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I've just watched the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings movie, and according to me there's a plot point that is left hanging (possible spoilers if you haven't seen the movie).

Shang-Chi knows where to find his sister Xialing because he received an anonymous postcard with a Macau address.

He assumes that it was sent by Xialing, but when the two meet she is puzzled by the postcard and explains that she didn't send it.

The Wikipedia page of the movie states that the sender was their father Wenwu, but they cite no source, and it makes little sense plot-wise:

  • Shang received the postcard months before going to Macau, and decided to go only after the bus attack. Why waiting for so long, if Wenwu knew where both pendants were?

  • Wenwu is trying to retrieve the pendants by force; reuniting Shang and Xialing (both highly skilled in martial arts) would decrease his chances of success.

  • Wenwu doesn't need his kids' help or approval to go on with his plan. He could have freed his wife from the village before reuniting the family.

Did I miss some part that confirms that Wenwu was the sender? If the postcard is not his, who sent it?

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  • Maybe Wenwu was hoping the postcard would cause his son to come back to China without force? Since he wanted him as his successor. And then when that didn't work, he had to send agents.
    – Kitkat
    Commented Sep 10, 2021 at 14:20
  • Why using the real address of Xialing, if the goal was only to get Shang to China? When Shang was alone, he barely managed to fight four (five?) thugs in a bus, killing none and losing his pendant in the process. Reunited with his sister, together they killed a significant amount of soldiers of the Ten Rings, and only Wenwu's personal intervention saved the day.
    – Vorbis
    Commented Sep 10, 2021 at 15:30
  • I just thought it was Shang's father... maybe it's a setup for a sequel
    – Peter Nielsen
    Commented Sep 16, 2021 at 21:34

1 Answer 1

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It is not explained in the theatrical release of the movie, but a deleted scene on the blu-ray release titled "Postcard" shows that the father sent the post card and explains his rationale. It's not officially online, but you can find versions on YouTube.

Here's the dialog, which would have been at the start of the scene where Shang-Chi finds his father in the courtyard memorial to his mother:

Wenwu: “Did you get my postcard? The one with the dragon?”

Shang-Chi: "I know which one."

Wenwu: "I wanted you to find your sister so I wouldn't have to go through all this unnecessary violence to get you here. I hate being the bad guy all the time."

The deleted scene then continues with the dialog that appears in the movie:

Shang-Chi: "How did you find me?"

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    Excellent answer, thank you! I may not agree with Wenwu's logic, but this settles the question.
    – Vorbis
    Commented Nov 23, 2021 at 10:50

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