It seems like the pattern for Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe having other prominent characters from Marvel Studios showing up as supporting characters will continue.
It happened in Spider-Man: Homecoming with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and now, Benedict Cumberbatch will appear as Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
If Spider-Man continues to have solo movies within the MCU, this pattern will more than likely continue. For example, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Sim Liu recently suggested that he'd love to see his character, Shang-Chi, teach Spider-Man a thing or two.
SHANG-CHI TEACHING PETER PARKER HOW TO FIGHT
In an interview with Screen Rant, Simu Liu was asked where he'd like to see his character next in the MCU. Liu expressed great interest in having a team-up with Tom Holland's Spider-Man.
Liu referenced a “very famous story in which Shang-Chi and Spider-Man have a little team-up moment” and talked about how, in the comics, "Spider-Man needs a little bit of help with his martial arts" from Shang-Chi:
“I don’t know if you’re familiar with this, but in the comics, Spider-Man needs a little bit of help with his martial arts; he needs to brush up a little bit. And says, yeah, I’ll help you, I’ll develop a whole style based on your abilities - and they call it the Way of the Spider. I’m outing myself as a huge comic book nerd. But that’s something I really want to see and I really hope that Kevin [Feige] gets to see this interview so that he can potentially put it in a future movie somewhere.”
What Liu is specifically talking about is when Peter Parker lost his Spider-Sense in the comics, drastically reducing his fighting abilities. During a storyline called Spider-Island, Parker approached Shang-Chi to help him develop a new martial arts style to compensate, called the Way of the Spider.
TAKING AWAY SPIDER-MAN'S SPIDER-TINGLE
For a period of time in the comics, Spider-Man lost his ability to use his Spider-Sense. It didn't seem like a big deal at first since he still had his speed and strength, but he quickly realized he had relied too heavily on it over the years.
The most dangerous thing was that Peter could no longer reliably web-swing, only realizing then that his Spider-Sense was the reason he hadn't killed himself years ago. It helped him unconsciously navigate the city skies along with reliably attaching his webs to secure structures and anchor points.
However, what quickly annoyed Parker was fighting criminals and supervillains, as he no longer had his Spider-Sense to help him evade attacks. Peter knew that he needed someone to teach him how to fight properly, leading him to Shang-Chi with the help of the new Madame Web.
Together, Spider-Man and Shang-Chi developed a new fighting style appropriately called Way of the Spider, combining fighting forms from Captain America, his own acrobatic abilities, and Shang-Chi's dedicated training. Unfortunately, when his Spider-Sense returned, Parker began to slack in his training, becoming over-reliant on it once more.
When they teamed up again years later, Shang-Chi noted that if Spider-Man became more dedicated to practicing his martial arts, his Spider-Sense would grow even stronger. So, while some fans might complain about Tom Holland's Spider-Man potentially having another mentor figure in his film, it'd be amazing for this relationship between them to be adapted into the MCU.
Fans will get the chance to see what the Master of Kung Fu can teach Spider-Man in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which releases in theaters on September 3, 2021.
