Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of Marvel Studios’ most recent releases, and was met with an exceptionally positive response; so much so, that news of a sequel has already surfaced.
Shang-Chi's story is far from over... / Picture Credit: Marvel Studios
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) main storyline, that has been active for over a decade, has ended, and it is time for other Marvel characters to sit in the spotlight. One of these characters, is Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu.
With the MCU’s main focus up until now being the lead up to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), many fans were sad to see certain characters' stories come to a conclusion, but once Shang-Chi was released, audiences began to get even more excited for the next phase in the MCU.
Shang-Chi, which was directed by Destin Cretton, followed the titular hero as he tries to live a normal life in America after escaping the compound where he was raised. He has a job and found a best friend in Katy (Awkwafina), but his past still chases him down.
His father sends what feels like an army after him, and Shang-Chi must stop him before he destroys the world.
The movie was adored by the vast majority of those who saw it, and for good reason. It was an incredible action-packed feature that introduced a whole host of new characters, and incorporated culture and an intense narrative.
Due to fans’ incredibly positive reaction to the feature, it was almost inevitable that a sequel would be on its way. It took only a few months for Marvel to confirm that Shang-Chi 2 is currently in development.
As production has more or less only just begun, details are not only clandestine, but may not even exist yet. Cretton is returning to not only write but direct the sequel as well, which is likely to ensure that it will be just as outstanding, if not more so, than the first.
Shang-Chi 2 will inevitably star Liu back in the titular role of Shang-Chi, which he was cast perfectly for, Awkwafina will be back as Katy no doubt; beyond that, it may be unclear who from the original movie will return, and what new characters may arise.
Speculation seems to focus on both Shang-Chi's post-credits scenes, which set up plot points for the sequel. Meng'er Zhang is likely to return as Shang-Chi's sister, Xialing, as she appeared to take up her father’s mantle as leader of the Ten Rings; it is unclear at this point whether this is a positive thing or not...
The other post-credit scene saw Shang-Chi and Katy being summoned by Wong (Benedict Wong), and having a virtual meeting with Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who is back in human form as opposed to the mash-up of both Banner and the Hulk.
Both these scenes have caused a lot of speculation and discussion among fans and have caused them to ask questions about Banner’s human form, the origin of the rings Shang-Chi's father wore for so long, and Xialing’s new role within the Ten Rings.
Since the film debuted on Blu-ray and Disney+, Cretton is doing more press for the feature. He has said that Marvel hasn’t made any decisions just yet, but he has a plethora of ideas for the sequel, and many of these ideas came naturally while filming the original movie.
Given that Shang-Chi has only just hit streaming platforms, it makes sense that Cretton hasn’t begun writing the sequel just yet. The director is also working on an MCU Disney+ show, so his full attention may not be on Shang-Chi 2 for a while.
Watch the trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings below:
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Mark Ruffalo Marvel Awkwafina Simu Liu