Next weekend brings the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which is riding a wave of critical acclaim to gain an early reputation as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s best-ever origin stories. That’s a stamp of approval if ever there was one, and several major characters from the movie are set to play huge roles in Phase Four and beyond as the franchise continues to expand.
Kevin Feige teased that some favorites introduced in Shang-Chi will be making their returns sooner than you’d think, leading to all sorts of speculation as to how, when, where and why Destin Daniel Cretton’s martial arts fantasy epic could end up impacting and influencing the shared mythology.
Leading man Simu Liu has already made it clear that he’s looking to team up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the future, while he’s not discounted crossing paths with Anthony Mackie’s Captain America or the Guardians of the Galaxy, either. However, in a new interview the actor admitted that he’s not sure what his immediate future holds once Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hits theaters next Friday.
“I’ve got nothing. I’ve got absolutely nothing. I think we’re just so focused on pushing this movie out to the world and making sure people watch it. And when it releases in theaters September 3rd, wherever it’s safe for people to do so, that they come out and experience the mind-blowing action and the incredible story that this movie has.”
We’ve already heard that Feige has big plans in store for the MCU’s resident martial arts expert, and there’s any number of scenarios that could lead to Liu’s swift return. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings occupies the middle ground between the grounded and mystical corners of the universe, and having a foot in each one only increases the number of future projects he could end up being a part of, without having to bend over backwards to tie it all together.
