History Characters / Mulan2020

[[folder:Hua Family]]

!!!Portrayed by: Liu Yifei, Crystal Rao (young)
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_mulan.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/TziMa
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_huazhou.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/RosalindChao
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_huali.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Xana Tang
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mulan___xiu.png]]

[[folder:Chinese Government and Military]]

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/DonnieYen
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_tung.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Yoson An
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_honghui.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Jimmy Wong (Ling), Chien Tang (Yao), Doua Moua (Chien-Po)

!!!Portrayed by: Jun Yu

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/JetLi
[[quoteright:233:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_emperor.png]]

!!!Portrayed by: Nelson Lee

[[folder:Antagonists]]

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/JasonScottLee

!!!Portrayed by: Creator/GongLi

[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_Borikhan.png]]

[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_Börikhan.png]]

* AdaptationalBadass: In the original film, he was a NonActionGuy, while in this film, it is made clear that he was a skillful soldier himself back in the day and he does not hesitate to take the fight offer Bori Khan makes.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: The Emperor is more of a no nonsense leader this time around. When he gets word that Bori Khan is challenging him personally, [[spoiler:he actually accepts the duel and emerges from the palace in full armor, ready to do battle with his enemy]].

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: In the past, he slew the first Bori Khan. In the present, he intends to do the same to the second.
-->'''Emperor:''' I will kill this Bori Khan like I killed his father - with my own hands.

[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/m2020_borikhan.png]]

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: While Bori Khan is still physically menacing like Shan Yu, he at least lacks the latter's sickly grey skin, creepy yellow eyes and fang-like teeth. Overall, he looks less a villain from something propaganda-related.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Shan Yu, despite being one of the most evil villains of the Disney Animated Canon, showed no signs of sexism. While he was surprised to learn the soldier who wiped out most of his army was actually female, he [[AvertedTrope wasn't]] upset at the knowledge that [[IWasBeatenByAGirl he was defeated by a woman]], and he took her seriously as an adversary. Bori Khan, on the other hand, is a blatant misogynist, and mistreats Xianniang despite the fact that the reason he managed to succeed was because of her and dismisses Mulan as a mere child, in that case even suggesting humiliation at being defeated by someone so much younger than himself.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: Bori Khan's personality is both better and worse than his animated film counterpart, Shan Yu. Shan Yu is a bloodthirsty monster who wants to destroy China ForTheEvulz but [[PoliticallyCorrectVillain treats Mulan an equal soldier rather than a lesser being]]. Bori Khan is a stern leader seeking to avenge his father by conquering China and killing the Emperor, but is also an unrepentant misogynist.
* AdaptationNameChange: The leader of the barbarian invaders is called "Bori Khan" instead of "Shan Yu", who in turn is a case of an adaptation name change as the earliest case of the barbarian leader having a name was in the play "The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her father's Place", where he was called "Leopard Skin."
* AdaptationalSympathy: Bori Khan has a more understandable motive for his invasion of China unlike Shan Yu. Whereas Shan Yu's excuse for invading China was [[ChallengeSeeker just to prove that he could defeat such a mighty opponent]], Bori Khan is primarily motivated by [[YouKilledMyFather revenge for the death of his father]] (as well as reclaiming the territories they lost to Imperial China in the last war).
* BigBad: Bori Khan seeks to annihilate China to avenge his father's death.
* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: In the original film, Shan Yu died by fireworks. In this film, Bori Khan [[spoiler: dies when Mulan redirects an arrow he shot back into him (assuming the fall hadn't caused any would-be fatal wounds already).]]

* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Bori Khan gets killed by his own arrow, courtesy of Mulan. Even better, Khan had planned to murder the Emperor himself with said arrow.]]
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Bori Khan doesn't think highly of women, to the point where he mistreats Xianniang despite her being his right-hand woman. Which is a striking contrast to Shan Yu from the original, who was notable for being the ''least'' sexist man in the film.

* StrawMisogynist: Bori Khan has a very low opinion on women, even towards his right-hand woman, Xianniang. Her and Mulan would go on to prove otherwise.
* YouKilledMyFather: Bori Khan's RoaringRampageOfRevenge is fueled by his desire to kill the Emperor, the man responsible for his father's death.

A shapeshifting witch allied with Bori Khan.

* AdaptationalBadass: In the original film, Hayabusa was Shan Yu's falcon who served the ordinary animal sidekick role to Shan Yu and was not that much of a threat. Xianniang, Hayabusa's counterpart, is a powerful witch and fierce warrior whose powers allow Bori Khan's army to gain the upper hand.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the original film, Hayabusa is Shan Yu's loyal falcon companion who serves as the Huns' scout, and is just as ruthless as his master. Here, his equivalent Xianniang is a shape-shifting witch who, while still villainous, [[spoiler:is only working with Bori Khan out of sadness for society rejecting her, and the relationship between the two is marked by misogyny and abuse rather than loyalty and companionship]].
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Shan Yu's pet falcon, Hayabusa, was just an ordinary bird in the animated version. Here, the character is reimagined as a [[{{Shapeshifter}} shape-shifting]] witch and Bori Khan's [[BigBadDuumvirate partner]].

