There is a single, heartbreaking moment in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that makes the Mandarin the saddest villain in the MCU. The MCU is known for constructing complex and sympathetic villains, those like Loki, Scarlet Witch, and the Green Goblin ranking among them, but Xu Wenwu's (Tony Leung) descent into villainhood is especially devastating. Though he may be a brutal warlord that has led the Ten Rings since the Middle Ages, there is much more to Wenwu's story than that.
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Wenwu was already centuries old in Shang-Chi, through the power of the Ten Rings, and he was looking for a way to improve his power and build his empire. When he attempted to enter Ta Lo in 1996 and harvest the power sealed inside, he discovered something very different at its gates, the love of his life, Ying Li. The pair were wed, they welcomed Shang-Chi and Xialing into their family, and Wenwu put away the Ten Rings; their life was a peaceful bliss that Wenwu had never known before. His idyllic life was ripped from him when the Iron Gang slayed Ying Li in his absence, plunging Wenwu and his family back into the world of villainy as he sought revenge for his wife's death.
Wenwu's entire plan in Shang-Chi revolves around his desire to reunite his family and reclaim the fleeting peace he had once known. His grief corrupted by the powers locked away in Ta Lo, Wenwu was convinced by the Dweller in Darkness that his wife was not dead, but being held prisoner. If he could only free her, then their perfect life would be returned to them. Wenwu was clearly devoted to these delusions, he was willing to burn his wife's homeland of Ta Lo in order to free her, but a brief, heartbreaking moment betrays that he knew his wife was truly dead. Upon entering Ta Lo to complete his mission, Wenwu stops at his wife's shrine to light incense in her honor; a gesture he wouldn't make if he didn't believe in his heart that she was already gone. He falters for a second at this moment, seeming to almost come to his senses, before the Dweller in Darkness drew him in once more.
Is Wenwu A True Villain In Shang Chi?
As is true for the best of villains, it is difficult to define Wenwu as a true villain in Shang-Chi. He certainly has a dark past, both before meeting his wife and after her loss, and his organization is responsible for an immeasurable number of deaths over the centuries, but Shang-Chi goes the distance to make Wenwu a sympathetic figure. He was willing to reject everything he'd worked for in order to live his life in harmony with his family but snapped when it was violently torn from his hands. His grief was manipulated by the Dweller in Darkness, weaponizing his heartbreak and desperation in order to meet its own goals. While Wenwu possesses villainous traits, he is also one of the most tragic figures in the MCU.
Wenwu's desperation to get back what he knows in his heart that he's lost is truly heartbreaking. He was finally able to find true redemption when he sacrificed himself for his son in Ta Lo, an act that only made his character even more sympathetic. Even under his delusion, Wenwu's goal was not to cause destruction but to put his family back together again. Wenwu's struggle with grief and rejection of reality in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has easily earned him the status of the MCU's saddest villain.