It’s been four years since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit theaters. While the post-credits sequence cleared the way for him to become an immediate member of the Avengers and promised he’d be a fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the character has since only appeared in multiversal animated projects such as What If…? and Marvel Zombies.
This weekend, New York Comic Con held a panel about the film. Joined by co-star Meng’er Zhang, actor Simu Liu (who plays Shang-Chi) spoke candidly about the character’s journey so far, where he would like to see the character go next and what fans can actually expect from him in his next live-action appearance.
We were fortunate enough to attend the panel and hear the conversation firsthand. These were the highlights:
On the subject of the original film, both Simu and Meng’er discussed meeting each other. Meng’er highlighted that the first time she went in to read for the role of Xu, Shang-Chi’s sister, she had no idea what movie she was auditioning for! She also said the first time she met Simu, she was all dressed up while he was in flip flops.
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They also both said they formed a real brother-sister bond while filming the movie, one that they have had the pleasure of expanding upon in their “What If…?” episode. More than anything, they expressed a deep desire to “do it all again” – and soon!
Earlier this year, Simu was confirmed to be a part of the cast of Avengers: Doomsday. But at the panel, when asked about finally coming back to the character, he had a short yet effective answer: “IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME.”
While he couldn’t say much about how big or small his role was, he did give one tidbit away that should make Marvel fans new and old ecstatic. During the panel, he casually said he “may or may not” have scenes with actors from the pre-MCU days. Although he could have left fans guessing, he name-dropped Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart!
He also added that he thinks the film will “definitely be worth the price of admission.”
Meng’er has not been confirmed to star in the movie – or even return to the MCU – but that didn’t stop her from chiming in as well. When asked what she’d like to do if/when the studio returns to her character, she said she’d like to try on those ten rings for herself…
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When asked about where he would like to see the character go next – if he makes it out of Avengers: Doomsday unscathed – he said he’d like to cross paths with Amadeus Cho and the God of Thunder himself, Thor!
As a side note, he also added that he thinks that him and whoever they cast as Iron Fist should have a proper bout. But with nothing except a cheeky grin on his face, he added that he knows who would win in that particular fight…
When asked which actors they would like to join the franchise, Simu and Meng’er listed off an insane list of talent that could ascend the franchise into legendary territory: Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Donnie Yen!
Last year, a loose plot synopsis for a potential second Shang-Chi film leaked online. It mentioned that the next adventure would most likely feature time travel AND that it would set up an appearance by Iron Fist.
However, since then, the film’s mastermind Destin Daniel Cretton has gone onto to work on Spider-Man: Brand New Day. And an iteration of Iron Fist has surprisingly made his debut in the MCU via the quietly released Eyes of Wakanda.
While the future of Shang-Chi remains unclear, if this panel taught us anything about the talent who worked on it, it’s that the are standing in the wings, reluctantly pulling their punches until Marvel Studios decides the time is right.
