Marvel's 'Shang-Chi' Will Be Part Of Phase 4, Confirms Kevin Feige
Marvel's Shang-Chi is fast becoming one of the most anticipated movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it's no wonder that Marvel chief Kevin Feige would want this historic film to get in our eyeballs as soon as possible. The Marvel Studios president confirmed that, after the dust settles following the release of this week's Avengers: Endgame, Shang-Chi will be part of Marvel's mysterious Phase 4.
Little is known about Marvel's fourth phase of films that will follow the release of Avengers: Endgame and this summer's Spider-Man: Far From Home, but we're slowly starting to glean more information about what this new era for the MCU will look like. One thing we know: It will be the most diverse that Marvel has ever been.
Kevin Feige confirmed at a press conference for Avengers: Endgame that Shang-Chi, which is set to be directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will be part of Marvel's Phase 4 (via ComicBook.com):
"This is not an Endgame question, this is a question about the future. I'm not supposed to answer questions about the future but in this case, I will because the answer is yes."
Feige wouldn't elaborate on when exactly we'll see Shang-Chi, but in his characteristically cryptic way, he teased that the studio's first Asian superhero would be unlike anything we've seen before. In an interview with News18, Feige said that Marvel found the story of the martial arts master hero "very intriguing," and wanted to explore that, regardless of any "risks" of putting an Asian lead on the screen:
"I think every movie that we do is a risk. We only want to do movies that people seem to think are risks. Doing the story of an Asian-American hero of Chinese heritage is something that is very intriguing to us. It will be really different and special."
It seems like Marvel's fourth phase will be its most diverse yet, with Shang-Chi and The Eternals leading the way. These set of the diverse heroes will be part of some of the most ambitious storytelling that Marvel has attempted yet, but Feige hopes that at their core, they will connect emotionally with audiences just like Captain America.
"I hope audiences around the world respond to it in the same way they did to Steve Rogers... whether they have [an] American flag or not," Feige said. "It's about the individual storyline, spectacle and adventure that come with Marvel Studios movies."