'Shang-Chi 2': Everything We Want to See

By Michael Hein

Marvel Studios' newest superhero Shang-Chi exceeded all expectations at the box office back in September, and now fans are looking ahead to his sequel. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced MCU fans to a whole new cast of characters and new complications for this fictional world. Among the possibilities presented, there are some that we are particularly excited about.

Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi, a.k.a. Shaun, but he was not the only breakout star of this movie. Fans were captivated by his father, Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), an immortal warrior and leader of a shadow army of assassins, as well as his sister, Xu Xialing (Meng'er Zhang), a formidable fighter with a different perspective on their inheritance. Of course, many also want to see more of Awkwafina as his friend Katy, and see where that relationship goes. At the same time, Marvel fans love a crossover above all else, so many are eager to see which stars he interacts with next.

Disney announced that a Shang-Chi sequel is officially in development earlier this month, with co-writer and director Destin Daniel Cretton returning. Notably, the company signed Cretton to an overall deal which includes this movie and an MCU TV series that will stream on Disney+. Fans have high hopes that this show will be connected to Shang-Chi.

While we wait for more news on the sequel, let's take a look at some of the most logical places this franchise could go and which ones fans are most interested in. Fair warning: there are spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings below.

Xialing

One of the end credit scenes from Shang-Chi showed that Xialing had taken over the Ten Rings criminal organization following her father's death, and was not sitting idly on its assets. Fans' imaginations were immediately running wild, and many took to social media asking for a Xialing spinoff either on TV or in the movies. In an interview with PopCulture.com at the time, Meng'er Zhang was extremely enthusiastic about this idea, so it is certainly within the realm of possibility.

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Brother Hand

Shang-Chi has a few aliases from the comic books that could hint about what kind of story the next movie might follow. For example, in a recent arc, Shang-Chi was called "Brother Hand." This is a likely contender for the movie version of the character as well - in the story, Shang-Chi and his sister uncover more and more remnants of their father's ancient organization, including the "Five Weapons Society," which includes five "houses" each with a champion, including "Brother Sabre," "Sister Dagger" and so on.

Since Shang-Chi's sister (Meng'er Zhang) took over the organization known as the Ten Rings at the end of the movie, it would make sense for the MCU to pursue a version of this story as well. However, his sister is far different from her comic book counterpart, and it seems like the filmmakers are interested in integrating Shang-Chi more closely with the rest of the MCU characters, so diving deeper into his world may not be their top choice.

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Introduction of New Characters

Instead, Shang-Chi himself could be used to introduce new characters to the MCU - possibly including the X-Men. One story that seems to make particular sense comes from Secret Avengers, where Beast revealed to Shang-Chi new depths of his father's immortal legacy that even he himself did not know. While the movie's Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) is already vastly different from the comics' Zheng Zu, this still might be a good fit and an easy way to bring some X-Men into the story organically.

It's worth noting that that same arc teams Shang-Chi up with Moon Knight later on. The MCU has a Moon Knight TV series premiering next year on Disney+, with Oscar Isaac playing the titular hero. Some version of this story could place Moon Knight in Shang-Chi 2 or even place Shang-Chi in Moon Knight Season 1.

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The Protectors

Marvel was praised for making a superhero movie centering around Asian and Asian American people with Shang-Chi, so it would make sense if the company decided to carry on with that representational trend. An easy way to do so would be to adapt The Protectors story arc. In a 2017 comic arc, Shang-Chi teamed up with several other Asian Marvel superheroes, including the Hulk Amadeus Cho, Silk, Ms. Marvel, Jimmy Woo and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jake Oh. The team did not last long in the comics, but might have more luck on the big screen.

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Katy

World-ending stakes aside, many people are excited to see where things go between Shang-Chi and Katy (Awkafina) in the next movie. The duo are clearly sticking together, as they both accompany Wong through his portal at the end of the film. They work perfectly well as a platonic duo, but some are still holding out hope that it turns into more.

Either way, fans are also eager to see Katy's character develop further. She was able to muster some ambition and focus in the movie when she was taught archery, and it seems like her skills could be developed even further. Many want to see her become more than just "the guy in the chair."

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Work with Captain America

Going back to Shang-Chi's roots, one of the first major Marvel icons he met in the comic books was Captain America. While the Steve Rogers version of Cap is no longer with us in the MCU, the new version played by Anthony Mackie is in need of some screentime. It would make sense to draw on their adventures together in Secret Avengers in one way or another - whether that includes the Shadow Council or not.

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Next Appearance

While Shang-Chi 2 is fun to speculate about, it's worth noting that we are likely to see the character himself again before that title ever comes out. The events of the releases between now and then could easily impact the storyline of Shang-Chi 2, and looking at the slate, any one of the movies or TV shows coming out are good candidates for reintroducing the character.

Since Shang-Chi we have seen two more MCU films — Eternals in November and Spider-Man: No Way Home on Dec. 17, 2021. Shang-Chi did not appear in either of these movies, but since he was last seen with Wong, he could pop up again in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness on May 6, 2022.

There's nothing in particular to suggest that we'll see Shang-Chi in Thor: Love and Thunder next summer, nor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Likewise, The Marvels in February of 2023 seems too interstellar for his taste, as does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 that May. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might be a good fit, since the comics did once team them up so that Shang-Chi could grow to enormous size and fight a dragon.

Over on the TV side, Shang-Chi could appear in any of next year's confirmed series – Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk or Secret Invasion. After that, release dates get more hazy, but Shang-Chi is as likely as anyone to turn up in Ironheart, Armor Wars of the untitled Wakanda-based series all in the works.

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In Between

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Speculating how the events between Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and its eventual sequel will impact the character's story is nearly impossible, but we'll keep this section updated with new information as new titles come out. We have a particular eye on Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight to intersect with Shang-Chi, but just about anyone could rock his boat. The MCU has mastered the ripple effects of its narrative ecosystem.

Again, a Shang-Chi sequel has been officially confirmed, but there is not even a tentative release date for the movie yet. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming now on Disney+.

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