I Hope The MCU"s Spider-Man 4 Repeats One Thing That Made Shang-Chi One Of The Best Post-Endgame Marvel Movies

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Shang-Chi"s director will helm the MCU"s Spider-Man 4 and I hope he repeats a storyline that made Shang-Chi one of Marvel"s best recent films. The status of Tom Holland"s next Spider-Man film has been unknown, but it received its biggest update recently with reports that Marvel hired Destin Daniel Cretton to direct the movie. Reports also shared that Holland and Zendaya are in talks about returning to their respective roles. Cretton is an excellent choice for Marvel"s Spider-Man 4 as he was behind Shang-Chi, one of the best MCU movies since Avengers: Endgame.
Shang-Chi was one of the earliest films of Phase 4 and featured many distinct qualities that made it stand out. It had a great villain in Tony Leung"s Wenwu, and many of the MCU"s best action scenes, filled with fast, well-choreographed martial arts. Another unique quality of Shang-Chi is the relationship between its two leads: Simu Liu"s Xu Shang-Chi and Awkwafina"s Katy. While it"s common for two leads of the opposite sex to become a romantic couple, Shang-Chi takes a refreshingly different route, one I hope Spider-Man 4 repeats.
Shang-Chi Featured A Platonic Relationship Between Its Two Leads Shang-Chi Didn't Force A Romance Between Its Main Characters Close Shang-Chi opens with the titular character working as a hotel valet with his friend, Katy. While she is a confidant to him, Shang-Chi never reveals his previous life as a member of the Ten Rings with his father. When his past catches up with him, Katy follows him into the mystical world of the Ten Rings, furthering the bond that the pair have. She becomes more involved with his culture, even training as an archer, but the two friends never have a romantic moment. The two remain platonic throughout the film, a refreshing change of pace for the MCU.
It was nice to see a pair of friends who just wanted to save the world and sing karaoke afterward.
Their relationship is unique as the MCU typically places a male and female lead in a romantic relationship. There are many examples of this, like Tony Stark & Pepper Potts, Steve Rogers & Peggy Carter, Bruce Banner & Betty Ross, Thor & Jane Foster, Stephen Strange & Christine Palmer, Peter Quill & Gamora, and Scott Lang & Hope van Dyne. There are so many romantic pairings in the MCU, and it was nice to see a pair of friends who just wanted to save the world and sing karaoke afterward.
I'd Love To See A Spider-Man Movie Without A Love Interest Peter Parker Always Has Relationship Troubles Close Peter Parker has a love interest in every Spider-Man movie. Mary Jane Watson is his love interest in Sam Raimi"s Spider-Man trilogy, and Gwen Stacy is Peter"s girlfriend in The Amazing Spider-Man films. Holland"s Peter has had multiple love interests as he has a crush on Liz Allen in Spider-Man: Homecoming, then starts a relationship with MJ in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Spider-Verse films also tease a budding romance between Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales. It"s a common trend for Spider-Man to have a romantic interest, and I"d love to see Spider-Man 4 go in a different direction.

Related How Zendaya's MJ Can Return In Spider-Man 4 Despite No Way Home's Ending Zendaya’s Michelle Jones is an important part of the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise, and there is hope the actor could return to the role in Spider-Man 4.
3 In the MCU, Peter"s world has been devastated by tragic events, including Tony Stark"s death, Aunt May"s death, and the end of his relationships with MJ and his best friend, Ned. After the events of No Way Home, he has a chance for self-discovery. He can restart his life and figure out what his goals are as Peter Parker and as Spider-Man. I want to see Holland"s Peter focus on himself and his role as Spider-Man before he tries to balance another romantic relationship on top of it. It"s a chance to see Peter not have to worry about anyone close to him, something he rarely gets to do.
Marvel Can Wait To Reintroduce MJ And Peter's Relationship Peter Parker And MJ Can Take Some Time Apart Close While Zendaya is returning for Spider-Man"s next chapter, Marvel doesn"t need to reunite the happy couple immediately. Peter decided to spare her from his dangerous, hectic life, and I"d like to see him commit to that decision for a while. Peter has a history in this franchise of promising to sacrifice his own happiness to keep the woman he loves safe, but he quickly gives up on his convictions. And this is a pattern: In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, he starts dating Gwen fairly soon after he promises her father he"ll stay away from her.
It"s unclear how Zendaya will return, considering she doesn"t know who Peter is anymore. They are both going to college, so they could go to the same school, where Peter may try to keep his distance. However, rumors regarding Spider-Man 4"s plot make it seem like it"s in New York, and MJ is supposedly going to MIT, which is in Massachusetts. It will be interesting to see how Marvel keeps Zendaya tied to the narrative of Spider-Man 4, but the studio needs to keep the attention on Spider-Man"s character arc.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming 4 is the first sequel to the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public's memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.
Cast Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jacob Batalon Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe , Spider-Man Upcoming MCU Movies