where the form of fighting, through beautifully choreographed martial arts movements, is just as important, if not more important, to the beauty of the film as any special effects. 

My wife and I have had the pleasure of watching Shang-Chi in the theaters twice over the past few weeks. Each time, I’ve left the theater with a sense of wonder at how this story not only ties so well into the MCU that I know and love, but how it beautifully opens up a world new and amazing. All of this, while also weaving a story that packs in much of God’s truth. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a beautiful reminder that as Christians, we are not called to run from or cancel our demons. Instead, we are called to face them, seeking to have peace through the redemption and reconciliation that only Christ can provide. 

God’s Truth vs Eastern Philosophy

Shang-Chi, or Shaun as we are first introduced to him, is a young man coasting through life as a parking attendant with his friend Katy. We soon learn through some awesome fight scenes and intense flashbacks that Shaun is instead running from his past as Shang-Chi, the son of the embodiment of the ancient Chinese philosophy: yin (his father Xu Wenwu) and yang (his mother Li). Obviously, the story is filled with dualistic, good vs. bad, eastern philosophy.

But upon deeper examination, we see that Shang-Chi, like us, is a fallen, sinful human trying to hide and run from his pain, anger, brokenness, and sin. Shang-Chi struggles to face his “demons.” These include his evil crime-lord father, the loss of his mother as he stood by, his sister whom he abandoned, and his heritage and culture. Ultimately, it is Shang-Chi’s confrontation with his inner demons that allows him to find the strength and courage necessary to face and defeat the external soul-sucking demons threatening the world.

Christians Facing Demons

Like Shang-Chi, we are all the product of internal and external brokenness and sin. This is the fallen world in which we live. Our sins affect us and others, just as the sin of others affects us. Unlike Shang-Chi and the eastern philosophy of yin-yang, we do not believe that we create goodness ourselves to balance evil. Instead, as Christians, we know that Christ is the light of the world. Christ is the light we shine on the dark world around us. It’s this light that will not just create temporary balance with the darkness, but will eradicate it one day completely. 

When we face our internal struggles with the armor of Christ, we find the power to overcome and the courage to engage in the fight around us. This is like Shang-Chi did when his aunt Ying Nan reminded him to know who he was. When we confront those who have hurt us with the love of Christ, we disarm them, much like Shang-Chi takes the ten rings from his father during their final fight. When we embrace the Truth that Christ has given us in the Gospel, we too can join the fight against the very real soul-sucking demons already loose and devouring the world around us. Which leaves only one final question: will you face your demons and join the fight?