The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, releasing new content in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen how the share universe struggled a bit in the post-Endgame period, although there were exceptions like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Wondering what's going on with Shang-Chi 2? Sounds like Simu Liu may be, too.
What we know about Shang-Chi 2 is super limited, as there's been almost no news about the upcoming Marvel movie since it was announced. This is somewhat surprising, especially considering how well-received the first movie was. Liu is routinely asked about the project, and hasn't been given answers. And he turned heads when (via Twitter), he liked a comment on TikTok about the sequel taking too long. That comment read:
He is. Marvel did you dirty by not making a sequel 3 years ago.
There you have it. Sounds like Liu is definitely ready to return to the MCU, especially in a sequel to Shang-Chi. But the development process for that title has been super long, and there's no concrete answers as to when production on the sequel will finally begin. And Liu liking that comment seems to indicate that he's feeling antsy too.
Of course, just because Shang-Chi 2 is taking a long time doesn't mean that Simu Liu won't be back as his signature character. He got to voice Shang-Chi in a few episodes of What If...?, although fans are most interested in seeing his return to live-action. That could presumably happen in The Russo Brothers' upcoming Marvel movies, which will be crossover-heavy events like Avengers: Doomsday.
Information about the next two Avengers flicks are super limited right now. A rumor claimed that Shang-Chi was going to be a very big character in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, although that movie was scrapped after Jonathan Majors was fired from his role. While this opened the door for Robert Downey Jr. to return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, I'm hoping that Simu Liu's character still gets to have a big role... especially after how long it's taking to get a proper sequel.
As previously mentioned, there have been a number of notable misses in the MCU after Avengers: Endgame. Audiences and critics failed to connect with Chloé Zhao's Eternals, which isn't getting a sequel anytime soon. The Marvels' was a box office bomb, which was another red flag for the state of the shared universe. Luckily the movie that followed it was Deadpool & Wolverine, which broke records. So there's still hope for the MCU, although there seems to be more risk involved. Perhaps that's why Shang-Chi 2 hasn't moved forward yet.
The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
