Despite being released when moviegoers were still wary about heading to theaters, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings managed to gross an impressive $432.2 million in 2021.
Over three years later, we're still waiting to see Shang-Chi in action again. There was a period when it looked like the character would be a central focus of the Multiverse Saga; he was reportedly being lined up to take centre stage in Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time (a movie we expected Marvel Studios to announce at 2022's San Diego Comic-Con) and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
Plans changed and Shang-Chi's Ten Rings likely no longer have ties to Kang. Still, that's an easy "retcon" when they hail from Kakaranthara (the home of Fin Fang Foom) in the comics.
For the time being, work on the sequel appears to have completely stalled now filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has moved on to Spider-Man 4. That's not coming out until 2026, so it's highly unlikely Shang-Chi 2 gets here before 2028 or 2029...assuming the filmmaker still plans to direct.
Simu Liu recently appeared on The Tonight Show and was asked if he could suit up again for Spider-Man 4. "Oh, I’m not even - I’m not even going near that one," the actor laughed. "I haven’t heard anything. I love people who love those movies, and I also love those movies."
It feels like Liu has grown steadily disillusioned with his place in the MCU since Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released. The movie overperformed financially and was a critical hit, and yet Shang-Chi hasn't even shown up for a cameo in the past three years.
During another recent interview with Screen Rant, Liu addressed concerns about his sequel being shelved now that Cretton (who was once in line to helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty) has shifted focus to the web-slinger.
"I don’t think anything’s been impacted," he said. "I think we’re all...I speak to Destin often and there’s nothing coming out of both of us but excitement to make this film."
It's unfortunate, but Marvel Studios' pivot away from Kang is likely why Shang-Chi is on ice. Both the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel's bangles were expected to be linked to Kang, with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania making use of ring imagery for the Conqueror's time travel technology in the Quantum Realm.
With any luck, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars can put the spotlight back on the master of the martial arts. Spider-Man 4 has been officially dated for July 31, 2026, with Cretton helming a script penned by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.