TheMarvel Cinematic Universehas built up quite the ensemble cast over the last 13 years and they have certainly made the most of it, having characters appearing when least expected and creating some exceptionally crafted combinations like Thor and Hulk inRagnarokand the surprise appearance of the Wakandan Dora Milaje inThe Falcon and The Winter Soldier. With the arrival of the trailer forShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsit was clear that there will be much more to come when fans were quick to spotDoctor Strange’s Wong and evenThe Incredible Hulk’s Abomination, who hasn’t been seen since the disjointed Edward Norton movie of 2008, featuring in the movie.Shang-Chiwill introduce a whole new ensemble cast to the MCU and according to Marvel boss Kevin Feige, it won’t be long before we see them returning to screens again.
“As always, it will become very clear when people see the movie that we are not shy about indicating where the future can go and I think I’ll leave it at that,” Feige said on the Red Carpet of theShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringspremiere on Monday. “You will see in this movie, not just the future of…oh I almost gave you a spoiler there so I’ve got to be careful with that…but most importantly, it’s the characters. All of the characters that you meet in this movie - a few you’ve met before, most you are meeting for the first time…we know we have a success on our hands when we do a test screening and people come out and ask ‘When are we gonna see Shang-Chi again?’ or ‘When are we gonna see the numerous other characters in this movie?’ The answer is soon,” said Marvel BossKevin Feige.
The movie caused a bit of a stir last week when Disney’s Bob Chapek was quoted as saying thatShang-Chiwas “an experiment” when it comes toits release being theatrical only and not simultaneous on Disney+asBlack Widowdid. While his comments were purely from a business plan point of view andShang-Chi’s performance will no doubt play a big part in releases likeEternalsand evenSpider-Man: No Way Home,Shang-Chi’s lead Simu Liu appeared to have taken offence to the comments.
In response to the comments,Marvel’s newest superhero, Liuposted a Tweet saying “We are not an experiment” and going on to build up the movie and its “underdog” cast. Kevin Feige took a moment to explain how he saw the situation and Simu Liu’s comments.
“He is not a shy man,” Feige said. “I think in that particular tweet you can see and I think everyone does, a misunderstanding. It was not the intention. The proof is in the movie and we swing for the fences as we always do. With the amount of creative energy we put in and the budget, there’s no expense spared to bring this origin story to the screen.”
With Feige clearly seeingShang-Chibeing a big part of the MCU moving forward, it seems like the little blip has been nothing more than that, and we will be seeing themartial arts action of Simu Liuand co again soon. Check out the full interview with Kevin Feige below.
