9 Marvel Superheroes Who Desperately Deserve Their Own Netflix Series

5. Shang-Chi

Who They Are: The mystical and martial-arts elements of the Marvel Universe have never really been given a focus in the MCU dismissing Daredevil of course. Indeed, Netflix has proven to offer audiences their first window into the mysticism that was so synonymous with the Marvel brand during the 1970s. Madam Gao implicitly referenced Kun Lun last year (along with Steel Serpent, one of Iron Fists most powerful adversaries), and Nobu the live-action equivalent of Frank Millers conniving ninja, Kigiri brought resurrection front and centre to Hells Kitchen this year. As Iron Fist and Dr. Strange fast approach, Marvels mystical and magical side would appear to be the beneficiary of a renewed and very much rejuvenated focus.

Any lineup of Marvels foremost martial-artists is totally incomplete without Shang-Chi however. He's the companys very own master of Kung-Fu, and has teamed up with more superheroes than I could possibly count. What is important to note is that he's also been a key member of Heroes for Hire the New York-bound private enterprise owned by Danny Rand and Luke Cage which will inevitably be making its MCU entrance sooner or later. All in all, Chi is just a natural fit for the mythos, and one who deserves to be on The Defenders.

Why They Deserve A Series: The son of Fu Manchu (yes, that Fu Manchu), Shang-Chi has partaken in adventures both globetrotting and not, collaborating with everyone from Spider-Man to SHIELD and beyond. This would make the character a natural fit to bridge Marvels Netflix shows and blockbuster epics together, but any Shang-Chi series needn't rely on universe building to create an engaging narrative. No, this Kung-Fu master has all the ingredients to create the perfect Netflix crime-fighting epic.

Ewan Paterson

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.

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