SPOILERS lie ahead for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, now playing exclusively in theaters.
For the first time since Captain Marvel in 2019, the MCU has introduced a new superhero into its expansive universe with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Simu Liu may play the leading character we get to know throughout the epic action flick but, real talk, the movie wouldn't have had as much personality as it did without the addition of Awkwafina’s Katy, who has a ton of hilarious moments throughout Shang-Chi. With that in mind, we're taking a look at the archer-in-training’s best lines.
Awkwafina already has the reputation of using her quick-wit to hydrate big movies such as Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon and Jumanji: The Next Level, but she’s really in the big leagues now with a Marvel role under her belt. Here are the quotable Katy moments that got the big laughs:
“That Is Exactly The Daughter My Mom Wished Came Out Of Her Vagina.”
For the vast majority of the film, Katy is the fish out of water in Shang-Chi, but she’s also already a bit of an outcast before she enters the mystical world connected to her best friend’s past. As illustrated in one moment right before the action starts, Awkwafina’s character looks on to a prim and proper Asian woman on the bus, who is basically the person she imagines her mom wishes she was instead of being a hotel valet with a hot attitude. The moment really informs who Katy is and surely rings relatable to many viewers.
“I Know You Don’t Like To Talk About Your Life, But A Guy With A Freaking Machete For An Arm Just Chopped Our Bus In Half!”
To cut the incredible tension built in Shang-Chi’s awesome bus action sequence, Awkwafina’s character goes for some real talk with her bestie to ask him WTF just happened, and it was perfect. Katy has known Shang-Chi for much of her life, so you can imagine her surprise seeing him go into full martial arts mode to take down Florian Munteanu’s Razor Fist and his associates. It sets up the crazy world Katy is about to dive into with Shang-Chi and, while we may be accustomed to seeing crazy stuff go down in movies, it’s a good reminder that she is truly entering the MCU for the first time.
“Shaun Chi?”
It’s when Shang-Chi and Katy get to a plane, en route to Macau, that he finally starts to spill the details of his past, which includes him revealing his real name, which she thought was “Shaun” up to this point. This leads to a funny moment where she’s trying to learn how to say the name of the hero properly but then comes to the realization that he didn’t really hide his identity very well, by literally calling himself “Shaun” instead of “Shang-Chi.” It’s a laugh-out-loud moment to break up the drama of the hero’s tense upbringing, but it's also a great way to touch on how often people from other cultures change up their names to more American titles to appease the norms of a society.
“I Like Your Spiked Face.”
When Shang-Chi and Katy get to Macau, they find themselves in Xialing’s fighting ring, where the hero is determined to get to his sister before Razor Fist does. When they enter the place, it seems to be full of characters from all sectors of the galaxy within the MCU, hence Wong’s surprise appearance. Katy gets to comment on the whole situation through a funny compliment to a spiky-faced person they pass on their way in. A subtle line yes, but another good one.
“An Underground Fighting Ring When You Were 15 Years Old? Hell Yeah.”
As Katy gets acquainted with Shang-Chi’s world, she also meets his estranged sister, Xialing, who is a super badass but closed off and dark character. Throughout the film, it looks like Katy and Xialing quietly enjoy each other’s company and seem to have blooming friendship. Part of that is shown early on when Katy recognizes how cool the club owner is, breaksing through some awkward moments between Xialing and Shang-Chi in the process. I loved this dynamic and enjoyed see women supporting women!
“Initially, I Thought Your Dad Should Definitely See A Therapist… But Then That Dragon Created A Magical Water Map.”
There Katy goes again with reminding us what’s happening in front of us, but this made for a really funny moment, too. This comes on the heels of a pretty cringey dinner with Shang-Chi’s daddy, where we learn that the character played by Tony Leung believes his late wife is still alive and being held captive. And of course, he also mentions that he's willing to kill a lot of innocent people to bring her back. Katy sums up the situation in a funny and matter-of-fact way that creates some more chuckles during Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
“All I Could Hear In The Back Of My Mind Was My Mom’s Voice Saying ‘Just Take The Shot You Little Mush!’”
We should also mention that Awkwafina’s Katy becomes a hero in her own right by the end of Shang-Chi, after falling into some archery training during the film's third act. It provides the character with a more meaningful arc because the journey allows her to learn about pointing with purpose. And in the end, she totally takes decisive that turns the tide in the final battle. At the end of the movie, she and Shang-Chi hilariously tell their story of saving the world to some seriously confused friends, and the above line definitely earned a big laugh.
Now that we’ve seen Awkwafina’s Katy enter into the MCU, would you like to see her character continue and become part of the Avengers? The mid-credits scene definitely hints at bigger things for the character when she joins Wong and some other notable heroes in a meeting! Vote in our poll below, and get hyped for more Marvel introductions with the upcoming MCU movie slate.
This poll is no longer available.
