Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opened in 2021, during some of the pandemic’s worst, and made $432M. That’s not too shabby, and Marvel set out on a sequel with Destin Daniel Cretton returning to direct, and star Simu Liu reprising the role of the Master of Kung Fu. But the film has yet to get a date, and currently isn’t listed anywhere in Marvel’s Phase 5 plans. So what’s up with that? And where might we see Shang-Chi next?
Liu spoke with PEOPLE about Shang-Chi and couldn’t help but tease the character’s return possibly sooner than expected…
“I’m such a big fan of both the characters and the performers that play them, so any collaboration is an opportunity for me to work alongside someone who, in their own way, is breaking barriers and at the very top of their game. I think that’s what excites me the most as a performer, [and] also as a fan…And who knows, they might see something sooner than you think.”
There’s a rumor going around that Kang, who we saw played by Jonathan Majors in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, could be the original owner of the Ten Rings and is coming back to claim them. If that’s the case, it would put him in a confrontation with Shang-Chi, and that could be what Liu is alluding to.
However, would Marvel REALLY go to another big-bad villain who uses rings as his primary weapon? Doubtful they’d be so blatantly repetitive.
The rumors likely spring from Cretton also directing Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, a film that could see Shang-Chi play a major role. That film opens in May 2025. Cretton is also directing the American Born Chinese and Wonder Man shows on Disney+, so he’s plenty busy already. If Shang-Chi is to pop up somewhere it’s likely to be in a project helmed by Cretton.
