Journalist Jeff Yang was a cultural consultant for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Recently, he dropped a teaser about the Shang-Chi antagonist, played by Tony Leung, and his possible return in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
For those who don't know, Wenwu also goes by the name of "The Mandarin" in the comics. The Mandarin persona was introduced in Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 with the character of Trevor Slattery until it was revealed that he was an eccentric actor serving a role for an organization. What annoyed fans was the reveal that this Mandarin was a "fraud" despite looking exactly like the version of the character from the comic books.
So when fans found out that there actually was a real Mandarin in the MCU who would be introduced in Shang-Chi, many were happy and excited to see how Marvel Studios would handle the character. What fans got was a more grounded, emotionally complex, impactful, and scary character. Together, Marvel and Leung gave the Mandarin more depth, introduced the ten rings, and even showed that there are other dimensions in the MCU canon.
The They Call Us Bruce podcast recently dedicated an episode to Shang-Chi, where Yang discussed the Mandarin's role in the MCU. "Given what they had in Tony Leung, I would have hoped that they would have made it a little more clear that he has other places to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe...I’ll just leave it at that," Yang said. This quote doesn't serve as an official confirmation of the Mandarin's return, but it definitely is compelling. Marvel comics are known for bringing many characters back after their exit, so it doesn't come as a surprise that the movies may adopt the same plan.
Fans who saw Shang-Chi know how it ended, so many should speculate as to what Yang's words actually mean for the Mandarin. Maybe future MCU films will delve further into the multiverse concept in order to bring back the Mandarin, or maybe it has something to do with the post-credits scene in WandaVision.
Whether or not there's truth to this claim, Marvel Studios must be careful to not remove the stakes in their films. If they can unwrite most of their creative decisions, then fans won't have much to look forward to in terms of expecting these decisions to stick. Many fans love Marvel movies because they connect these vastly different MCU characters, their stories, and the repercussions of their actions, so taking this away will not sit well with fans.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters.
Source: 'They Call Us Bruce' Podcast