The dragon in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may be the biggest Atlantis setup that Marvel has attempted yet. Thus far, Marvel has avoided directly mentioning the undersea kingdom and the home of Namor the Sub-Mariner in Marvel’s movies.
A map marker at a seemingly random location in the Atlantic Ocean in Iron Man 2 was taken as a reference to Atlantis, and an indication that this secret underwater city might exist in the MCU. However, it was hard to say for sure if Iron Man 2 was specifically hinting at Atlantis. A more obvious (but not blatant) nod came in Avengers: Endgame through an odd exchange between Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson). When Natasha asked about Wakanda’s response to strange underwater earthquakes, Okoye said that they would “handle it by not handling it.” Normally such a comment would seem unnecessary, but not if the point was to set up the introduction of Atlantis in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is expected to include Namor as the villain.
Avengers: Endgame was the closest Marvel has come yet to teasing Namor’s homeland, but it looks like Marvel may be taking a big step forward in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The second trailer for Marvel’s first foray into the kung fu genre previewed a blue dragon in an underwater sequence. Toys have spoiled that this creature is known as “The Great Protector” in the MCU. What exactly he’s protecting isn’t clear, but there’s a possibility that he’s “The Great Protector” of Atlantis. After all, Atlantis is watched over by an enormous guardian dragon in Marvel Comics. While Shang-Chi may seem like an usual choice to head in this direction, the inclusion of any dragon (not to mention the trailers’ giant bears) proves that its incorporating some major fantasy elements.
Regardless of whether or not the Great Protector is revealed to be the guardian dragon of the MCU’s Atlantis, this creature can be still be connected to the mythical city. Namor the Sub-Mariner comics have featured a few Atlantean dragons over the years, which show that this species is native to Namor’s home in the Marvel Universe. Coincidentally, Shang-Chi himself had an encounter of his own with one of these dragons in a recent comic. So with all that mind, the monster that appears in Shang-Chi could be from Atlantis, too, especially since the movie will need to explain its origin. Though he may be in living in Mandarin’s base of operations (or a different Shang-Chi location), it’s quite possible that Atlantis is where he originates. Mandarin (Tony Leung) could have acquired him from somewhere in the ocean, either from within or not far from the city.
Proper Atlantis setup in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could come easily, while being huge for the MCU’s future at the same, especially when considering how important Namor and his people are in the comic books. All Shang-Chi needs to do is for Mandarin or another character to mention Atlantis when discussing the creature. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) battling an Atlantean monster could be the perfect lead-in for Atlantis’ long-awaited reveal in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
source https://screenrant.com/shang-chi-dragon-atlantis-connection-setup-great-protector/
0 comments: