2
Credit: Marvel StudiosWhere is Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)?
Related: Disney Officially Halts Live-Action Movie Production
In the inaugural installment of the Shang-Chi franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Simu Liu, an Asian American actor, steps into the lead role of Shang-Chi. Helmed by director Destin Daniel Cretton, the first film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings garnered widespread critical acclaim upon its theatrical debut in 2021.
Notably, this was the first MCU film to boast a predominantly Asian cast, with Simu Liu portraying Xu Shang-Chi/Shaun Xu, Awkwafina as his close friend Katy, Meng’er Zhang as his estranged younger sister Xu Xialing, Fala Chen as Shang-Chi’s enigmatic mother Ying Li from the secluded village of Ta-Lo, Benedict Wong as Wong, Ben Kingsley as actor Trevor Slattery, who famously impersonated the fake “The Mandarin,” Florian Munteanu as the Ten Rings member Razor Fist, and the legendary Tony Leung as the formidable father and founder of the Ten Rings, Xu Wenwu/The Mandarin.
Now, it’s not just Marvel star Simu Liu teasing a potential Shang-Chi sequel anymore, as a Hollywood industry resource is reporting that Marvel Studios are gearing up to produce Shang-Chi 2.
Shang-Chi 2 Finally Moving Forward?
It appears as if the long-awaited sequel to Shang-Chi, Shang-Chi 2, is finally moving towards production, according to Production Weekly (via Comic Book Club Live), a popular TV and movie industry resource.
From the Walt Disney Company’s Marvel Studios under Marvel President Kevin Feige, Shang-Chi 2 will reportedly see production in 2025, with both Destin Daniel Cretton writing and directing, and starring Simu Liu in the lead role once again, according to Production Weekly.
The listing details Shang-Chi 2 as follows:
Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.
Interestingly, producer credits list “Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, and Asher Goldstein” as the sequel’s producers — the producers for the first Shang-Chi movie — and include Alonso despite the producer departing (more accurately, getting fired from) the company last year.
Related: MCU ‘Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu Called Out for Being “Privileged”
Well into the Multiverse Saga’s Phase Five, the MCU is currently at a bit of a crossroads. Following the firing of Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors, the superhero giant finds itself without a central baddie akin to the Infinity Saga’s Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Having also lost their original Avengers mainstays in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel’s fan-favorite heroes, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark and Chris Evans’ Captain America/Steve Rogers, are officially out of the picture.
Shang-Chi himself has been equally absent from the MCU. His last appearance was actually in the abovementioned solo debut film, which ended with Wong (Benedict Wong) calling on the Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to try to puzzle out the true nature of Shang-Chi’s super-powerful Ten Rings, to no avail.
After a lackluster Phase Four amid complaints of “superhero fatigue”, Marvel Studios has introduced a fair number of new heroes — but has repeated the unfortunate trend of leaving these heroes’ stories unfinished, with next to no follow-up for audiences. Even though Disney has plans to change that, some damage has already been done.
Alongside Letitia Wright as Princess Shuri, who took on the role of the Black Panther from the late Chadwick Boseman, Iman Vellani as Pakistani-American teen hero Ms Marvel, Tatiana Maslany as lawyer Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, and Dominique Thorne as tech-genius Riri Williams/Ironheart, Simu Liu is a relative newcomer to the Marvel scene representing a new generation of Avengers who have become almost “abandoned” by the studio.
Hearing any news of Shang-Chi 2 is more than welcome for Marvel fans who have grown to love the character in his debut film. However, the fact that audiences will see neither hide nor hair of Shang-Chi (most likely) until his own solo movie sequel, the character’s continued absence actively works against maintaining a sense of continuity within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
With director Cretton now off the Avengers 5 (formerly Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) project and currently working on Wonder Man for Marvel, Shang-Chi 2 feels even further away.
Are you excited about Marvel’s Shang-Chi 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!