Deadpool Fans Freak Out After Discovering How He Almost Starred in 'Shang-Chi'

Deadpool and Marvel fans are reacting to reports that Wade Wilson almost made his debut in the MCU in the recent movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

A recent piece of artwork released by Marvel concept designer Andrew Kim shows plans to feature the character Deadpool in a notable scene from the Shang-Chi movie which ended up featuring a different notable MCU cameo.

While fans reacted to the concept art suggesting Deadpool could have already appeared in the MCU, another spoiler-heavy report suggested the exact point at which Ryan Reynolds' character may actually join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. More on that below.

Deadpool in 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'

Professional concept illustrator Andrew Kim has worked on a number of Marvel films as well as TV projects like The Righteous Gemstones, The Rookie and Star Trek: Discovery. On his website, he shared his recent work which he put together before the production of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

One of the many images he shared shows Deadpool fighting the character Proxima Midnight in the Golden Daggers Club scene from the movie. Within the movie, the two characters who actually ended up in the cage fight were Wong (Benedict Wong) and Abomination (Tim Roth).

Marvel fans have been waiting for a number of X-Men and former Fox-owned characters to move into the MCU ever since Disney acquired the company in 2019. Many are still waiting to see how they would crossover but the use of Proxima Midnight is unusual as that character died twice in the last two Avengers movies.

Kim's images have been widely shared on social media with fans speculating if this was due to be Deadpool's first appearance in the MCU.

@UpToTASK described the scene and wrote "now I want dis," while @SoullessBeardXL suggested the news made them "faint." @johnny_tmanV2 thought it would have been a very suitable introduction to the MCU for Deadpool. They wrote: "Honestly it would've been hilarious if this ended up being what happened and Deadpool just showed up in the MCU with no grand entrance or explanation, he just kinda shows up in the background of Shang Chi."

The account @DRMovieNews1 seemed to have a more rational look at the unveiling of Deadpool in the Shang-Chi concept art. They said: "This is obviously just concept artists having fun and should no way be considered canon." The account continued: "Amazing nonetheless!"

SPOILER ALERT: Deadpool in the MCU

Another rumor has started online suggesting that Deadpool will make his MCU debut alongside Professor X in the upcoming Benedict Cumberbatch movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

An unverified Twitter account, @Movie_News_Plus shared extensive details of what presumably happens in the mid- and end-credit scenes in the upcoming Doctor Strange movie. We won't go into detail of what happens throughout, but they do suggest that Deadpool features and breaks the fourth wall while mentioning what happened within the plot of Multiverse of Madness.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to watch on Disney+ now.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is the next MCU movie due out in theaters. It's set to launch in the United States on May 6, 2022.