Shang-Chi Star Calls for Fan Favorite Marvel Character to Make His MCU Debut

When Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin introduced Shang-Chi in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition #15, they gave him an impressive title: the Master of Kung Fu. In the 50 years that followed, Shang-Chi has not only cemented his position in the Marvel Universe, often working with top-level characters and serving with the Avengers. Moreover, his MCU debut Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is indisputably one of the best post-Endgame entries.

So it’s understandable that Shang-Chi star Simu Liu might be kind of sensitive about great Marvel characters being underserved by the MCU. Liu mentioned one by name during the Shang-Chi panel at NYCC. When asked about the character he would like to see join the franchise, Liu had an answer at the ready reports The Popverse: “Amadeus Cho.”

No Marvel Comics fan needs to be told who Amadeus Cho is. Created by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, Cho first appeared as a smart-alecky, super-smart teen in 2005’s Amazing Fantasy #15. Cho quickly became a key part of Pak’s excellent run on The Incredible Hulk, including the character-defining World War Hulk storyline and then as a sidekick to Hercules during Pak’s series The Incredible Hercules.

Cho works so well in those books because he’s an update on a classic Marvel character, Rick Jones. Rick Jones is a foundational Marvel character, the dumb teen who unwittingly drives his jeep onto a bomb testing site, forcing scientist Bruce Banner to get irradiated by gamma rays trying to stop him, way back in 1962’s Incredible Hulk #1. Since then, Jones went onto become a full-time sidekick for various Marvel heroes, briefly taking the role of Bucky alongside Captain America, hanging out with the Avengers, and body-swapping with the male Captain Marvel, back when that character was more similar to the DC hero of the same name (now known as Shazam).

Cho fills the same role as Rick Jones for Hulk and Hercules, but with a twist. The fact that he’s Korean-American better reflects the population of the real U.S., and he’s not an idiot who wanders into test sites. In fact, Cho is canonically the seventh-smartest person in the world, a fact that he proudly (read: arrogantly) shares with anyone who listens.

That arrogance makes Cho a fun character, especially when he gains his own Hulk powers and briefly becomes the Totally Awesome Hulk during Banner’s absence and, upon Banner’s return, takes the name Brawn. Cho loves having both brains and brawn, just like any other teen would. And, just like any other teen, his mental and physical strength doesn’t prevent him from making very dumb mistakes, which results in some entertaining stories.

Cho has become a mainstay in the Marvel Universe, so important that he has almost appeared in the MCU. Claudia Kim portrayed Dr. Helen Cho in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the scientist who helps make the artificial skin that eventually covers Vision, and was intended to be the mother of Amadeus. In the MCU-adjacent animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Aleks Le voices Cho, a snotty colleague to Peter Parker.

As fun as all these little winks are, Liu is right: it’s time for the real thing. “He’s a new generation Hulk, Korean-American. Very cool,” Liu argued at NYCC and it’s hard to disagree with him. Just, it would also be nice if we could get some more Shang-Chi in the MCU too.