Despite being released in the final months of the pandemic (at a time when moviegoers were still wary about heading to theaters), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings grossed an impressive $432.2 million in 2021.
A sequel seemed likely, but has never materialised. There were rumblings about a Kang-centric follow-up titled Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time, but filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has been busy with Wonder Man and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Since 2021, Simu Liu has repeatedly expressed disappointment with the sequel being put on hold. On the plus side, the actor will reprise the role in this December's Avengers: Doomsday.
Talking to PEOPLE, Liu hinted that Shang-Chi 2 is still happening when he said, "There's not a whole lot to tease right now, other than I think, I sound like a broken record at this point, but it is happening."
"But I think the more immediate tease is, of course, [Avengers:] Doomsday," Liu continued. "Yeah, which comes out next year, which I was lucky enough to be a part of and will be lucky enough to be a part of its successor in Secret Wars."
So, Shang-Chi will be among those returning for Avengers: Secret Wars. What we should expect from the character in that movie is a mystery to us, but we may end up seeing a completely different version of the hero on Doctor Doom's Battleworld.
Leaked concept art previously showed Yelena Belova, for example, as one of Doom's royal guards.
Reflecting on his Avengers: Doomsday experience, Liu added, "I came away from Doomsday with like, a lot of, a lot of really fantastic friendships. Channing Tatum, I wanted to shout him out because he's just one of my favourite human beings. And, I just had such a phenomenal time with him, on-set, off-set. He's just, you know, such an admirable person."
The now-confirmed cast of Avengers: Secret Wars includes Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Sadie Sink, Benedict Cumberbatch, Letitia Wright, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Paul Bettany, and Hayley Atwell.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.