Shang-Chi Might Feature The MCU’s First X-Men Character

Marvel’s X-Men reboot won’t come our way for a while, but the Children of the Atom may be introduced into the MCU much sooner. After all, it’s already known that Deadpool will likely debut in a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but there may be another mutant character who’ll feature even earlier than that. Specifically, in the film preceding DS2 – February 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us months ago that Deadpool 3 was now in active development, which Ryan Reynolds confirmed last week – X-Men member Psylocke will show up for a brief cameo in Shang-Chi. The movie, set to introduce Simu Liu as the titular master martial artist, will see Shang-Chi participating in a tournament which will allow for various comic book foes to appear as his opponents.

One of these opponents we’re told is Betsy Braddock aka Psylocke. This won’t be a big role, but it would make her the first former Fox character to appear in the MCU. And given that this intel comes from the same sources who also told us Tom Holland is in talks for a Venom 2 cameo and Marvel is eyeing Daniel Radcliffe for Moon Knight, both of which have since been confirmed, we’ve no reason to doubt it.

Psylocke previously made her big screen debut in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, as played by Olivia Munn, with the anti-heroine serving as one of En-Sabah-Nur’s Four Horsemen. This version of the character pulled from the Asian depiction of Betsy in the comics, when she switched bodies with Kwannon. And I’d speculate that if Psylocke’s making her MCU debut in Shang-Chi, which is set to feature a predominantly Asian cast, this iteration will also be portrayed with the same ethnicity.

Of course, fans will know that Betsy is traditionally a Caucasian English woman, the sister of Brian Braddock AKA Captain Britain. The Braddock family was recently alluded to in an easter egg in Avengers: Endgame as well, so Psylocke’s debut in Shang-Chi has already been teed up in some sense.

Sources are also saying that the heroine will go on to feature as part of the MCU’s X-Men team when they eventually come together, and while we’ve no idea who could end up playing her at present, no doubt fans would love for Munn to be given another go at Psylocke. Fingers crossed.