In 2021, following an almost year-long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marvel Studios kicked off a new era of storytelling with the Multiverse Saga, where in Phase 4, we saw a whole array of bold storytelling and new characters we hadn’t seen before. While some fans debate the hit-or-miss quality of those releases, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stand out as a fan favorite among MCU fans. The debut of the character Shang-Chi, portrayed by Simu Liu, was one of the well-received characters in this new saga. The remarkable exploration of a new corner of the MCU brought a fresh breath of air to fans, and they’ve been curious as to when exactly we’ll get a chance to see Shang-Chi return to the big screen.
Sources have informed me that Simu Liu is expected to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the next installments of the Avengers franchise: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Regarding the specifics of his role, he’ll be called upon to join the fight by the current Sorcerer Supreme, Wong.
But what else does the MCU hold in store for the current wielder of the Ten Rings? While specifics about Shang-Chi’s involvement in those films are currently sparse, I did want to go ahead and talk about some rumors I heard about his future involvement in the MCU, mainly rumors that revolve around the ideas for the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
As always, these “What I Heard” posts are articles where I often discuss rumors that I’ve heard from sources regarding potential ideas for projects, usually years out in advance. Most of the time, these articles pan out, but sometimes they don’t, so the important thing when reading this is to take it with a big grain of salt. That being said, let’s break down today’s What I Heard report.
What I Heard: Marvel wants to use Shang Chi 2 to pave the way for the Agents of Atlas
As you may have surmised from the title of the article, I heard from several sources that the idea for Shang-Chi’s next solo outing will involve the organization known as the Atlas Foundation. The Atlas Foundation would serve as the potential villains of the next Shang-Chi sequel, allowing the Agents of Atlas to eventually form either during the film or subsequently after.
Time for some comic book history: The Atlas Foundation in Marvel Comics is one of the oldest secret organizations in its history, with the Foundation being formed around the Twilight of the 14th Century by Descendants of Genghis Khan, who sought to continue the legacy of the Mongol Empire with the sole purpose of conquering the world. To achieve this, they established their dominance via business fronts in multiple industries, researching magic and science and further developing their criminal organization network across many districts around the world.
All of their leaders were direct descendants of Genghis Khan, the Mongolian warlord, and the most notable leaders of the organization were Master Plan Chu and his successor, Jimmy Woo. Oh, and to top it all off, they have a dragon as an advisor named Mr. Lao, but we’ll get to him in a bit.
Now, Jimmy Woo’s parents didn’t want their son to be subjected to this role as the leader of the Atlas Foundation, hellbent on world domination. Hence, they immigrated to America, far away from the Atlas Foundation’s reach, but little did they know that the Atlas Foundation had their eyes on him the whole time; particularly Master Plan Chu, who, under the moniker Golden Claw, basically used that villainous identity to manipulate and lure in Jimmy into his ultimate plan of taking his place as the leader of the Foundation.
Eventually, Plan Chu was eaten alive by Mr. Lao, and Jimmy Woo took over the organization, vowing to change its ways and use its resources for the benefit of the world. This consequently led to the creation of the Agents of Atlas.
How Marvel Studios plans to adapt this storyline for the Shang-Chi Sequel
Now that we have a bit of comic book backstory, we can dive deep into this What I Heard article and how Marvel Studios plans to adapt this story. For starters, one of the themes that sources told us about was how the film would approach the impact of Wenwu’s death following the events of the first film. As you might recall, Wenwu, better known as the Mandarin, created and led the Ten Rings for over a thousand years, using the organization to become one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world. His sacrifice, as well as the change in the chain of command in the organization, with Xialing taking over, would send ripples across criminal organizations worldwide. Still, none would be more interested than the Atlas Foundation.
According to what sources inform us, the Ten Rings has developed quite a rivalry with the Atlas Foundation, dating back as early as the 13th century when Genghis Khan rose to power and the Mongol Empire began their conquest of China and India. Wenwu and Khan would have been mortal enemies, and their armies would have waged war for decades.
Eventually, Wenwu would have succeeded. In the aftermath of their upcoming demise, the Mongol Empire would have stumbled upon Mr. Lao, who would have advised them to go underground and regroup to build their empire slowly into what would eventually become the Atlas Foundation.
Once Wenwu died, the idea was that the Atlas Foundation would finally step into the spotlight without the threat of the Mandarin, while the Ten Rings were vulnerable to take on and defeat their rival. This is how we’d be able to bring back Xialing and Shang-Chi. The Golden Horde (Atlas Foundation’s Warriors) would attack the Ten Rings headquarters and potentially try to take out Xialing, which would also bring back Shang-Chi into the scene.
In addition, sources have told us that Agent Jimmy Woo would be involved as he would be after the “mysterious Golden Claw” and, together with Shang-Chi, would uncover the conspiracy behind the Atlas Foundation since the Golden Claw, Golden Warriors, and the Atlas Foundation would all ultimately connect.
Additionally, one source discussed how Marvel might be looking into developing some background for Mr. Lao, which would further deepen the connections between Ms. Marvel’s Clandestines and the Ten Rings. In the comics, Mr. Lao had battled a Djinn known as Al-Shalizar, from whom he learned the secrets to transform himself into a human.
As you might recall, Ms. Marvel introduces us to the Clandestines, who were mistaken for Djinn when they first arrived on Earth in Asia. Sources mentioned the idea of the Clandestines possibly encountering Mr. Lao as “the man from the temple” in Episode 3, who would have guided them to the hidden Ten Rings cave, which would have also been the site of a battle between the Ten Rings and the Mongol Empire, as evidenced by the helmet being held by Farina which is similar to that of the Mongol Empire attire during that era.
Agents of Atlas inbound for the MCU?
According to our sources, the idea of this potential plotline for the Shang-Chi sequel would allow Marvel to introduce the Agents of Atlas, whether during the film or afterward, once Jimmy Woo takes over as the leader of the Atlas Foundation. As for what members we could see as part of the group, sources have pointed out a few names that Marvel has their eyes on introducing in the coming years, which could be a part of the team.
One such character is Amadeus Cho, who was initially meant to make their MCU debut during Captain America: Brave New World but was ultimately cut at the last minute. He was portrayed by Logan Kim. Another character Marvel wants for the Agents of Atlas is Iron Fist, primarily Lin Lie. Another character Marvel Studios is considering, thanks to her popularity in the new Marvel Rivals game, is Luna Snow. Each one of these characters was a notable member of the team in the comics.
That’s all I have for you guys on this for now! What do you guys think about this Shang-Chi pitch? Let us know on the Discord or on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky! You can find links to those social media accounts, to the Discord and to our Patreon by looking in the sidebar on desktop or scroll down on mobile!
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