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: After Mulan convinces Xianniang that there is a place for people like themselves, the witch leads her to Bori Khan and the Emperor.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: When Xianniang is convinced by Mulan to turn against Bori Khan and leads her to the Emperor, she proceeds to take an arrow for Mulan in falcon form and dies instantly.]]
* IveComeTooFar: [[spoiler: When she sees Mulan leading the army to fight against Bori Khan, she Xianniang realizes that things are not the same for Mulan as they were for her, and there really ''is'' a place for women like them. However, Xianniang says that even so, it's too late for her. Mulan at least convinces her to help her out, which turns out to be her last act in life.]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Xianniang notes that she and Mulan are very similar, as powerful women who were rejected by men just because of their gender; the only difference is that Mulan chooses to continue trying to help those who rejected her where Xianniang gave up on the idea of ever belonging anywhere and only sides with Bori Khan because she basically doesn't know what else to do with herself.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:After leading Mulan to Bori Khan with the Emperor on the scaffolding, in addition to having told her about the whole thing in the first place, Xianniang [[TakingTheBullet takes an arrow]] intended for Mulan]].

* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Xianniang only joins Bori Khan's army because the public constantly harassed her for being a woman ''and'' a witch]].

-->'''Bori Khan:''' A ''girl'' threatens our plans?\\

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Official materials have spelled her name as both "Xianniang" and "Xianniang".

* DemotedToExtra: In the original, Chi-Fu was put in charge of supervising the training camp. Here, he never leaves the palace, resulting in much less screentime. This has more to do with Xian Lang possessing him however, leaving it ambiguous if he is dead.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Shan Yu, despite being one of the most evil villains of the Disney Animated Canon, showed no signs of sexism. While he was surprised to learn the soldier who wiped out most of his army was actually female, he [[AvertedTrope wasn't]] upset at the knowledge that [[IWasBeatenByAGirl he was defeated by a woman]], and he took her seriously as an adversary. Bori Khan, on the other hand, is a blatant misogynist, and mistreats Xian Lang despite the fact that the reason he managed to succeed was because of her and dismisses Mulan as a mere child, in that case even suggesting humiliation at being defeated by someone so much younger than himself.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Bori Khan doesn't think highly of women, to the point where he mistreats Xian Lang despite her being his right-hand woman. Which is a striking contrast to Shan Yu from the original, who was notable for being the ''least'' sexist man in the film.

* StrawMisogynist: Bori Khan has a very low opinion on women, even towards his right-hand woman, Xian Lang. Her and Mulan would go on to prove otherwise.

!!Xian Lang

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Hayabusa the falcon has been reinvented as a beautiful (but deadly) witch named Xian Lang.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the original film, Hayabusa was Shan Yu's falcon who served the ordinary animal sidekick role to Shan Yu and was not that much of a threat. Xian Lang, Hayabusa's counterpart, is a powerful witch and fierce warrior whose powers allow Bori Khan's army to gain the upper hand.
* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the original film, Hayabusa is Shan Yu's loyal falcon companion who serves as the Huns' scout, and is just as ruthless as his master. Here, his equivalent Xian Lang is a shape-shifting witch who, while still villainous, [[spoiler:is only working with Bori Khan out of sadness for society rejecting her, and the relationship between the two is marked by misogyny and abuse rather than loyalty and companionship]].

* CompositeCharacter: To those unfamiliar with other retellings of the Ballad of Mulan, Xian Lang appears to be a CanonForeigner. However, in the 1850 novel "The Fierce and Filial Girl from Northern Wei", a sorceress named "Huang Fengshan" appears as one of the villains. Add her bird-form into account, and it becomes clear she is a combination of Huang Fengshan and Shan Yu's falcon Hayabusa.
* DarkActionGirl: Xian Lang is shown to be just a formidable warrior as Mulan, amassing quite a considerable body count, and manages to fight equally with Mulan. Her ability to practice magic helps.
* DemonicPossession: Xian Lang can possess people if she wants to, something she demonstrates with the Emperor's advisor.

