10 Most Exciting New Faces Coming To The MCU

As much as we might like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s really important to know when to call it out on any messes. And let’s face it, Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin from Iron Man 3 was one of those messes.

It did end up as a plot twist where the mastermind of a terrorist organisation turned out to be nothing more than a bumbling British actor called Trevor Slattery, but casting the very much not Chinese Kingsley as the iconic figure just looked like a massive blunder. Marvel really didn’t help matters with the choice of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One in Dr Strange: calls of white-washing ricocheted through the fan base when it became apparent the character would now be “Celtic,” as opposed to Tibetan.

We’re finally getting a remedy to that particular nasty situation with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Maybe Black Panther showed Marvel that it was possible to sell films with non-white leads, because we’re finally getting some racial diversity in the MCU. This of course includes Chinese-Canadian actor Simi Lui in the titular role, which also excitingly marks his first lead in a film. What a way to really kick off your career, eh?

Balancing out the newbie is British Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who is a much better fit to play the role of the Ten Rings wielding Mandarin than his predecessor. Leung is considered one of the most well-established performers across Asia, with an extensive filmography and multiple Best Actor awards in multiple ceremonies including the Hong Kong Film Awards, Golden Horse Film Festival, and one at the Cannes Film Festival, all of which further proves his cemented reputation. Leung really does have it all – except for one thing: he’s never appeared in a Hollywood movie.

It’d be insulting to say that he hasn’t “really made it,” as if no actor can really be deemed successful unless they’ve appeared in Western media. But it must be quite a milestone to be opened up to this new market, especially one that could lead to further opportunities and successes down the road. So it’s undeniable that starring in a Marvel film can have an enormous impact on any actor’s career. For them to extend their hand to the Asian market and bring over one of their most prolific stars is nothing less than delightful.

Twinning that with opening doors for new Asian talent such as Simi Lui means that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has Black Panther levels of potential for opening up discussions of Asian representation in Western media. It’s long overdue, but if a multibillion dollar corporation can’t manage it, they’re just not trying.