by: Mocha Cub – Staff Writer

Now that Finn Jones has been cast in Netflix’s Iron Fist, news should be rolling in about the plot & characters soon but today we learned of a possible cameo by one of Marvel’s other Kung Fu Masters. While nothing is officially confirmed, That Hashtag Show is reporting that Marvel/Netflix has begun casting for Shang-Chi, Marvel’s “Master of Kung Fu,” for an appearance in the new series.

That Hashtag Show originally broke the news that Jones had been cast in the lead role of Danny Rand in the series, and so is reasonable to believe they have a pulse on all news tied to Iron Fist. The rumor also states that Marvel and Netflix are considering Shang-Chi for his own spinoff series. Now for those who are unfamiliar with the character, Shang-Chi is perhaps the Marvel Universe’s greatest martial artist. Unlike Iron Fist, Shang-Chi has no superpowers or supernatural gifts, his abilities all come entirely from skill and training.
Shang-Chi was introduced to the world in 1973 as the son of villain Fu Manchu, whom Marvel had purchased the rights to at the time. He’s worked for various groups in the Marvel Universe such as MI-6, Heroes for Hire and joined the Avengers briefly. One thing to note is that Shang-Chi played a major role in the Shadowland comic book storyline, which many feel Daredevil will touch upon this coming season as he wages war against The Hand for NYC.

THS is also reporting that Marvel and Netflix are exclusively auditioning Asian males for the role of Shang-Chi, as there was considerable backlash on social media for the hiring of a white actor to play Iron Fist even though the character is drawn from Asian mysticism. Personally, I think this would be perfect for Mike Moh, who started in the 2014 Street Fighter Assassins Fist Web series as Ryu. He will next be seen reprising the role for Street Fighter Resurrection in a few months on Machinima.

Production on Iron Fist is expected to begin in April, and it is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2017.