Shang-Chi Will Influence MCU's Future Says Marvel Head

Marvel Studios Head, Kevin Feige, says that Shang-Chi will influence the future of the MCU. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the next major MCU release to hit theaters with early reviews calling it one of the best new entries in the franchise. Simu Liu stars as the titular character in the new film, who was originally created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin in 1973. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this is the first live-action appearance of the Master of Kung-Fu and the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Phase 4 officially began with this year's Black Widow and will continue with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The film has a strong ensemble cast, including the aforementioned Liu, featuring Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Benedict Wong, Florian Munteanu, Tim Roth and Tony Leung, who will play the long-awaited villain, The Mandarin, originally teased in 2013's Iron Man 3. The film will debut exclusively in theaters on September 3rd, bypassing the Disney+ Premier Access that was so controversial with Black Widow, leading to a lawsuit from actress Scarlett Johansson.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige says that Shang-Chi will have "a great influence on the future" of the MCU. Feige went on the explain that all Marvel superheroes brought into the MCU are important and integral, with Shang-Chi being no different. Being the first new major character to emerge in Phase 4, Shang-Chi is expected to be a major success for the brand, just as all of the films in the series have been thus far. Read what Feige had to say below:

Kevin Feige: I think, as with every Marvel superhero that we bring into the MCU, all of them are important and integral in the future, and their characters are what shape the future of the MCU. And now that people have met and seen the origin of Shang-Chi, it is safe to say he will have a great influence on the future.

With Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff's stories seemingly over at the moment, characters like Shang-Chi will be vying for the MCU spotlight. Thor actor Chris Hemsworth even publicly welcomed the new entry to the MCU in a social media post, making room for the new crew. Directly following Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is director Chloe Zhao's Eternals, which is another new property for the franchise and unfamiliar to most non-comic fans. Ultimately, as older characters are retired, new ones will have to fill the void left, and Marvel is planning a number of new (or renewed) characters to enter the MCU, including Blade, The Fantastic Four and eventually the newly acquired X-Men library of characters, which the studio inherited in the acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

While Shang-Chi isn't exactly a household name, neither was Tony Stark/Iron Man in 2008, let alone Captain America or Thor. Ultimately, the success of their solo and team-up endeavors, spearheaded by Feige, have brought these characters into providence, and Shang-Chi is certainly primed to join those ranks. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings lead, Simu Liu, recently pushed back against comments by Disney CEO Bob Chapek, calling the film release an "experiment," but with the Covid-19 pandemic still a force to be reckoned with, the box office is on shaky ground. Either way, given those initial reactions and hype to see a fresh new Marvel property come to life, the prospects for Shang-Chi's future look bright.

Next: Shang-Chi's China Backlash Explained: Why Marvel Can't Release The Movie (Yet)