Simu Liu is finally confirmed for an MCU return in 2025 but it’s not happening in ‘Shang-Chi 2’

It’s been over two years since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings entered theaters and went down as the most critically acclaimed Marvel Multiverse Saga movie not called Spider-Man: No Way Home, but there’s still no word on a sequel happening. At least we now know that Simu Liu is returning to the MCU at long last next year, but probably not how you expected.

You’d think that a high 91% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and near-total audience adulation at 98%, would ensure some kind of announcement on Shang-Chi 2, but unfortunately Marvel’s kept mum on the future of Simu Liu’s superhero for the longest time. The pieces are finally falling into place, though, thanks to the studio unfolding its full 2025 TV lineup, with additional info confirming that Shang-Chi is on his way back to the MCU. Get ready for Shang-Chi, zombie hunter!

Marvel Zombies confirmed to include Shang-Chi, Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel and more

Following Disney cementing Marvel’s 2025 movie schedule — which confirms Blade ain’t coming anytime soon — the studio has done the same for the House of Ideas’ streaming output, too. Those who loved X-Men ’97 and What If…? are in luck as we’ve got three whole animated shows to come next year. First, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man swings along in January, Eyes of Wakanda follows in August, and then Marvel Zombies shambles into view in October.

Yes, this is the long-awaited R-rated horror miniseries as based in the post-apocalyptic alternate universe introduced in What If…? season 1, episode 5. And, thanks to leaked artwork from the series, it looks like it’s something of a backdoor Shang-Chi sequel to boot. As you can see above, the artwork confirms that the ragtag bunch of heroes battling the zombified Avengers includes Shang-Chi, Kate Bishop, Kamala Khan, Yelena Belova, Red Guardian, Jimmy Woo, and even Shang-Chi’s old enemy Death Dealer. New zombie additions include Ghost, Hawkeye, and Abomination.

Now, it’s true that at present Liu hasn’t been announced to have lent his voice to this show, and What If…? has already established that Marvel isn’t above replacing its big names with soundalikes. That said, with Shang-Chi placed front and center in this image as the leader of the zombie-hunting hero team, it does suggest that he’s the series’ key draw so you’d expect getting the Barbie star back would be a top priority. Plus, the guy has only just started playing in the MCU sandbox, would he really let someone else play his character already?

Naturally, Marvel Zombies will introduce its own variant of the character, so there’s still no news on when we could get that confounding post-credits mystery from the first film resolved. With director Destin Daniel Cretton busy making Spider-Man 4, Shang-Chi 2 remains unlikely to emerge during the remainder of this saga and 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday may be our best bet of seeing Liu in live-action next. At least Marvel Zombies is coming in 12 months’ time to satiate our Shang-Chi cravings.