Shang-Chi To Play A Huge Part In The MCU's Future According To Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, has said that Shang-Chi will influence where the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes from here. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has some early reviews calling it one of the best entries in the franchise, which is high praise indeed for Marvel Studios' latest blockbuster release. Shang-Chi, who was originally created by Steve Englehart and drawn by Jim Starlin way back in 1973, is played by Simu Liu in the new film
We officially entered into Marvel's Phase 4 with the release of the Disney+ shows and Black Widow earlier this year. (Black Widow is fantastic, by the way. You should really check it out if you haven't already. The movie takes place toward the end of Civil War and really offers an insight into the world Black Widow grew up in.) Phase 4 will continue with the debut of Shang-Chi, something that the Head of Marvel Studios has been keen to comment on. In a recent interview, Kevin Feige has told everyone that Shang-Chi will have "a great influence on the future" of his Marvel Cinematic Universe. Feige went on the explain that no heroes brought into the universe are done so lightly, as every new character introduced will have an important or potentially integral role in how the franchise plays out, and Shang-Chi being no different. In the interview, Feige said the following:
"I think, as with every Marvel superhero that we bring into the Cinematic Universe, all of them are important and integral in the future, and their characters are what shape the future of the Cinematic Universe. And now that people have met and seen the origin of Shang-Chi, it is safe to say he will have a great influence on the future."
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So what could this mean for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, Shang-Chi could pave the way for some more well known characters to make their debut in the movies. For instance, Shang-Chi is quite closely connected to Iron Fist, whom we have seen on the Netflix shows but has not made his way to the movies as of yet. If not Iron Fist or a new character, Shang-Chi could also have something to offer for our already established heroes, in particular Spider-Man. Now in the comics, Shang-Chi trains Spidey to use his spider sense in perfect tandem with his fighting style to create a new martial art that only he could use the way of the Spider, and this could be interesting to see play out on the big screen.
There could also be a connection to Iron Man within this movie, as Legend of the Ten Rings almost certainly has something to do with the Mandarin, who is well known for wielding the ten rings in the comics. Now, the Mandarin is, of course, one of Iron Man's biggest villains. And we have yet to see the real Mandarin in the Cinematic Universe, with Ben Kingsly's version being nothing but a pawn for the main villain in Iron Man 3, which understandably upset a lot of Iron Man fans who had waited a long time to see him on the big screen. The studio could set things right here with the Shang-Chi movie and give fans the supervillain they expected to see all the way back in Iron Man 3.
Who knows exactly what role Shang-Chi will play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward? All we can say for sure is that he will ultimately be heavily involved, given what Feige has said and the connection he may potentially share with bigger Marvel heroes.
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Source(s): Screen Rant