4. Shang-Chi
I mentioned this one to a good friend of mine, someone who reads super hero comics regularly, and he looked me dead in the eye and said, “I don’t know who that is.” Shang-Chi is an Avenger, darn it! Better recognize!
Jokes aside, if you can picture what Bruce Lee would have been as a super hero, you’ve just about got it. Also a secret agent, adventurer and the son of Fu Manchu, at least initially. If writers can’t get some mileage out of this concept, I don’t know what to tell them. He also has a terrific if not widely known supporting cast that includes Clive Reston, Black Jack Tarr and Leiko Wu, all of which could be juicy roles for actors.
Mostly, though, I was sold on this idea because of the outstanding combat choreography in Daredevil. I expect mote of the same in Iron Fist, and since Shang-Chi is at least on par with Danny Rand if not better at martial arts, a series with him as the star would be a great vehicle for Marvel to really cut loose and create some memorable fight scenes.
In the meantime, do yourself a favor and go hunt down the Doug Moench/Paul Gulacy run on The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. Not only won’t you be disappointed, I think you’ll agree that he could make the move to Netflix for something spectacular.
Next: No. 3: The assassin