All posts by RileyBeal8310

I think that Kai was overall a cool villain. His design is awesome, his theme music is a banger, and he may have been the most powerful villain that Po has ever faced. But he was lacking in depth compared to Tai Lung and Lord Shen, and even the Chameleon is probably a better antagonist than he was. But he could have potentially been the best villain in the entire Kung Fu Panda franchise.

When early production began on Kung Fu Panda 3, concept art shows that Kai was originally meant to be a darker and more tragic villain than he ended up being. He was originally more supernatural, as his early designs show him as a wraith-like figure with multiple arms and glowing red eyes. His backstory also would have been better fleshed out and his relationship with Oogway would have been even more interesting. And instead of J.K. Simmons, he was originally going to be voiced by Mads Mikkelsen instead.

But how did this all fall apart? After Kung Fu Panda 2 was released, some stupid parents thought that the movie was too scary and dark for children. So Dreamworks decided to make Kung Fu Panda 3 a less serious and more light hearted movie. So with the tonal changes, the old designs for Kai were scrapped and he was made to be a less spooky villain. Mads Mikkelsen quit the film after scheduling conflicts, so he was replaced with J.K. Simmons. Even though Simmons did a great job with Kai, I still think it would be cool if Mikkelsen got to voice another villain in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

I think that these old concepts for Kai would have made a much more compelling antagonist, but it was sadly scrapped because some overly concerned parents thought that Kung Fu Panda 2 was too scary for kids. I still love Kung Fu Panda 3, it’s my third favorite of the movies (right behind the first two films), but I still wonder what if we got that version of it and how a more serious version of Kai would have changed the story? What do you think?

Fun Fact: The concept of Kai as a character goes back to the first film, where he was going to be a henchman for Tai Lung!

Early concept art for Kai:

One thing I have always wondered after watching Kung Fu Panda 2 is what happened to Lord Shen’s army after he was defeated? We see that when Po is throwing the cannonballs at the ships, we see some of the wolves jump into the water. But what happened to them afterwards, well I have a theory? We know that Shen’s army consists of both wolves and gorillas. The wolves were once the palace guards to the peacocks of Gongmen City and were loyal to Shen, so after Shen was defeated they had no one to lead them. And the gorillas were most likely mercenaries that Shen had hired for muscle. I believe that some of the wolves that we see in the tavern in Kung Fu Panda 4 were part of Shen’s army and became loyal henchmen to Granny Boar or lived in Juniper City. While the gorillas continued to do mercenary work. What do you think?

When it comes to the Chameleon’s backstory, people either love it or hate it. Some people make fun of it, saying that it makes no sense that she was not allowed to do Kung Fu while Mantis and Viper could. While people like me defend her backstory, because other Kung Fu masters may have prejudice against smaller students. But even though I defend her backstory, I do think we need to add some more lore to the Chameleon’s background.

It starts off like this: Centuries ago, the Chameleons were the most powerful sorcerers in the world. Using their magic to protect the innocent and heal the sick, they became the peaceful warriors of the land. But as time passed, the civilians began to rely more on Oogway and the Kung Fu masters for protection instead of the Chameleon sorcerers. Many years ago, after Oogway banished Kai to the Spirit Realm, he invented the art form of Kung Fu. Soon enough, people began to train in Kung Fu, and magic became less common. Magic derives from chi, and Oogway saw himself that chi could be manipulated through darkness. Some of the Chameleons started to turn evil, feeling betrayed by the common folk and being manipulated by the dark power. When the Chameleons eventually started to attack, Oogway and the masters had to put an end to their once peaceful reign. After a great battle between Kung Fu and magic, the masters ended up victorious and the Chameleons were defeated. Soon after, magic was banned from the land after people saw its devastating effects, and many of the Chameleons were either imprisoned or banished to the far lands. 

