Marvel Cut Another Character From Shang-Chi's Karaoke Scene

By Cameron Bonomolo

The Backstreet Boys almost made a musical cameo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings — but Marvel Studios didn't Want It That Way. During a panel appearance at Washington DC's Awesome Con, Shang-Chi stars Simu Liu, Meng'er Zhang, and Florian Munteanu revealed Marvel cut an alternate karaoke scene featuring a duet between Shang-Chi (Liu) and the Ten Rings assassin Razor Fist (Munteanu). In the mid-credits scene, Shang-Chi, best friend Katy (Awkwafina), and Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong) wind up at a karaoke bar belting out the '70s classic "Hotel California" by The Eagles.

But in an unused version of Shang-Chi's mid-credits scene, Liu and Munteanu performed their rendition of the Backstreet Boys' 1999 pop ballad "I Want It That Way." 

"We did a karaoke [scene] together," Munteanu revealed at Awesome Con. "You don't see that in the movie, but we did." 

Liu confirmed the deleted scene, adding, "We filmed a version of the karaoke scene where Florian shows up at the end, with a plate of nachos (laughs)." 

Razor Fist, the machete-handed assassin who ultimately aligns with Shang-Chi's sister, Xu Xialing (Zhang), after the death of their father Wenwu (Tony Leung), would have entered the scene balancing nachos "on one arm," Munteanu recalled with a laugh. "That was funny. Everyone was afraid that I was letting it fall [onto Liu]." 

In a deleted scene included in Shang-Chi's bonus features, Razor Fist dies helping Katy save the mystical realm of Ta Lo from the Dweller-in-Darkness' army of soul-eating creatures. Because the scene hit the cutting room floor, Razor Fist survived as Xialing's right-hand man in a post-credits scene teasing the return of the Ten Rings organization. 

"When we see the deleted scenes, I feel like we get a better look at Razor Fist, his emotional side, that he has a lot of heart, that there are a lot more things that he cares about than just fighting or executing orders or the Ten Rings," Munteanu previously told PopCulture.com. "I want to exactly pick up on that and evolve that because I feel like the dramatic side, the emotional side, is one of my biggest strengths and I want to put that strength on Razor Fist as well. I feel like people would love that, to see Razor Fist, not only as a fighting machine, but be played with a lot of heart."

Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now available to own and streaming on Disney+.

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