4 Great Shang-Chi Characters Still Not in the MCU

Many of Shang-Chi’s most exciting supporting characters still haven’t appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even four years after Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ release. Simu Liu made his first MCU appearance as the Master of Kung Fu back in 2021, and he’s set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday. While Shang-Chi’s return has been confirmed, it’s unclear when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ supporting characters will be seen again, and there are even more characters related to Shang-Chi in Marvel Comics that we haven’t yet seen in the MCU.

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings debuted a number of Shang-Chi’s best supporting characters from the comics, as well as some new ones. Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu, Meng’er Zhang’s Xu Xialing, Awkwafina’s Katy, Fala Chen’s Ying Li, Andy Le’s Death Dealer, and more all had important roles in Phase 4. While the possibility of some of these characters returning in the MCU’s future is exciting, there are even more of Shang-Chi’s supporting characters from the comics we hope appear in the MCU.

4) Leiko Wu

Leiko Wu made her first Marvel Comics appearance in 1975’s Master of Kung Fu #33 as a British-Chinese MI6 agent who Shang-Chi met during his early heroics. Throughout their adventures, Wu and Shang-Chi formed a romantic attraction, though she was eventually murdered by Razor Fist. She was resurrected, however, and has fought alongside Shang-Chi many times in the decades since. She is one of Shang-Chi’s most pivotal supporting characters in Marvel Comics, and it would be great to see Shang-Chi get a love interest just as formidable as him in live-action. Leiko Wu would be a fantastic addition.

Leiko Wu was initially involved with fellow MI6 agent Clive Reston, so her following romance with Shang-Chi caused tension between the trio on their missions. Shang-Chi started his Marvel Comics journey as a super-spy working with the British intelligence service, but this hasn’t yet been explored in the MCU. Bringing Shang-Chi to the United Kingdom in a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings would create the perfect opportunity for Leiko Wu and more MI6 agents to debut in the MCU.

3) Lin Lie’s Sword Master

First introduced as the Sword Master in 2018’s Warriors of Three Sovereigns #1, Lin Lie is one of the most recent supporting characters for Shang-Chi in the comics. During 2019’s War of the Realms event, Lin Lie met Shang-Chi when both were recruited into the New Agents of Atlas team by Jimmy Woo. Shang-Chi took Lie under his wing and trained him to hone his gifts, which eventually helped him become the Iron Fist. Marvel Studios has recently been putting more focus on the legend of the Iron Fist in the MCU, so Lie’s debut could be on the horizon.

2) Zheng Yi

While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced Shang-Chi’s father, Xu Wenwu, adapted from the Zheng Zu of Marvel Comics, Shang-Chi’s uncle is yet to be seen. Zheng Yi and his brother were powerful sorcerers from the 18th century who used spells to grant them an elongated lifespan. They used this longevity to establish the Five Weapons Society, an organization that fell during a battle with the British Army, Dormammu, and the Mindless Ones. Yi sacrificed his life to restore his brother’s youth, leaving Zu to lead the society alone, which transformed it into a vast criminal empire.

Contrary to his brother, Zheng Yi was a kind-hearted and positive influence. It was only after his death that the Five Weapons Society became something darker. This meant that, when Yi returned as a spirit guide to Shang-Chi years after his death, he was helpful in stopping Shang-Chi’s twisted sister, Shi-Hua, and revealed the truth about his father. It would be great to see more of Shang-Chi’s family history explored in the MCU, and introducing the positive influence of Zheng Yi would be great way to redeem some of his father’s less admirable qualities, too.

1) M’Nai’s Midnight Sun

One of the most exciting supporting characters of Shang-Chi that Marvel Studios could debut in future sequels would surely be Shang-Chi’s own adoptive brother, M’Nai. The lone survivor of a British attack on a village of Zheng Zu’s agents in Africa, M’Nai was adopted by Zu when he saw the hatred in the young boy’s eyes. M’Nai was raised and trained alongside Shang-Chi, but while Shang-Chi renounced his father, M’Nai remained loyal, eventually pitting the brothers against each other. Shang-Chi fought his brother, now going by Midnight, after the latter was sent by Zu, but this culminated in M’Nai’s death.

M’Nai was resurrected and gifted new powers by the Kree, transforming him into Midnight Sun – not to be confused with the Midnight Sons team. After returning, Midnight Sun sought even more power, but the ritual to give him the power of clan leaders actually resurrected Leiko Wu, who used her new power to drag M’Nai into the underworld. We’ve seen Shang-Chi’s corrupted sister in the MCU, but it would be fantastic to see his dark and dangerous brother, too, even though he wasn’t seen or mentioned in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Which Shang-Chi-related characters do you want to see debut in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!