Highlights
- New heroes like She-Hulk and Moon Knight will drive the MCU forward post-Endgame with heart and story development.
- Bringing representation through an Asian-driven team like Agents of Atlas in Shang-Chi 2 is vital for superhero films.
- Introducing the Agents of Atlas into the MCU in Shang-Chi 2 can add depth and tie into existing threads seamlessly.
Regarding the future of the MCU, creators, and filmmakers in the industry are not looking at the past heroes that started the massive superhero franchise, but instead, looking into the heroes that the MCU will drive forward to even new heights. Heroes introduced post-Endgame, such as She-Hulk, Moon Knight, and Ms. Marvel, will become the new face of the MCU going forward, and only by giving these characters the same heart and driven story development that made iconic heroes like Iron Man and Captain America so beloved in the early years of the MCU.
One such hero is Shang-Chi, played by the incredible Simu Lu, and developing his place in the grander MCU is crucial to this hero’s future. One such way is by introducing new characters, such as the Agents of Atlas, in the upcoming film Shang-Chi 2.
Including characters and stories full of representation is vital to the future of superhero films, and including an Asian-driven team of superheroes in the film franchise of a superhero like Shang-Chi is an incredible way of bringing that much-needed representation to the MCU. While the original Agents of Atlas were not predominantly Asian-driven, the new Agents of Atlas took center stage in recent years during some of Marvel’s grander crossover events. So, with Shang-Chi 2 currently in the works, will this film be the perfect time to bring the Agents of Atlas into the greater MCU?
Agents of Atlas, EXPLAINED
While originally introduced in Marvel Comics using retroactive continuity in the late 1970s and later in the 1990s and 2000s, the original Atlas team was active in the Marvel Universe’s 1950s era, tasked with saving the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower. However, save for future team leader Jimmy Woo, the majority of the original team was not comprised of Asian heroes. They would make brief appearances fighting the Avengers, X-Men, and Norman Osborne’s Thunderbolts, but the team would not become as prominent until recent years.
During the 2019 crossover event War of the Realms, Marvel brought the new Agents of Atlas to light. Led by Atlas Foundation member and original team member Jimmy Woo, the heroes Brawn, Shang-Chi, and Silk were all recruited after serving with Woo on another team, the Protectors. In their fight against the forces of the nine realms, Woo would be injured, leaving the Incredible Hulk’s successor in Marvel Comics, Amadeus Cho (Brawn), to lead the team. He would recruit the Korean heroes White Fox, Crescent and Io, and Luna Snow, as well as Chinese heroes Sword Master and Aero, Filipino hero Wave, and Hawaiian Goddess Pele to the team, forming the new Agents of Atlas during a time of crisis.
Even Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan, was asked to be part of the team, but she ultimately would rejoin her friends on The Champions. Soon after the end of War of the Realms, the team is brought to the city of Pan, a town comprised of portals that linked major cities across the Pacific and Asian countries to form one borderless metropolis. Led by tech mogul Mike Nguyen, the team eventually discovers the portals are powered by the removed scales of an Atlantean dragon, causing a war between Pan and Atlantis that the Agents of Atlas must stop before it is too late.
Why Shang-Chi 2 is the Perfect Place to Introduce the Agents of Atlas
Several connections in the MCU already tie the Agents of Atlas into the greater MCU thread. For one, Shang-Chi, one of the team’s newest members, is already in the MCU. Along with him is Jimmy Woo, who was introduced into the MCU as Agent Woo (played by the incredible Randall Park). First tasked with monitoring Scott Lang after his release from prison, the agent would later play a pivotal role on the outside alongside Darcy during the events of Wandavision. This set up Woo to become a new player similarly as Agent Phil Coulson, becoming the liaison between the heroes and the rest of the world’s governments.
In a time when representation and fresh stories are crucial to the growth of the MCU as a whole, adding the Agents of Atlas has never been more perfect. The team’s recent adventures have included portal travel and interdimensional cities. Fans have seen these portals in action thanks to the Sorcerer Supreme Wong, who would make a great addition to the Agents of Atlas for the MCU. Shang-Chi also introduced the mystical Ta-Lo, a heavenly realm that included ancient Chinese mythological creatures such as the dragon. Exploring different Asian cultures in the MCU and even the mystical city of Pan or K’un-Lun, the home of the legendary Iron Fist, would add more depth and layers to the growing MCU multiverse.
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