Daily News for Marvel Movie

Summary

• Avengers 5 title shift to "Doomsday" showcases Doctor Doom return and Russo Brothers back at helm.
• Shang-Chi's ring theory connection to Kang confirmed, but Kang's role in Doomsday remains uncertain.
• Shang-Chi's future in MCU post-Avengers 5 changes should remain strong despite story alterations.

A theory centered around Avengers 5 has finally been confirmed, three years after it was first created. In those three years, Avengers 5's highly anticipated story has significantly changed. The film was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty centering on the Avengers taking down the titular villain after he was teased in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, Kang actor Jonathan Majors' assault charges saw him removed from his role, leading Marvel Studios to make some major alterations to Avengers 5's story.
Now, Avengers 5 is titled Avengers: Doomsday, with the upcoming Marvel movie seeing the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Not only that, but the Russo Brothers are returning for Avengers 5 and 6, furthering the difference in vision between Doomsday and The Kang Dynasty. Interestingly, though, one of the biggest theories about Avengers 5's initial story catered specifically to the character of Kang and his connection to an aspiring Avenger. Despite Kang's story being changed and the would-be Avenger in question not being seen since 2021, this theory has seemingly been confirmed.
Related Who's On The Avengers 5 Team? Predicting The MCU Line-Up Based On Recent Announcements Avengers: Doomsday is slated for release in 2026, which opens the door for a pretty vast number of MCU heroes to join the titular lineup.
4 Shang-Chi’s Post-Credit Scene Is All But Confirmed To Have Been Teasing Kang The Conqueror Kang & Shang-Chi Likely Would Have Had A Connection Of Sorts Close The theory stems from the post-credit scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In this scene, Shang-Chi is contacted by major Avengers including Captain Marvel, Bruce Banner, and Wong. Shang-Chi discovers that his titular rings are sending out a signal to somewhere unknown and that they are much older than anyone realizes, while not being from Earth or space as far as Bruce and Carol can tell. Initially, this post-credit scene led to theories that the rings are somehow connected to Kang the Conqueror.
All of this points to the theory that the rings being connected to Kang was true if Shang-Chi was set to be a lead of The Kang Dynasty…
These theories received more credence with the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where Kang's Quantum Realm city was built using similar ring designs to those of Shang-Chi's. Recently, a report revealed Shang-Chi's Avengers 5 role, with the new MCU hero originally expected to be a lead of what was Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Furthermore, Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton was initially hired to direct Avengers 5. All of this points to the theory that the rings being connected to Kang was true if Shang-Chi was set to be a lead of The Kang Dynasty with Cretton helming the film.
It is admittedly unexpected for this theory to be all but confirmed in this manner. The initial report from Inverse came over three years on from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' release. This was made even more unexpected by the lack of Shang-Chi content in the MCU since then, as audiences are receiving updates about the character's role in a movie that is now not happening the same way, without the character being seen in the MCU since the initial 2021 film.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 4.0 PG-13 Where to Watch stream rent buy Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the 26th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Simu Liu plays Shaun (Aka Shang-Chi), a valet living and working in San Francisco, along with his friend Katy (Awkwafina), when one day, his past comes knocking back at his door. To protect himself and Katy, Shaun reveals himself to be Shang-Chi and his lineage, with his father being the actual "Mandarin," the leader of the Ten Rings criminal organization. His father is now reaching out to him, and his estranged sister and Shaun must head back to China to save his sister and figure out his father's true motivations. Shang-Chi was one of the first films in the fourth phase of the MCU.
Director Destin Cretton Release Date September 3, 2021 Writers Dave Callaham , Steve Englehart , Jim Starlin Cast Awkwafina , Simu Liu , Tony Leung Chiu Wai Runtime 132 minutes Marvel’s New Avengers 5 Plan Means Shang-Chi’s Post-Credit Scene Doesn’t Matter Anymore The Pivot Away From Kang The Conqueror Leaves This Theory Unresolved With Avengers 5 confirming Kang's MCU replacement as Doctor Doom, questions over whether Shang-Chi's post-credit scene matters anymore will be raised. As evident by the above report, Avengers 5 was clearly going to tie Shang-Chi's and Kang the Conqueror's stories together in a big way. Now, Kang the Conqueror's MCU future is all but over, unless Marvel Studios opts for a recast and gives the character a secondary antagonist role behind Doom. If this is the case, the connection to the rings could still be explored, but it is unclear as yet what role Kang will play in Avengers: Doomsday.
Another possibility is that the theory above is retconned. After all, no Marvel movies have outright confirmed it as true yet, and there are only several supporting factors from production details that seem to do so. As such, it would not be difficult for the writers of Avengers: Doomsday to retcon the signal being sent by Shang-Chi's rings to be connected to Doom in some way. Then, Shang-Chi's story would not have to be changed too drastically and the rings could still be tied to Avengers 5, only not to Kang the Conqueror as was almost certainly first intended.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Marvel Should Still Have Shang-Chi As A Main Avengers Character Shang-Chi's MCU Future Should Not Be Affected By Avengers 5's Changes In light of the many changes to Avengers 5's story, Shang-Chi's involvement should not be one of them. Many would agree that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is one of the best movies in Phase 4, with the character having immense promise for the future of the franchise. For this reason, he should still play a big part in Avengers: Doomsday regardless of whether the film's post-credit scene was meant to connect to Kang or not.
Destin Daniel Cretton has been confirmed to direct Shang-Chi 2, but a production date is unclear as yet.
Admittedly, the future has looked somewhat bleak for the character of Shang-Chi since 2021. A sequel to the film has not yet entered active development, and the changes to Avengers 5 mean his starring role alongside other MCU heroes may be reduced. Hopefully, Marvel Studios sees the promise in the character and his franchise, and continues to include him in plans for Avengers: Doomsday. If not, the loss of Shang-Chi as a main MCU character may prove to be the most unfortunate of casualties stemming from Avengers 5's overhaul.
Avengers 5 0 Your Rating 5 stars 4.5 stars 4 stars 3.5 stars 3 star 2.5 stars 2 stars 1.5 stars 1 stars 0.5 star Rate Now Submit Rate Now Edit
Your comment has not been saved
AdventureSuperheroAction Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom – played by the returning Robert DOwney Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Release Date May 1, 2026 Studio(s) Marvel Studios Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Cast Kathryn Newton , Iman Vellani , Mark Ruffalo , Hailee Steinfield , Anthony Mackie , Benedict Wong , Simu Liu , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dominique Thorne , Xochitl Gomez , Chris Hemsworth , Brie Larson Franchise(s) The Avengers