Summary

• Shang-Chi almost debuted in the MCU Phase 1, planned for a post-credits scene in The Avengers, but later abandoned for Thanos.
• The character had rights with DreamWorks in the early 2000s, with a planned movie concept similar to the MCU's version.
• Shang-Chi's sequel setup in the MCU indicates a future appearance with The Avengers, potentially battling his sister who now leads The Ten Rings.

The titular hero of the Multiverse Saga. Shang-Chi is one such hero, and while the MCU’s post-Endgame properties have seen somewhat inconsistent success, his film was well-received and had a fairly strong box office performance.

Shang-Chi ties into the MCU’s Iron Man films by finally revealing the originals of the Ten Rings and their mysterious leader: the MCU timeline was almost far earlier in the franchise’s history and his cinematic debut overall nearly preceded the MCU itself.

Shang-Chi Almost Debuted In The MCU Phase 1

Fascinatingly, the first Shang-Chi movie was nearly part of the MCU’s initial lineup. In the early and mid-2000s, superhero movies were not a guaranteed success. While the Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man movies had proven the potential for Marvel movie adaptations, others like Howard the Duck, Daredevil, and Hulk were failures. By 2005, Marvel began working on a slate of movies which, unlike previous Marvel films, would be made by their in-house studio instead of one that simply owned the rights to specific Marvel properties, like 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures.

Shang-Chi still came close to a Phase 1 debut, with a planned post-credits scene in The Avengers introducing him.

The slate consisted of 10 films, which included a Shang-Chi adaptation. Ultimately, however, only two of Marvel’s initial slate – Captain America and The Avengers – would end up in the MCU’s Phase 1. Marvel’s shared movie universe gamble would begin with 2008's Iron Man, whose massive critical and commercial success would lead Marvel Studios to continue with solo movies until the game-changing release of 2012’s The Avengers. Fascinatingly, Shang-Chi still came close to a Phase 1 debut, with a planned post-credits scene in The Avengers introducing him, though these plans would, ultimately, be abandoned in favor of introducing Thanos.

Shang-Chi Almost Had A Pre-MCU Movie In The Early 2000s

Before Marvel Studios planned a Shang-Chi movie, the rights to the character belonged to DreamWorks. In the 1990s, a financially struggling Marvel sold the film rights to many of its superheroes to various film studios. Spider-Man went to Sony, the X-Men went to Fox, and Shang-Chi went to DreamWorks for a time, though most would return to Marvel Studios sooner or later. As revealed in a Variety column from 2003, the unmade Shang-Chi movie, titled “The Hands of Shang-Chi,” had a fascinating premise that was similar in some ways to the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures share the film rights to Spider-Man.

Drawing comparisons to The Godfather, the Variety column describes The Hands of Shang-Chi as having its titular hero discover that his father is “the worst criminal in the world,” after which he endeavors not to the family business. While the column does not describe the identity of Shang-Chi’s father, he most likely was not The Mandarin, though the MCU’s Shang-Chi retains the planned film’s premise. Not only is the MCU’s Mandarin the world’s most dangerous crime boss, but Shang-Chi himself also refuses to his organization, fleeing to the United States as a teenager and changing his name.

When Shang-Chi Will Appear Next In The MCU

Shang-Chi's sequel setup certainly suggests a second film may be the next time audiences see the character. Shang-Chi closes with its titular hero meeting The Avengers and learning that the Ten Rings he inherited from The Mandarin are not from Earth, but their precise origin is unknown to Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner, perhaps implying that they are from another reality entirely. With The Mandarin dead, Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing, now leads The Ten Rings crime organization, potentially setting her up as an adversary.

Despite the lack of an announcement, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu has stated that the film is in development, though its scheduled release date has been pushed back multiple times. Marvel Studios has been working to mitigate superhero fatigue and the poor receptions and box office performances of recent properties, but given the success of Shang-Chi, it seems likely that its sequel will be released. The sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may be released between Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, though ultimately the MCU hero's next appearance may be in one of the Avengers movies before his own sequel.