New Delhi: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) now has a brand new Asian hero, and his first outing, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has just had a smashing start.
The Simu Liu starrer could gross around $86 million at the North American box office over the four-day Labor Day weekend, according to reports.
The Marvel Studios film helmed by Destin Daniel Cretton collected Rs 3.25 crore in India on the opening day, reports said.
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The film is the story of Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu, who takes on his father Wenwu (Tony Leung), who runs his terrorist organisation Ten Rings.
The movie has Awkwafina, Meng’er Zhang, Fala Chen, Florian Munteanu, Benedict Wong, Michelle Yeoh and Ben Kingsley in key roles.
‘Shang-Chi’ also ‘stars’ a host of otherworldly creatures, who blend well with the mystical moments.
There are dragons, a pair of giant lions, birds ‘on fire’, a wolf or dog-like animal that looks startlingly similar to Ninetales from Pokémon, and a faceless furry creature with wings that emerges hero as it helps Shang-Chi and company enter the ancient magical village of Ta-Lo, negotiating a maze-like opening.
The cute and attentive Morris has everyone talking about it.
‘Animal Kingdom’ in Shang-Chi
Six-legged Morris makes a dramatic entry in the film when the characters of Shang-Chi, his sister Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) and Katy (Awkwafina), taken hostage by Wenwu, meet another prisoner Trevor Slattery, played by Ben Kingsley who is reprising his role after 2013 movie 'Iron Man 3'.
Morris is Trevor’s companion in the prison cell and talks only to him.
He is a creature from Ta-Lo, where Shang-Chi's mother Ying Li (Fala Chen) lived before she met Wenwu. Ying Li had left the village to be with Wenwu, and it appears she might have brought Morris as a pet.
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Morris does not have a face, but makes these sounds to communicate, and ends up helping Shang-Chi enter Ta-Lo.
While it appears that Marvel Studios made up this creature for the story, some accounts suggest it could actually be a DiJiang, a mythical beast in Chinese text.
Famous voice actor Dee Bradley Baker is said to have given the voiceover for Morris.
Before the release of the movie, Marvel released a batch of photos showing off a host of new toys. Morris was one of them. The plush toy is now available for sale.