‘Marvel is completely starting fresh’: MCU’s highest-rated new franchise on Rotten Tomatoes loses a key player as sequel plans grind to a halt

The self-sabotaging strangeness of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga can be summed up in a single case study: the story of Shang-Chi. Despite releasing way back in summer 2021, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stands as the most popular non-sequel Marvel movie since Avengers: Endgame on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks to its 91% critics score and almost-perfect 98% audience score. And yet a sequel still isn’t primed for take-off.

Shang-Chi stans got some conflicting news this week when director Destin Daniel Cretton was announced to be helming Spider-Man 4. This is absolutely a much-deserved new gig for the filmmaker, who was replaced on Avengers 5 by the Russo brothers, but it did make folks wonder what exactly this meant for Shang-Chi 2, which Cretton has long been committed to spearhading himself.

Unfortunately, according to new rumored info, Shang-Chi 2 has been stalled for the time being, potentially forever. Scooper Jeff “The InSneider” Sneider claims that the Simu Liu-starring sequel is no longer in active development, and that it’s “unclear” if Marvel is even interested in resurrecting the project at a later date.

To be clear, this is far from confirmed, and Liu gave a fairly encouraging sequel update earlier this year, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if this intel ultimately turned out to be accurate. This summer’s sensation Deadpool & Wolverine definitely seems to mark a fresh start for the MCU, so it would make sense if the studio wished to streamline and start again, even if that means making some tough calls.

That said, many are hoping Shang-Chi 2 is just on hold for now and once the Secrets Wars of it all is over with then Marvel will be able to devote more time to getting it right.

That is assuming the Barbie actor is on board the franchise for the long haul — who knows what Secret Wars could do to this universe and its ever-growing population of heroes?

The good news is that Cretton seems to be well-entrenched at Marvel — on top of almost making Avengers 5 and directing Spider-Man 4, he’s also producing the Wonder Man series. And, if Cretton’s influence does only grow from here, you’d imagine he would do all he could to get a Shang-Chi sequel off the ground. And probably relaunch the Captain Marvel series too, given that Cretton is best pals with Brie Larson and she’s been in all his films to date.

It comes to something when a movie that received near universal acclaim doesn’t get a sequel fast-tracked. Especially as the first left so many dangling plot threads, such as where Xialing’s Ten Rings organization goes from here and where the heck the Ten Ring armbands come from anyway. Please, Kevin Feige, I’m begging you. Don’t let these questions join “what happened to space pirate Harry Styles?” in the overflowing trashcan of eternal MCU mysteries.