Many years later, a young chameleon named Bian Se Long (which literally translates to chameleon) grows up a small town, largely isolated from the rest of the land. Bian told of how the ancient chameleons wreaked havoc on the land, and how chameleons these days are forced into isolation. Bian is very optimistic and wants to bring honor back to the name of the Chameleons, thinking the only way to do this is by learning Kung Fu. She leaves home and sets out to find a master willing to teach her Kung Fu. She travels from dojo to dojo, but each time she is told no. Every master she asks tells her that she is too weak and lowly. Although disappointed, she does not give up. But one day, everything changes. She comes to a new dojo, eager to learn. But when the master opens the door, he is horrified. He screams out to the village “it’s a chameleon!”, and all the villagers come out of their houses holding torches and pitchforks. Some people have not forgotten about the chaos the Chameleons caused those years ago, and are very prejudiced towards any chameleon they find. The villagers chased Bian from the town, frightening her. Young Bian is scarred for life, finally accepting the hard truth that no one wants to teach her Kung Fu. Instead, Bian takes on the very power that her ancestors wielded, sorcery. Bian takes on the name of the Chameleon, embracing her dark ancestry. She travels to one of the places where she was rejected from learning Kung Fu, Juniper City, and defeats the masters. She then takes full control of the city, turning the whole place into a citadel for criminals and villains. She even bans all knowledge of Kung Fu from the city and burns all of the ancient scrolls, which is why no one knows about the Jade Palace or even the Dragon Warrior. The Chameleon has forgotten about her once humble past and has fully embraced her dark side.

So what do you think about my extended Chameleon backstory? Do you think it improves her motivation, tell me your opinions.

When it comes to the Chameleon’s backstory, people either love it or hate it. Some people make fun of it, saying that it makes no sense that she was not allowed to do Kung Fu while Mantis and Viper could. While people like me defend her backstory, because other Kung Fu masters may have prejudice against smaller students. But even though I defend her backstory, I do think we need to add some more lore to the Chameleon’s background.

It starts off like this: Centuries ago, the Chameleons were the most powerful sorcerers in the world. Using their magic to protect the innocent and heal the sick, they became the peaceful warriors of the land. But as time passed, the civilians began to rely more on Oogway and the Kung Fu masters for protection instead of the Chameleon sorcerers. Many years ago, after Oogway banished Kai to the Spirit Realm, he invented the art form of Kung Fu. Soon enough, people began to train in Kung Fu, and magic became less common. Magic derives from chi, and Oogway saw himself that chi could be manipulated through darkness. Some of the Chameleons started to turn evil, feeling betrayed by the common folk and being manipulated by the dark power. When the Chameleons eventually started to attack, Oogway and the masters had to put an end to their once peaceful reign. After a great battle between Kung Fu and magic, the masters ended up victorious and the Chameleons were defeated. Soon after, magic was banned from the land after people saw its devastating effects, and many of the Chameleons were either imprisoned or banished to the far lands. 

Many years later, a young chameleon named Bian Se Long (which literally translates to chameleon) grows up a small town, largely isolated from the rest of the land. Bian told of how the ancient chameleons wreaked havoc on the land, and how chameleons these days are forced into isolation. Bian is very optimistic and wants to bring honor back to the name of the Chameleons, thinking the only way to do this is by learning Kung Fu. She leaves home and sets out to find a master willing to teach her Kung Fu. She travels from dojo to dojo, but each time she is told no. Every master she asks tells her that she is too weak and lowly. Although disappointed, she does not give up. But one day, everything changes. She comes to a new dojo, eager to learn. But when the master opens the door, he is horrified. He screams out to the village “it’s a chameleon!”, and all the villagers come out of their houses holding torches and pitchforks. Some people have not forgotten about the chaos the Chameleons caused those years ago, and are very prejudiced towards any chameleon they find. The villagers chased Bian from the town, frightening her. Young Bian is scarred for life, finally accepting the hard truth that no one wants to teach her Kung Fu. Instead, Bian takes on the very power that her ancestors wielded, sorcery. Bian takes on the name of the Chameleon, embracing her dark ancestry. She travels to one of the places where she was rejected from learning Kung Fu, Juniper City, and defeats the masters. She then takes full control of the city, turning the whole place into a citadel for criminals and villains. She even bans all knowledge of Kung Fu from the city and burns all of the ancient scrolls, which is why no one knows about the Jade Palace or even the Dragon Warrior. The Chameleon has forgotten about her once humble past and has fully embraced her dark side.

So what do you think about my extended Chameleon backstory? Do you think it improves her motivation, tell me your opinions.