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All we want to see

Marvel Studios’ newest superhero Shang-Chi surpassed all box office expectations in September, and now fans are eagerly awaiting his sequel. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced MCU fans to a whole new cast of characters and new complications for this fictional world. Among the possibilities presented, there are some that particularly fascinate us.

Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi, aka Shaun, but he wasn’t the only star in this movie. Fans were captivated by his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), an immortal warrior and leader of an army of shadow assassins, as well as his sister, Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), a formidable fighter. with a different perspective on their heritage. Of course, many also want to see more of Awkwafina as her friend Katy, and see where that relationship is going. At the same time, Marvel fans love crossovers above all else, so many are eager to see which stars he interacts with next.

Disney announced that a Shang-Chi sequel is officially in development earlier this month, with the return of co-writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton. Notably, the company has signed a global deal with Cretton that includes this film and an MCU TV series that will air on Disney +. Fans have high hopes that this show will be connected to Shang-Chi.

While we wait for more news on the sequel, let’s take a look at some of the most logical places this franchise could go and which ones fans are most interested in. Fair warning: There are spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings below.

Xialing

One of the scenes from the end credits of Shang-Chi showed that Xialing had taken over the criminal organization of the Ten Rings after the death of his father and was not sitting idly by on his assets. Fans’ imaginations were immediately unleashed, and many took to social media to request a Xialing spin-off on TV or in the movies. In an interview with PopCulture.com at the time, Meng’er Zhang was extremely enthusiastic about the idea, so it is certainly in the realm of possibilities.

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Brother hand

Shang-Chi has a few aliases from the comics that might hint at the kind of story the next movie might follow. For example, in a recent arc Shang-Chi was called “Brother Hand”. He’s also a likely candidate for the film version of the character – in the story, Shang-Chi and his sister increasingly uncover remnants of their father’s old organization, including the “Five Weapons Society,” which includes five “houses”. each with a champion, including “Brother Saber”, “Sister Dagger” and so on.

Given that Shang-Chi’s sister (Meng’er Zhang) took over the organization known as Ten Rings at the end of the film, it would make sense for the MCU to pursue a version of this story as well. However, her sister is vastly different from her comic book counterpart, and it looks like the filmmakers are interested in integrating Shang-Chi more closely with the rest of the MCU characters, so delving deeper into her world might not be right. not their first choice.

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Introduction of new characters

Instead, Shang-Chi himself could be used to introduce new characters to the MCU, possibly including the X-Men. One story that seems to have special meaning comes from Secret Avengers, where Beast revealed to Shang-Chi new depths of his father’s immortal legacy that even he himself didn’t know. While Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) from the movie is already very different from Zheng Zu from the comics, it could still be a good choice and an easy way to bring X-Men into the story organically.

It’s worth noting that this same arc pairs Shang-Chi with Moon Knight later. The MCU has a Moon Knight TV series premiering next year on Disney +, with Oscar Isaac playing the titular hero. Some versions of this story could place Moon Knight in Shang-Chi 2 or even place Shang-Chi in Moon Knight Season 1.

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Protectors

Marvel has been praised for making an Asian and Asian American-centric superhero film starring Shang-Chi, so it would make sense for the company to decide to continue this representational trend. An easy way to do that would be to adapt the story arc of The Protectors. In a 2017 comedic arc, Shang-Chi teamed up with several other Asian Marvel superheroes, including Hulk Amadeus Cho, Silk, Ms. Marvel, Jimmy Woo, and SHIELD agent Jake Oh. The team didn’t last long in the comics, but might have better luck on the big screen.

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katy

Doomsday stakes aside, a lot of people are excited to see where things go between Shang-Chi and Katy (Awkafina) in the upcoming movie. The duo are clearly united, as they both accompany Wong through his portal at the end of the film. They work great as a platonic duo, but some still hope it becomes more.

Regardless, fans are also eager to see Katy’s character develop further. She was able to muster some ambition and focus in the movie when she learned archery, and it looks like her skills could be further developed. Many want to see her become more than “the guy in the chair”.

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Work with Captain America

Going back to Shang-Chi’s roots, one of the first great Marvel icons he encountered in the comics was Captain America. While the Steve Rogers version of Cap is no longer with us in the MCU, the new version played by Anthony Mackie needs some screen time. It would make sense to build on their adventures together in Secret Avengers in one way or another, whether or not that includes the Shadow Council.

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Next appearance

While Shang-Chi 2 is fun to speculate, it’s worth noting that we’ll likely see the character himself again before this title is released. The events of the releases by then could easily have an impact on the storyline of Shang-Chi 2, and looking at the slate, any of the movies or TV shows that come out are good candidates to reintroduce the character. .

Since Shang-Chi, we’ve seen two more MCU movies – Eternals in November and Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 17, 2021. Shang-Chi hasn’t appeared in any of those movies, but since he was seen. for the last time with Wong, he could reappear in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness on May 6, 2022.

Nothing in particular suggests that we will see Shang-Chi in Thor: Love and Thunder next summer, nor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Likewise, The Marvels in February 2023 seems too interstellar for his liking, as does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this May. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might be a good choice, as the comics have already teamed them up so Shang-Chi can grow to a massive size and fight a dragon.

On the TV side of things, Shang-Chi could appear in any of next year’s confirmed series – Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, or Secret Invasion. After that, release dates get more blurry, but Shang-Chi is as likely as anyone to show up in Ironheart, Armor Wars of the untitled Wakanda-based series, all in the works.

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Between

It is nearly impossible to speculate how the events between Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and its eventual sequel will impact the character’s story, but we’ll keep this section updated with new information as new titles come out. We have a special eye on Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight to run into Shang-Chi, but just about anyone could rock their boat. The MCU has mastered the ripple effects of its narrative ecosystem.

Once again, a Shang-Chi sequel has been officially confirmed, but there isn’t even a tentative release date for the film just yet. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney +.

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