‘Shang-Chi' Adds a Thrilling Hero to Marvel Universe

If the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taught us anything it’s that heroes arise from unexpected places. For their 25th film entry, that place is valet parking.

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The titular hero of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is laying low living on tips as a hotel parking attendant in present-day San Francisco when we meet him as an adult. He doesn’t even fly to work; he takes the bus.

But by the time the film is over, he’s a glorious addition to the Marvel universe, a tried and dependable warrior whose valor has been tested in more than one dimension and joined by a predominantly Asian cast. And forget about the bus — now he rides dragons.

Simu Liu plays our hero with Spider-Man’s aw-shucks sweetness but a lethality when it comes to his fists. It turns out that Shang-Chi has run away from his domineering father, who’s a total bummer: He’s over 1,000 years old, obsessed with controlling the universe and in possession of 10 magical rings that give him superhuman powers.