It's kind of staggering how Marvel managed to perfect the blockbuster formula to ensure consistent financial and critical success. The downside is thanks to their hesitancy to stray away from that established structure and the plethora of copycats hoping to capture even a hint of the same glory has led to an overall vibe of familiarity in the movie theaters these days. That's what makes Shang-Chi so special. All the same elements are in place, but it manages to avoid feeling like simply another MCU product by ditching the whole superhero angle altogether. The protagonist is a regular dude who just so happens to be great at Kung Fu. He has no powers, works a normal job, and isn't out to save the world (at first). The story here is the most self-contained in the MCU. You wouldn't be even able to tell it was part of that shared universe if it weren't for the occasional brief cameo, the efforts to fix the whole Iron Man 3 Mandarin debacle, and that crap after the credits. It's a small scale, personal tale about a guy fighting for and with his family, that eventually gets all mystical. Gone are the capes, costumes, and world ending threats. In their place is an Asian martial arts fantasy epic that feels wonderfully fresh in this era of convention. The only disappointing part is the lengths the post-credits endings go to in order to ensure us that these characters will become more involved in the larger picture of the MCU going forward, by doing things like having them meet some of the Avengers or (ugh) giving the protagonist powerful magical items that remove his need to rely on those exciting hand-to-hand combat skills which carried all the action for two hours prior. I would honestly prefer it if this bunch could have stayed in their own little corner of this grand cinematic world somewhat disconnected from everything else, and considering the best parts of "phase 4" I've seen to this point (I am admittedly a little behind) have been the ones in which the leads DON'T have superhuman abilities I'm not convinced lightning will strike twice for the already promised sequel. Whatever the case ends up being for its continuations however, it won't change the fact that this is truly one of the franchise's best outings and with its most relatable cast of heroes (yes, Katy counts as a hero too) thus far.