Fans were stoked to hear that not only was Marvel Studios plotting a sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but that a spinoff TV series was in the works on Disney+. It meant double the screen time to expand on the rich, gorgeous Asian mythos of the martial artist's world, as well as that of his friends and family. Interestingly, now that the Netflix heroes are officially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this spinoff can actually revive Marvel TV's most beloved hero.
This is none other than Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing, who became a new sword-wielding Iron Fist just as all these shows got canned. It broke many hearts as Colleen was well-acted, and also, Henwick's martial arts background made her a natural, kicking ass and wowing viewers in all her scenes. She simply felt organic in the role, which couldn't be said for the likes of Finn Jones as Danny Rand.
Sure, folks loved Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock, Mike Colter's Luke Cage and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, but the way Colleen did justice and revived interest in Iron Fist, shifting it from a white savior story to one of female empowerment for minorities, stood head and shoulders above the rest, with audiences recognizing and loving it.
Now, seeing as the MCU has Daredevil and Kingpin involved, Colleen is an easy fit into a spinoff focusing on Xialing, Shang-Chi's sister. We can see the movies focusing on his future as a possible Avenger, with the show instead dealing with Xialing as she leads the Ten Rings. It's easy to picture her wanting to add soldiers to her battalion, with Colleen being one of them, scouted by her fight club and tested in battle.
It'd make Colleen a great person to clash with Razor Fist and other doubters, all as Xialing's eager to add an Immortal Weapon and create a truly unstoppable army as she doesn't have the rings. This can lead to a feud with Colleen eventually realizing Xialing isn't a better version of her dad, Wenwu, and that this movement isn't justice.
Thus, Colleen may end up taking her Iron Fist to Ta-Lo, training with Xialing's aunt, Nan, to learn more about the dragons there, as well as portals that might explore Immortal Cities in the multiverse. More so, it'd allow Colleen to find herself, other allies and maybe face off against darker Immortal Weapons too. All this can lead to her going up against Xialing, helping the lost soul realize that with great power comes great responsibility, and truly understanding the good she can do with her group.
To top it off, Colleen and Xialing's dichotomy would lessen the macho male factor as Shang-Chi and Danny wouldn't be around, while upping the diversity angle even more with Asian women leading the narrative. And ultimately, with fans invested in their destinies as freedom fighters with different perspectives, we'd get something along the lines of T'Challa and Killmonger, with badass women unlocking greatness in themselves and each other.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming now on Disney+.