Marvelneeds fresh blood badly. Its original lineup included some of the most beloved heroes of the modern era, but most of them have left the franchise. Their direct successors have experienced a mixed reception. While they prepare to launch a new Captain America and a follow-up to Iron Man, relative newcomers like Shang-Chi have to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, he’s languishing in the space between his debut and future projects.
Disney has wiselyscaled back its efforts to prevent oversaturation. That’s a bit like turning off the faucet in a home that has already flooded, but better late than never. Marvel Studios will put out three to four movies and two streaming shows every year. The big difference will be on the small screen, which saw five Marvel releases in 2021. Unfortunately, this initiative will push long-awaited projects further back on the docket.
September 3rd, 2021
Rotten Tomatoes
92% positive from 334 critics
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsopened for its wide theatrical release on Jul 06, 2025. The film made $432.2 million on a budget around $200 million. That’s a moderate box-office return, though it looked considerably better in the harsh light of the pandemic. It’s noSpider-Man: No Way Home, but it made a respectable amount of money. It received excellent reviews from critics, eventually culminating in an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. The film’s successful reception should have pushed along a sequel, but there’s been no such luck.Shang-Chi hasn’t appeared inanything since his debut feature, prompting a series of unfortunate questions around the master martial artist.
Shang-Chi 2won’t start filming until next year.
Marvel Studios put theShang-Chisequel into development at the end of 2021. Director Destin Daniel Cretton and star Simu Liu signed on to return. Cretton later steppedaway fromAvengers 5, then known asThe Kang Dynasty, to focus onShang-Chi2and other projects. The studio has offered very few updates since the initial announcement. An issue ofProduction Weeklyreleased in April suggested that filming wouldn’t begin until March 2025. That four-year gap before production properly begins on a long-awaited sequel could kill enthusiasm for the project.Shang-Chidoesn’t have a planned release date, but several other Marvel projects do. If filming doesn’t begin until 2025, the film will likelydrop afterFantastic Four, Blade, and perhaps evenAvengers 5. This is an unfortunate development for a character that fans still want to see.
Marvel characters show up often
The average Marvel superhero stays in the public consciousness through constant new appearances.Iron Man debuted inhis solo film in 2008, then appeared in the sequel the following year, then returned forThe Avengerstwo years later,Iron Man 3the next year,Avengers: Age of Ultronin 2015,Civil Warin 2016,Spider-Man: Homecomingin 2017, and finallyInfinity WarandEndgamethe two following years. In Tony Stark’s decade of prominence in the MCU, fans never went more than two years without seeing Robert Downey Jr. in a suit of armor. Captain America had a similar hit rate, with a maximum of two years between movies. Of course, Steve and Tony are the twin stars of the MCU. Less central characters like Thor, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange sometimes experience slightly longer gaps, usually with mitigating circumstances. As Marvel packs the catalog and loses its heavy hitters, gaps grow wider between notable appearances. The studioplaces a premium on newcomers, desperately pumping fresh blood into a struggling genre. This is a good instinct, but the biggest victims will be the second-stringers like Shang-Chi.
Shang-Chi could have been a central Marvel figure
As Marvel loses its primary heroes and shoves dozens of others into lesser teams, the Avengers lineup gets smaller and smaller. Who will guide the next generation of heroes intoThe Kang Dynasty, or whatever the next team-up winds up being?Sam Wilson’s new Captain Americastands as a lone example of a potential future Avengers leader. Shang-Chi has been an Avenger in several Marvel comics, often taking a fascinating outsider role in the team. TheAvengersmovies allow characters to enjoy a spotlight outside their solo movies. Shang-Chi can’t have that opportunity until his first film is long-since in the background. Absence from the franchise might undercut any attempt to bring the character into the forefront.
Marvel often pivots its ten-year plans to account for unusual developments. If they let Shang-Chi go to waste, they may have to push him into a unique position.Fans likedShang-Chi, but the title character only contributed a portion to its success. The character needs another chance to succeed, but the five-year gap between appearances might leave Shang-Chi a little less room to improve.
