Why Razor Fist From Shang-Chi Looks So Familiar
Marvel Studios' "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" has finally arrived in theaters and it seems to be a huge hit with audiences and critics alike. Simu Liu stars as the titular hero who is pulled back into the Ten Rings terrorist organization run by his father, Wenwu, AKA the Mandarin (Tony Leung). This isn't the first time audiences have seen the Ten Rings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — since the terrorists play a key role in both "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 3." But their ranks are bolstered with new agents in "Shang-Chi," including a villain that some comic fans never expected to see on the big screen; Razor Fist.
Razor Fist is one of the Mandarin's children in "Shang-Chi," which is a departure from the comics, but the MCU isn't afraid to play fast and loose with the source material sometimes. Although Razor Fist is one of Shang-Chi's recurring villains in the comics, he isn't related to the hero in any way. Also to address the razor in the room, the villain has one of the silliest names in comics. He's up there with DC's Kite Man (that's not an insult, long live Kite Man).
Thankfully, "Shang-Chi" does the villain justice, and that includes a brilliant line from Katy (Awkwafina) about his weaponized prosthetic: "I know that you don't like to talk about your life, but a guy with a freakin' machete for an arm just chopped our bus in half!" But if you came out of the latest MCU movie wondering who plays Razor Fist on the big screen, here's where you might've seen him before.
Florian Munteanu is a former boxer
Florian Munteanu doesn't have a huge bank of film work, only previously appearing in a 2016 short film "Bogat," where he plays Razvan. The film revolves around Bogdan (Bogdan Pirnau), who goes looking for his brother Radu after his disappearance. He's also a former boxer who fought in Germany. As per Pop Inquirer, Munteanu is an amateur heavyweight fighter, with a 68-10 fight record, with only six draws to his name. He's also hugely passionate about health and fitness, in case that isn't obvious from his shredded physique and bulging biceps.
At least Marvel Studios didn't need to get him in shape to play Razor Fist in "Shang-Chi." Aside from being a fighter, Florian is clearly passionate about the sport outside of the ring, as his Bachelor of Arts thesis looks at the "structure and organization" of boxing in Germany. He's got brains and brawn, which is a deadly combination. Oh, and he also fought under the name "Big Nasty" in Germany — a nickname he earned thanks to his intimidating size.
He fought Michael B. Jordan in Creed II
The former boxer-turned-actor got his big break in "Creed II," which sees him step in the ring as Viktor Drago to fight Donnie Creed (Michael B. Jordan). It's an emotionally charged battle because Viktor's father, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) killed Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) years earlier in "Rocky IV." He and Ivan are the antagonists of the critically acclaimed sequel, but Munteanu's character has more depth to him than some audiences first expected going into "Creed II." Viktor starts the film as a simple villain, even knocking Donnie to the floor in their first fight — but he's disqualified for hitting Creed while he's down.
From there, Ivan pushes his son with extreme training regimes to try and get him at peak strength and endurance levels for the rematch. It becomes clear that Viktor's got an internal struggle with matching father's iconic legacy, which is why he's so ferocious in the first few rounds of his fights — because he's desperate to win and please his father. Florian Muneanu's performance is quite impressive, balancing the tough-guy act with someone who wants to live up to high expectations. His work in "Creed II" is likely what caught Marvel Studios' attention for Razor Fist in "Shang-Chi."
Munteanu will star in the Borderlands movie
Although Florian Munteanu doesn't have the most prolific acting career compared to some of his "Shang-Chi" co-stars, he's clearly impressed various studios with his performances so far. He'll next be seen in the "Borderlands" movie, which has been in development at Lionsgate since 2015. The Eli Roth-directed movie follows Lillith (Cate Blanchett), who hunts for the missing daughter of a powerful business man, Atlas (Edgar Ramirez). Florian Muneanu will play Krieg, a hulking mass of muscles and brawn who protects Tiny Tina (Ariana Greenblatt). She's a young girl who loves explosives.
Munteanu's impressive physique makes him perfect for the role, but it'll be interesting to see if the story gives him more to do than just fight people, aliens, and robots. The "Borderlands" film is definitely an exciting project, with an impressive cast also made up of Cate Blanchett as Lillith, Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, and Kevin Hart as Roland. It doesn't have a release date yet, but IMDb says it will debut at some point in 2022.