Marvel's Shang-Chi casting rumor reopens debate about the racist Fu Manchu caricature

The epitome of Yellow Peril narratives was originally the superhero’s dad and Chinese netizens aren’t having it

Reading Time:3 minutes

By increasing representation on screen, Marvel could be hoping Shang-Chi becomes another hit in the vein of 2018’s Black Panther. (Picture: Marvel)

Published: 6:43pm, 18 Jul 2019Updated: 9:09am, 20 Sep 2019

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

China loves Marvel, and the huge success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the country has made it an important market for the Disney-owned film franchise. But the upcoming Shang-Chi, Marvel’s first film with a titular Chinese superhero, has been a controversial topic in the country.

Marvel is currently putting out offers to Chinese men in their 20s for the role, and the studio is reportedly insisting potential actors be of Chinese ancestry, according to Variety reporter Justin Kroll.

The news has the movie trending on Chinese social media again, drawing excited fans to once again weigh in on which actors they think are best for the role. But it’s also reignited the debate about the racist history of the character, most notably in the form of Shang-Chi’s father, Dr. Fu Manchu.

The original Fu Manchu is now seen as a racist caricature that drew on fears of a so-called Yellow Peril when sinophobia peaked in the West in the early 20th century.

The fictional character was created in 1913 by British author Sax Rohmer, who described Fu Manchu as “tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green.” If the description wasn’t obvious enough, Rohmer then unambiguously called the character “the yellow peril incarnate in one man.”

Marvel eventually licensed the rights to use Fu Manchu and related characters, which is now the source of controversy in China.