After being compelled to take a seat out 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios returned in an enormous method in 2021 by not solely kicking off its run of Disney+ subscription-exclusive MCU TV exhibits, but in addition releasing 4 films. The second of these films was Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, starring Simu Liu because the titular character. I definitely discovered Shang-Chi’s origin story to be an satisfying watch, however 4 years after its launch, an web consumer made a remark about him that I’ve additionally been questioning about.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was each a important and business success for Marvel, so there’s no query that this was one of many stronger debuts for an MCU character, particularly post-Section 3. And but, as X consumer @brookstweetz so astutely put it:
It’s really insane Shang Chi has been in NOTHING moreover his film
Now to be truthful, that’s not completely correct, as Simu Liu did vocally reprise Shang-Chi in two episodes of What If… ? Season 3, and he’ll even be heard in Marvel Zombies on the 2025 TV schedule this October. However so far as the principle MCU actuality goes, i.e. the Sacred Timeline, yeah, I agree it’s bizarre that the expert martial artist and heir of the magical ten rings beforehand wielded by his father has not popped up since then. That’s to not say the still-in-development Shang-Chi 2 wanted to be launched by now, however given Marvel’s behavior of getting main superheroes from one venture make supporting appearances or cameos in different tasks, I can’t be faulted for considering that Shang-Chi may have gotten the identical remedy.
The excellent news is we not less than know once we’ll lastly reunite with the Sacred Timeline’s Shang-Chi. Simu Liu is a part of the huge ensemble solid for subsequent yr’s Avengers: Doomsday, which has been filming in London since late April. Though Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ mid-credits scene teased that the rings are performing as a beacon for one thing, it’s unclear if that shall be addressed in Doomsday. It additionally stays to be seen if Liu will even be current in Avengers: Secret Wars, as to this point Robert Downey Jr.’s Physician Doom and the Unbelievable 4 are solely confirmed characters for that film.
Nonetheless, it’ll be good to Shang-Chi again in motion come December 18, 2026. It’s been far too lengthy since we frolicked with him in a live-action setting, and I sit up for seeing him combat alongside the Unbelievable 4, Avengers, New Avengers and X-Males, amongst others. In the meantime, Simu Liu’s subsequent film, the animated In Your Desires, will turn out to be accessible to stream with a Netflix subscription beginning on November 14.