Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was an underrated Marvel project that took a rather obscure superhero and brought him onto the main stage of the MCU. Though it contained several cameos from characters from other corners of the MCU, the film was relatively self-contained and was reasonably successful at the box office with $432 million, even though many were not yet comfortable returning to theaters during the Covid outbreak.

With Shang-Chi Destin Daniel Cretton became the first Asian-American to direct an MCU film and the first Asian-American to direct any Marvel film since Ang Lee worked on Hulk in 2003. Cretton has since begun working closely with Marvel Studios, having been slated to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and write the upcoming Wonder Man series. Along with these projects, Cretton is continually asked if he will be making an untitled sequel to Shang-Chi.

Update September 9, 2023: It has been over two years since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opened in theaters, so this article has been updated by Valerie Parker with more information about Shang-Chi's potential return to the MCU.

This will put his flagship character back into the Marvel universe and make him an integral part of the MCU narrative. Though Cretton signed an overall deal with Marvel in 2021 that included confirmation he will write and direct a direct sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings along with at least one unspecified Disney+ series to take place in the MCU, no further information has been forthcoming.

However, with this level of integration and popularity inside the MCU, it's hoped that viewers might start seeing more of Shang-Chi outside his own franchise. Now that two years have passed since his sequel, and there is no sign of Shang-Chi anywhere in the MCU, fans are wondering when he will appear next.

Why Has It Taken So Long For Shang-Chi 2?

shang-chi
Marvel Studios

One would expect after how well Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings did at the box office and with critics and fans, Marvel Studios would have green-lit a sequel quickly and move it into production. After all, Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: Civil War all came out two years from their heroes' previous films. Even a three-year gap would mean that the film would be arriving next year in 2024, yet no progress has been made. The Shang-Chi sequel to was originally announced to follow Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but the schedule has changed so drastically that it is now unlikely a sequel will hit theaters before 2027.

Though it quickly became clear Cretton would be working more closely with the MCU, few understood exactly how far his reach would extend. Over the year following the release of Shang-Chi, Cretton was gifted three more Marvel projects, making him one of the most integral directors for the franchise.

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Recent disappointing box office returns for movies such as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, coupled with mixed reviews for the Disney+ MCU series like Secret Invasion, has led returned Walt Disney Pictures CEO Bob Iger to suggest that the ramp-up in production was responsible for the diminishing returns. This, along with the halt in all Marvel productions due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, has forced the studio to rethink its schedule.

Shang-Chi himself recently addressed the continued delays with a post on the social media platform Threads, stating, "Was told it would follow Avengers, but that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control :( hope to have more concrete news to share soon." A 2027 release date for a Shang-Chi follow-up would put it 6 years after the release of the original, and if the strikes continue, it's likely the film could be pushed back even further.

Still, it's encouraging to see the film is still being discussed and that its star is still eagerly anticipating a sequel. When asked what might happen to his legendary character, Simu Liu told Complex in an exclusive interview:

“I think just what Shaun decides to do with all this newfound power, you know? It kind of consumed his father, consumed Wenwu. I’m curious as to how someone much younger, much more inexperienced, would fare against the rings. Just this idea of all of a sudden being gifted something that’s so powerful but also so dangerous. And then the other big question I have is, you know, in what way does Shaun fit in with the rest of the MCU? Who are you going to see? What kind of crazy team-ups? What kinda tie-ins, Easter eggs? I’m just as much in the dark and everyone else, so I don’t know anything, but I’m excited to dive into that process.”

Though we have no concrete information on when a full sequel to Shang-Chi will grace the silver screen, with the Marvel works, viewers see cameos of their favorite characters almost everywhere. Yet we haven’t seen Shang-Chi show up anywhere in the MCU since his big debut, despite the great number of tie-ins the movie set the character up for.

How Does Shang-Chi Connect With the MCU?

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Post-Credits Scene
Marvel Studios
Disney

One of the most important parts of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings might have been the post-credits scene. Here, Marvel raised the question: Just what are the Ten Rings? These magical, possibly alien artifacts imbue their wearer with superhuman strength, speed, and some degree of magic.

When Wong inspected the rings, he was dumbfounded by what they might be, noting that they didn’t appear in any ancient codex he had at Kamar-Taj. Both Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner observed them and agreed that they weren’t alien or made of any metal found on Earth. But one thing was certain: they were sending some type of message. The Ten Rings were emitting some sort of beacon from inside their structure, but no one seemed to know what it was or where it was going. With Cretton now directing The Kang Dynasty, this might tie into the threat of Kang the Conqueror.

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Since then, we haven’t heard anything about Shang-Chi and his Ten Rings, but this scene hinted they would be important. If Cretton doesn't get to make a Shang-Chi sequel, then at some point, he may have to explain just what the Rings were doing. Or if they sent a beacon somewhere, someone will have to answer in the future. Although the comic book character is usually engrossed in his own dealings, he was an Avenger, and now, in the MCU, he has contact with Wong, who appears in a variety of MCU projects.

The rings also resemble the bracelet worn by Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, that allows her to channel her own powers, and she will soon be meeting her idol, Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, in The Marvels, due to release in theaters November 10, 2023. Indeed, the Ms. Marvel scene that featured Kamala's great-grandmother, Aisha, taking possession of this bangle included a dead Kree in a scene that featured the logo of the Ten Rings. As the ongoing saga of Captain Marvel continues her story with the Kree Empire and the Kree villain of the film, Dar-Benn is seen wearing a bangle that seems to resemble Kamala's. So perhaps Shang-Chi will make a surprise appearance in The Marvels, either in the film proper or in a post-credit scene.

Future Projects Shang-Chi Could Show Up In

Shang Chi Eternals
Marvel Studios

One major difference between the Infinity Saga and Multiverse Saga of the MCU is how often characters appear. Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were the heroes at the center of the Infinity Saga, with many of these characters showing up in many projects, sometimes only a year apart, even if it was not their solo film. Even newcomer Doctor Strange, despite having a six-year gap between his first film and sequel, showed up in one movie every year from 2017 to 2019 and then again in 2021, meaning the only year audiences did not see him was 2020.

Had Shang-Chi appeared in the early Phase of the MCU, he likely would have had about two or three cameos now. Yet he has not been seen since 2021 despite obvious places to include him, like in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as a fellow San Francisco resident. Where will Shang-Chi appear next?

Cretton may find a way to work Shang-Chi into a conflict with Wonder Man as he is signed on as a producer on that series, and Ben Kingsley Trevor Slattery will return in that film. As mentioned earlier, he might show up in the mid-credit scene of The Marvels since Carol Danvers did appear in the mid-credits of his film. Another likely project is Captain America: Brave New World. Details on the film have been light, but it appears Sam Wilson's Captain America could be assembling a team of his own, and Shang-Chi would certainly be a great addition and a similar pop to the movie that adding Ant-Man, Spider-Man, and Black Panther did for Captain America: Civil War.

Though, at this point, he hasn't had a significant impact on the MCU, you shouldn’t count out Shang-Chi yet, and he will likely be one of the major faces of the franchise moving forward.