Marvel Officially Names Simu Liu's Shang-Chi a New Avenger

Martial arts hero Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is Marvel's newest New Avenger in an opening day TV spot for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. "Tonight we give thanks to all those who came before us, who made us who we are today," says Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh) over footage of Earth's mightiest heroes: Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth). At the end of it, the newest Avenger stands ready for action as Marvel's Shang-Chi is now playing only in theaters.

"In terms of what's next, I know what's on my mind is the same as what's on everybody else's mind. And hopefully, there's an Avengers in the future, somewhere," Liu, who makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Shang-Chi, previously told THR about a future Avengers 5. "Obviously, I don't know anything about that, but being such a big fan of the whole franchise, I know that that's the gold star. All of the media frenzy that surrounds one of those properties is going to be a whole beast unto itself, so it's certainly what I hope for."

Shang-Chi packs a one-two-punch of credits scenes setting up the character's future in Marvel Studios' Phase 4 and beyond. One hook in Shang-Chi might even tie into Avengers 5, which will take time to put together as heroes old and new assemble throughout Phase 4.

"The early reactions to the characters and to [Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings] itself gives me great hope that that people will want to see more of these characters," Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige told ComicBook. "We certainly have many ideas of where to take them and where to put them... We know the movie's working when it's not just the title character that people ask about, but it is the co-stars or the supporting players that people ask about."

"And in this movie in particular, that's heartening because we think they're spectacular," Feige added, "and we think they have great potential in the future."

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READ: Marvel Already Has Shang-Chi Sequel Ideas (Exclusive)

Starring Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Meng'er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng, Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing only in theaters.