9 Marvel Superheroes Who Desperately Deserve Their Own Netflix Series

5. Shang-Chi

Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics

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 K€™un L€™un last year (along with Steel Serpent, one of Iron Fist€™s most powerful adversaries), and Nobu €“ the live-action equivalent of Frank Miller€™s conniving ninja, Kigiri €“ brought resurrection front and centre to Hell€™s Kitchen this year. As Iron Fist and Dr. Strange fast approach, Marvel€™s mystical and magical side would appear to be the beneficiary of a renewed and very much rejuvenated focus.

Any lineup of Marvel€™s foremost martial-artists is totally incomplete without Shang-Chi however. He€™'s the company€™s 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 Marvel€™s 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.

Content Producer/Presenter
Content Producer/Presenter

Resident movie guy at WhatCulture who used to be Comics Editor. Thinks John Carpenter is the best. Likes Hellboy a lot. Can usually be found talking about Dad Movies on his Twitter at @EwanRuinsThings.