Review: Marvel Legends Shang-Chi from Avengers: Doomsday, Wave 1
“With the powerful Ten Rings around his arms, Shang-Chi may be the only hero powerful enough to stop the threat that the Avengers face.”
Avengers: Doomsday hits cinemas in the UK on the 16th of December 2026, and ahead of the launch, excitement began to build for the new movie through the release of a first wave of Marvel Legends action figures from Hasbro.
Alongside the exclusive Magneto figure, Wave 1 was made up of six figures split across several factions that we know are part of the movie. Shang-Chi makes his first appearance since his debut movie back in 2021 and arrives in the usual box, with a dark stonework backing scheme with green hues on the main Doomsday logo and some of the text. The character name sits down the right-hand side of the main window, while images of Shang-Chi are featured on both spines, the right-hand one being a full-length image of Simu Liu in character. These pictures line up in a wider display, but are not interconnected.
The back of the box includes another picture of the character alongside some text. While I am surprised that none of these Doomsday figures is being released with text covering the very general movie synopsis to avoid spoilers, the text for Shang-Chi is perhaps a little less spoilerific, but does give an indication of how powerful he and the Ten Rings are in the movie. Under the background text there is a checklist of the main wave and all 6 figures featured, including Shang-Chi.
Shang-Chi and his various accessories are set into the standard inner tray, accessed via the top flap of the box. This is set into a cardboard backing card featuring Laterverian-inspired patterns in green and a glowing magical effect. This backdrop is used on all the Doomsday releases.
Shang-Chi’s costume, as seen in the trailers, is very similar to that worn at the end of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It starts with a textured tunic in deep red with intricate black lining and panels painted over the top. The tunic flows into a longer skirt piece added under the waist joint as a softer plastic sleeve framing the top of the legs. This is also cast in deep red and textured, and despite the plastic variation, is a reasonably good match to the torso above.
The legs are quite generic, cast in black and with folds and creases as you’d expect in a natural fabric. They terminate in a pair of ankle-high boots with tied laces. Despite the details in the boots, they are left the same exact colours as the trousers.
When we compare this Doomsday Shang-Chi with the original 2021 release, we can see the torso and arms are a direct re-use but with some variation in colouring, the newer figure having a different torso decor pattern and in a lighter grey vs the original’s black colour.. The trousers are, however, a new piece and move away from the sportswear and trainers of the first release to a more traditional Martial Arts training suit.
vs the 2021 Legend of the Ten Rings release (right)
The head sculpt is the same as on the 2021 figure, both representing a good likeness of Simu Liu. Decor on the newer Doomsday figure does enhance the realism with a better skin tone and added realism to the eyes in particular.
Shang-Chi’s hands are key to his posing, considering his various Martial Arts moves, and you get plenty included with three full sets, allowing you to switch between the clawed ‘Tiger’, a pair of crossed-finger hands which we assume may have a part to play in the movie by way of a gesture, or a centering pose. The final set are the gripping hands used on the original 2021 figure, which did hold the staff originally, although the staff is not included in this release.
Articulation is 19 points in total, a relatively standard set of joints with double-joint knees allowing Shang-Chi to drop into kneeling positions or low combat positions. The ankle rockers are solid and, coupled with the secure hips and thigh swivel, there are even options to have him kicking out with the ankle rocker secure enough to have Shang-Chi stand mid-kick, although a slight knock will take him over.
The upper body can rotate at the waist and then bend at the ab-crunch, allowing crouched positions to be a little bit more realistic. The arms have a full range of movement for fighting stances, while the single neck joint allows the head to rotate and pitch at various angles.
Aside from the hands, Shang-Chi comes with the 10 rings as accessories. The first of these comes on the body, and as you remove the hands, you will find the stacked 10-ring bracelets are both removable, leaving a fully sculpted arm underneath. This allows you to remove the rings from their static position before adding in the powered effects to the figure.
These powered effects are a sweeping, tear-shaped piece of orange/yellow translucent plastic with five rings built into each of the powered pieces and then painted in the same bronze as the bracelet versions. Each teardrop has a clip behind the main headpiece that connects to Shang-Chi’s wrist, while the rest of the effect then curves around to a flowing tail to represent movement.
The effects fit on either hand and in either direction, depending on how you want to show Shang-Chi manipulating them. The clip is not as robust as those we see on Captain America's shield, but hold relatively well in place with a cavity built in for the hand to further stabilise the piece.
I am a big fan of Shang-Chi and his addition to the MCU, and I am so pleased he is getting a relatively big part in Avengers: Doomsday. Having a new figure of him is great, and while it is similar to the original, it does make some key improvements, notably in the newly sculpted legs and the updated head decor.
I usually do not like powered ‘effects,’ but the Ten Rings effects included with Shang-Chi are particularly impressive when posed, bringing him to life on display, which is great for a character that is defined more by his motion and skills than a single pose like Cap holding his shield. Definitely the figure in the wave that exceeded my expectations.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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