* EvilCounterpart: Xian Lang is one to Mulan. Both of them have infiltrated a world in which their gender has them being treated differently, and they change their identities. With Mulan, it is through a male disguise, in the case of Xian Lang, it is through magic. However, Mulan is filled with honor, while Xian Lang has no trouble using her magic in battle.
* FeatheredFiend: The sorceress Xian Lang shapeshifts into a hawk or a flock of birds that attacks the Chinese soldiers.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: After Mulan convinces Xian Lang that there is a place for people like themselves, the witch leads her to Bori Khan and the Emperor.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: When Xian Lang is convinced by Mulan to turn against Bori Khan and leads her to the Emperor, she proceeds to take an arrow for Mulan in falcon form and dies instantly.]]
* IveComeTooFar: [[spoiler: When she sees Mulan leading the army to fight against Bori Khan, she Xian Lang realizes that things are not the same for Mulan as they were for her, and there really ''is'' a place for women like them. However, Xian Lang says that even so, it's too late for her. Mulan at least convinces her to help her out, which turns out to be her last act in life.]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Xian Lang notes that she and Mulan are very similar, as powerful women who were rejected by men just because of their gender; the only difference is that Mulan chooses to continue trying to help those who rejected her where Xian Lang gave up on the idea of ever belonging anywhere and only sides with Bori Khan because she basically doesn't know what else to do with herself.
* PartialTransformation: Xian Lang can turn her hands into talons to do various things, such as [[BareHandedBladeBlock block swords]] and perform sorcery.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:After leading Mulan to Bori Khan with the Emperor on the scaffolding, in addition to having told her about the whole thing in the first place, Xian Lang [[TakingTheBullet takes an arrow]] intended for Mulan]].
* RunningBothSides: Xian Lang possesses the Emperor's advisor and manages to tell the Emperor and their armies exactly where the Rourans so the Chinese armies are wiped out.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Official materials have spelled her name as both "Xian Lang" and "Xianniang".

* TragicVillain: [[spoiler:Xian Lang only joins Bori Khan's army because the public constantly harassed her for being a woman ''and'' a witch]].
* UngratefulBastard: Xian Lang explicitly cites this trope, pointing out to Mulan that when the Chinese army finds out who she is, they will kill her because of her gender regardless of her service.

* WeCanRuleTogether: Xian Lang makes this offer to Hua Mulan encouraging her to join her, claiming that they are one in the same due to their special abilities (which, in turn, led to them being mistreated by those around them).

'''Xian Lang:''' A woman. A ''warrior''.

* AgeLift: The original Emperor was an elderly leader with a long white beard. Here, he's played by the middle-aged Jet Li.

* DarthVaderClone: Xian Lang is a female version. She appears to be the main antagonist, only she really isn't; she [[spoiler:is revealed to have a tragic past, develops a seemingly close bond to the main protagonist, and she gains a RedemptionEqualsDeath scene]].

* CompositeCharacter: To those unfamiliar with other retellings of the Ballad of Mulan, Xiang Liang appears to be a CanonForeigner. However, in the 1850 novel "The Fierce and Filial Girl from Northern Wei", a sorceress named "Huang Fengshan" appears as one of the villains. Add her bird-form into account, and it becomes clear she is a combination of Huang Fengshan and Shan Yu's falcon Hayabusa.

CompositeCharacter: To those unfamiliar with other retellings of the Ballad of Mulan, Xiang Liang appears to be a CanonForeigner. However, in the 1850 novel "The Fierce and Filial Girl from Northern Wei", a sorceress named "Huang Fengshan" appears as one of the villains. Add her bird-form into account, and it becomes clear she is a combination of Huang Fengshan and Shan Yu's falcon Hayabusa.

* CanonCharacterAllAlong: Xian Lang appears to be a CanonForeigner at first, as no witches were present in either the animated film or the original legend. However, once she takes the form of a falcon, it's made clear that she serves as a new version of Shan Yu's pet falcon, Hayabusa.

* AdaptationNameChange: A holdover from the 1998 film, but typically "Mulan" is treated as a unisex name, but the earliest case of her using an alias had her just use her father's name of "Hu". Here, she calls herself "Jun", rather than "Zhou", as her father is called in this adaptation, or "Ping", which she used in the animated film.

* AdaptationalHairstyleChange: Mulan doesn't cut her hair from waist-length to shoulder-length like does in the iconic scene from the [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} animated film]]. This was done partly in an attempt to be more historically accurate, as Chinese soldiers in that time period did wear their hair long.

* AdaptationNameChange: A holdover from the 1998 film, but typically "Mulan" is treated as a unisex name. Here she uses an alias and rather than "Ping", it is "Jun."

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: While Bori Khan is still physically menacing like Shan Yu, he at least lacks the latter's sickly grey skin, creepy yellow eyes and fang-like teeth.

* AdaptationNameChange: In this film, Mulan's superior officer is named "Tung" instead of "Li Shang", and his rank is Commander, not Captain.

* DecompositeCharacter: Li Shang is split between Tung and Cheng Honghui. Tung gets the 'military superior' part of the character.

* DecompositeCharacter: Of Li Shang, who was split between him and Tung. Honghui gets the 'comrade-in-arms and ostensible love interest' part of the deal. He also has some of the traits of Yao, and Ling, being rivals to Mulan before becoming friends with her. His words to her when they are in the lake is straight out of the original lake scene.