New concept art from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings features Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool fighting Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos' children. From the time Walt Disney Studios acquired 20th Century Fox, Marvel fans have been wondering what the future holds for Wade Wilson. Marvel Studios has since confirmed plans to make Deadpool 3 as an R-rated movie that will bring Reynolds' Deadpool to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There has been much debate about how the Merc with a Mouth could join the MCU in Phase 4, with the multiverse becoming a prominent theory to explain Deadpool changing universes.

Even though Marvel has announced plans for Deadpool 3, it is not confirmed that this will be the first time Reynolds' Marvel superhero appears in the MCU. Many wanted to see him pop up in Spider-Man: No Way Home due to its multiverse connections. Since that didn't happen, most have looked towards Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a place where Deadpool's MCU debut could happen. Through all of the speculation, Shang-Chi was not a project that was really discussed as a possible landing spot for Deadpool. However, there might have been plans at one point to include him, it appears.

Related: Phase 4 Is Removing Deadpool's Biggest MCU Obstacles (Before Deadpool 3)

Concept artist Andrew Kim (via Murphy's Multiverse) has shared a few pieces of work he did for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings that are all based around Xialing's Golden Daggers Club. The setting provided the movie with two big MCU cameos in the final cut, as Wong (Benedict Wong) and Abomination (Tim Roth) were shown fighting. Andrew Kim's rendition of this scene is quite intriguing, though, because it shows Deadpool fighting Proxima Midnight. The concept art, which can be seen below, was commissioned by Marvel Studios in 2019.

Even though this Shang-Chi concept art was made, it is unclear if the idea to include Deadpool in the art was suggested by Marvel Studios or something Kim did on his own to have some fun. Concept art for Marvel movies can change quite drastically based on the finished project, as artists are often given the freedom to bring their own ideas to life early on. For that reason, it is unknown if Marvel Studios ever really considered including Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool in Shang-Chi. If he was going to appear, this version of his fight wouldn't make much sense considering Proxima Midnight died in Avengers: Infinity War (and again in Avengers: Endgame).

Deadpool might not have shown up in Shang-Chi, but there is still the chance that these two characters interact in the MCU's future. If rumors about Deadpool and Shang-Chi being in Doctor Strange 2 prove to be correct, it could even happen in Doctor Strange's sequel. Otherwise, a crossover between Deadpool and Shang-Chi might have to wait for the MCU's next mega-crossover event. The two teaming up in Deadpool 3 or Shang-Chi 2 could happen if Marvel finds a creative way to pull it off. In any case, fans will have to stay tuned to see if they appear in the same MCU project down the road since it didn't happen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

More: Deadpool 3 Needs To Be In The MCU's Phase 4 (Because Of Loki)

Source: Andrew Kim [via Murphy's Multiverse]

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