Why Shang-Chi and Katy’s Relationship Was Kept Platonic

Destin Daniel Cretton, director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, explains why Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship was kept platonic. The second film in the MCU’s phase 4 was released in theaters over Labor Day weekend, breaking numerous records on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film ever released within that timeframe. Though the movie is chiefly an origin story for Simu Liu’s titular character, also known as the Master of Kung Fu, the MCU may also have another new hero in his sidekick, Awkwafina’s Katy.

While the new Marvel film largely focuses on Shang-Chi’s complex relationship with his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings organization, and his sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), who runs an underground fighting tournament, there is another important relationship at the core of the film. Shang-Chi and Katy have been friends for the better part of a decade, and when the film finds them working together as parking valets, their chemistry on screen is palpable. After Katy accompanies Shang-Chi on a dangerous mission, common movie tropes would dictate that the two eventually become romantically involved, but the film unexpectedly subverts this cliche.

Now, Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton is explaining why they decided to never push Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship past the platonic stage. Cretton recently spoke to Variety at length about the Marvel movie, but one spoiler-y part was left out of the final interview. Thankfully, Adam B. Vary tweeted out this part, which includes Cretton explaining why Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship was kept platonic. Read what he said below:

Weirdly, you just don’t see very much of that type of relationship, particularly movies like this. We kept going back and forth, because there’s an argument against doing that — you also don’t see Asian male romantic leads. But it just never felt right for this story to even dip into that. Because Shang-Chi’s drama is so deeply connected to his family and this pretty intense stuff he had to deal with, that romance always felt forced. A friendship like this — which feels very much like a lot of friends that I have, [where] it’s never been romantic but it’s also deeply caring and a very real friendship — was something that we don’t see very much of in movies. It felt very real to me, and I just didn’t feel like we needed to push it beyond that.

Shang-Chi‘s end-credits scenes left fans with a lot of questions about the future of the MCU, but based on the explanation above, they need not wonder about the nature of Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship. Though some theorized the two may have become a couple by the end of the film based on the various intimate moments they share, it doesn’t seem like this was Cretton’s intention. In fact, they were careful not to force a romance between Shang-Chi and Katy.

Cretton co-wrote the script with Andrew Lanham and Dave Callaham, who surely played roles in crafting Shang-Chi and Katy’s relationship. Other than her grandmother prying about when they’re getting married, nothing in Shang-Chireally suggests that a romantic relationship is in the cards. However, fans will still hold out hope, especially with Simu Liu and Awkwafina saying they are open to the idea. With the duo seemingly appearing together in Doctor Strange 2, perhaps a romance will blossom later on down the line.

Source: Adam B. Vary

About The Author

Adam Bentz
(1102 Articles Published)

Adam Bentz is a movie and TV news writer for Screen Rant. From a young age, Adam has been interested in a wide range of movies and television, but it was talented auteurs like Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Aaron Sorkin who ultimately sparked his interest in the craft. Motivated by his love for the screen, Adam studied creative writing with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University.

After graduating, Adam interned as a writer with The Borgen Project, a nonprofit organization working to end extreme poverty. Other than writing for Screen Rant, Adam reviews films on his website adambentz.wordpress.com

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