Avengers: Endgame is already predicted to break box-office records this weekend, but the head of Marvel Studios isn't sitting back to quietly enjoy the success just yet.
President Kevin Feige is already thinking about the studio's next project, and this week teased fans by suggesting what superhero could make it on to the silver screen in the near future.
When asked by a fan at an Avengers: Endgame event in Shanghai if a Chinese superhero could join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the American producer gave a positive response.
"This is not an Endgame question, this is a question about the future," Feige said, according to The Telegraph. "I'm not supposed to answer questions about the future but in this case, I will because the answer is yes."
Fans are now speculating that Shang-Chi will form part of Marvel's until-now vaguely touted Phase 4, following the release of the last film in Phase 3, July's Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Shang-Chi is a character, often called the "Master of Kung Fu", who first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1973. The martial arts maestro, created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, has appeared alongside other Avengers in the comics, though a film based around the character hasn't been officially confirmed by Marvel.
Feige, however, further teased the possibility in an interview with CNN News18, saying the a potential Shang-Chi film would be "really different and special".
“I think every movie that we do is a risk," he added. "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.
“I hope audiences around the world respond to it in the same way they did to [Captain America] Steve Rogers ... whether they have an American flag or not. It’s about the individual storyline, spectacle and adventure that come with Marvel Studios movies.”
