I’m worried that the latest ‘Spider-Man 4’ news could jeopardize ‘Shang-Chi 2’
There have been a lot of shake-ups at Marvel Studios recently. With the controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors, the return of the Russo Brothers, and Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Victor von Doom breaking the internet, I’m sure we all believed nothing else could possibly surprise us.
Turns out, we were wrong!
Recently, it was reported that Destin Daniel Cretton, known for his work on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is in the running to take over directorial duties for Spider-Man 4. This is, undoubtedly, an exciting prospect. Shang-Chi was one of the most electrifying Marvel films to be released post-Avengers: Endgame and heralded the start of a new age of Marvel cinema.
Shang-Chi is, despite the CGI-heavy final battle, one of the most dynamic action films the MCU has ever produced. Shang-Chi’s fights against his father and his father’s henchmen are nothing short of thrilling; the set pieces, like the ones on the bus and the precarious scaffolding, are downright masterpieces. Clearly, Destin Daniel Cretton knows how to direct hand-to-hand combat scenes, and that’s exactly what Spider-Man 4 needs.
Presumably, in Sony and Marvel’s fourth Spider-Man collaboration, Peter Parker will be more practiced and disciplined than he was in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Without his friends and family around, he’d probably have become focused on his studies and his crime-fighting alter-ego, making him even more powerful and agile than he already was. His fights and battles in Spider-Man 4 will need to reflect that growth, and I’d argue that no director is more suited to the task than Cretton. I think he’s a great choice, and I hope it’s confirmed soon—there’s just one other thing I need them to confirm as well.
What about Shang-Chi 2?
The MCU has admittedly been floundering since the pandemic. Though it’s still had some obvious hits, including Disney+ shows like WandaVision, Ms. Marvel, and Loki and theatrical releases like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and most recently, Deadpool & Wolverine, a lot of previously announced projects have either become stuck in limbo, like Blade, canceled entirely, like Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, or were rumored but never confirmed. One such project is Shang-Chi 2.
Though star Simu Liu and some of Marvel’s higher-ups have repeatedly assured us that a direct sequel for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still happening, I’m starting to lose hope. Cretton being in the running for Spider-Man 4 has only exacerbated that feeling. Yes, he’d be a fantastic choice for Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man outing, but I don’t want it to come at the expense of Shang-Chi 2. This character and his world deserve to have more time in the spotlight. It’s a corner of the Marvel Universe that is fresh, exciting, and full of endless possibilities, and Marvel Studios should be taking full advantage of that. Instead, with all the reshuffling that has happened of late, it feels like this movie has been forgotten entirely.
Perhaps the age of solo Marvel characters getting sequels and threequels is over, a privilege reserved for “classic” Infinity-saga-involved MCU characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man. I think that’s a shame, though. One of the reasons the Infinity Saga played out so well is because all those solo films made the Marvel world feel real and lived-in, hinting at what was to come without obstructing the bigger picture. Shang-Chi 2 could easily play a similar role. We’re dealing with the Multiverse now, after all, and half of Shang-Chi takes place in an alternate dimension, not to mention the mystery of the “Ten Rings.” Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner were involved! How does that not warrant a sequel?
If Cretton is chosen to direct Spider-Man 4, that will undoubtedly become Marvel’s (and Sony’s) priority. That’s understandable, certainly, but I really hope that the next time we see Shang-Chi in action isn’t when he’s randomly placed in an Avengers-level movie.
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