Ant-Man in Shang-Chi ? | Producer Reacts on fans rumours

Marvel producer Jonathan Schwartz responds to rumors that Ant-Man was considered for a cameo in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.

Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings producer Jonathan Schwartz has responded to rumors that Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man was considered to make an appearance in the movie. Shang-Chi has just one day to go until its official release and fans are already incredibly excited to see how the newest Marvel hero fits into the wider MCU. The film, which stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi and Awkwafina as his best friend, Katy, has received a largely positive reception from critics and early viewers alike, with the film receiving a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

With a variety of different teasers having dropped in the run-up towards the film’s release, fans were delighted back in June when a teaser showed what appeared to be a somewhat intense altercation between Doctor Strange’s Wong and The Incredible Hulk’s Abomination, the latter being a character that fans have not seen within the MCU since 2008. Marvel is no stranger to the in-depth fan analysis that comes with the release of a new movie, and the reveal of this fun cameo naturally had fans digging around for more clues as to who else could appear. At the center of this discussion was the location of Shang-Chi (enter: Ant-Man). Both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp are set in San Francisco, and so fans began speculating about the possibility of a cameo from Paul Rudd himself.

Now, those rumors have been addressed in an interview with Schwartz by The Direct. The Marvel Studios producer confirmed that while the appearance of other characters was certainly discussed and even potentially written in the early stages, Shang-Chi ultimately came down to telling Shang’s story. Schwartz's comments seem to debunk the theory that Ant-Man will appear in the upcoming blockbuster. Check out Schwartz's full quote below:

We did talk about other characters who might make sense, both in San Francisco and elsewhere, so there are few different iterations [with] other folks who could have popped up. I think there’s always a little bit of give and take there. But you know, the script evolved over time, into what it was, and ultimately we were telling Shang’s story, so I think we’re very happy with the version that ended up on screen.

Cameos aside, Shang-Chi looks set to be an action-packed ride. Liu has shared various behind-the-scenes clips along the way that show his intense fight training. It is clear that a lot of preparation has gone into the incredible action scenes that fans have had just a small glimpse of so far. Liu also recently shared behind-the-scenes footage of the bus scene that has been teased across the movie’s trailers, having previously called it an “iconic” sequence.

Fans are certainly excited to learn Shang’s story and hope that the film’s plot could tie into an appearance within an Avenger’s movie in the future, with Liu himself having expressed an interest in a possible team-up. With filming currently taking place for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, perhaps Marvel could be planning a surprise cameo from Liu alongside Rudd in the 2023 movie. While details of the Ant-Man threequel are sparse at this point, we are likely to see Scott Lang within his hometown of San Francisco for at least a short while, which could be the perfect opportunity for the two heroes to meet. As for now, fans will have a better idea of the nature of Liu’s role within the MCU when Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings is released on September 3.