While Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings doesn't feature any major Marvel Cinematic Universe characters beyond the eponymous superhero, that wasn't always the case during the film's development.
Seeing as Shang-Chi finds Simu Liu's master of martial arts living a quiet life in San Francisco, it begs the question of whether Marvel ever considered including the city's other superhero residents, Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Hope van Dyne/Wasp, in the film, or any of Earth's other Mightiest Heroes for that matter. “We did talk about other characters who might make sense, both in San Francisco and elsewhere, so there are few different iterations [of the script with] other folks who could have popped up," said producer Jonathan Schwartz, when interviewed by The Direct.
"I think there’s always a little bit of give and take there," he continued. "But you know, the script evolved over time, into what it was, and ultimately we were telling Shang’s story, so I think we’re very happy with the version that ended up on screen.”
Although it focuses more on exploring Shang-Chi's backstory and tumultuous relationship with his father, Wenwu/The Mandarin (Tony Leung), the movie finds room for brief appearances from some familiar faces, most notably Stephen Strange's fellow sorcerer Wong (Benedict Wong) and Abomination from 2008's The Incredible Hulk, with Tim Roth once again providing the character's vocals. Shang-Chi also brings back Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery, the self-involved actor whom Aldrich Killian infamously hired to pretend to be The Mandarin in 2013's Iron Man 3.
As for the future, Liu has already teased the idea of Shang-Chi teaming up with Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) in a project that takes place after the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. "Again, this is purely a hypothetical thing, but I would hypothetically love to potentially perhaps maybe someday work with him. If that was in the cards, maybe, again, not sure, cannot confirm nor deny. I've already said too much," said Liu in a recent interview.
With Mackie officially returning as Sam/Cap in the upcoming Captain America 4, it's possible Liu's dreams of a crossover may yet come to fruition. As for Shang-Chi's solo movie, it begins playing in theaters exclusively starting on Sept. 3.
Source: The Direct
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