Shang-Chi’s Main Villain Gets Confirmed for Imminent MCU Return

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It seems Wenwu, the complex villain from *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*, isn’t truly gone from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Four years after the movie came out in 2021, Shang-Chi’s father is returning in the Disney+ series *Marvel Zombies*.

Wenwu, the villain from *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*, will be back in Episode 2 of the Disney+ animated series *Marvel Zombies*, premiering on September 24th. Although he died in *Shang-Chi*, Wenwu previously appeared in Season 2 of *What If…?*, making *Marvel Zombies* his second animated role.

In the 2021 Marvel movie, Xu Wenwu-the true Mandarin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe-finds a set of magical rings. These rings grant him immortality and turn him into a powerful warlord, but he eventually stops using them to focus on his family. After his wife dies, he becomes fixated on bringing her back from the hidden realm of Ta Lo, and once again uses the rings’ power to pursue this goal.

Tony Leung famously portrayed the warlord in *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*, but Feodor Chin, known for his voice work in *Futurama* and *Overwatch*, will be voicing the same character in the animated series *Marvel Zombies*. Chin previously provided the voice for Wenwu in season two of *What If…?*.

In the second episode of *Marvel Zombies*, we’ll see the return of the original leader of the Ten Rings, alongside Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy Chen (Awkwafina). The episode will also feature a mix of Marvel heroes and villains – you can read what critics are saying about it here.

Following the popular “What If… Zombies?!” episode from Season 1 of *What If…?*, *Marvel Zombies* is a new series set in an alternate Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. This animated series, the first from Marvel to receive a TV-MA rating, features a large cast of familiar MCU characters and all four episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ starting Wednesday, September 24.

Marvel Zombies’ Plan for Shang-Chi’s Wenwu

Despite his death in *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings*, Wenwu will return in the alternate reality of *Marvel Zombies*. Although specifics are currently unknown, bringing back this complicated villain – especially in a story featuring his son – provides a fresh chance to delve into their relationship.

It’ll be fascinating to see how Marvel Animation approaches this story. Will Wenwu, with his Ten Rings, be a zombie villain? Or will things be flipped, with Shang-Chi as the zombie and Wenwu trying to escape? (You can find a list of confirmed zombie characters here!)

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2025-09-24 01:04