As Phase 4 of the MCU is now currently underway it feels as though nearly every character of any significance is getting another look for one reason or another, especially since there are so many different ways to expand the Marvel universe. With Shang Chi making his debut not too long from now, Death Dealer is one character that a lot of people might know simply because he wasn’t considered to be such a big deal when he was first introduced. As a villain, he’s someone that has worked for the infamous Fu Manchu in the comics, but never really earned much of a following and was defeated at one point by Shang Chi. In the current incarnation, it almost feels as though more stock is being put into his character for reasons that are hard to say, but could have something to do with the idea that Marvel needs a stable of villains to combat the heroes and make life a bit more difficult. As of right now, it does appear that Death Dealer might actually stick around or at least have a bit of a larger role in the movie simply because he is a servant of the Mandarin, the real one this time, and will be someone that has essentially been there since Shang Chi was a boy, meaning that he might know the fighter better than most. That could make the character a little deadlier and less of a footnote in Shang Chi’s story, but when it comes to that we’ll have to wait and see.
Messing with storylines has become a commonality that many movies that take from the comics have adopted over the years, and it’s fair to think that the MCU will keep doing this for various reasons, one among them being that the movies being created now need a serious update from time to time in order to be a little easier for audiences to understand. With the little that’s known about Shang Chi and his story it does feel as though a great deal can be updated and even switched around without too many people being wise to it unless they do the research and find out that things are in fact going to change. Even then it’s not likely to be a big deal since many things have had to change for the current MCU, in fact, they’ve had to change since the MCU started up back in the 2000s since a lot of stuff has happened since then. But in terms of changing things up enough for Death Dealer to have his own show or movie, it does feel like a stretch since not a lot of henchmen end up getting their own series or movies. unless they’re that awesome and respected by the audience. If the character manages to become something big in the movie it might be feasible to start thinking that he might be able to get his own series before a movie is considered. At the very least, a series would have an entire season to get people on board with the idea, while a movie is kind of a take it or leave it deal that a lot of people might walk away from without giving it a second glance.
Pretty much any character could be hyped up and given a shot at running a solo series or movie, but the fact is that not all of them are going to be successful. The opportunity is always there, but the outcome is bound to be different based on the character since between a major hero or villain and henchman or sidekick the favor is usually going to be given to the main character since they stand out and are a little more loved by the audience. But there are those sidekicks and henchmen that are far too interesting to simply gloss over, and if Death Dealer turns out to be one of them it could be that people might want to see more of the guy. As of now though there’s a lot to be done and things to be seen before such a thing might have the chance of happening. Death Dealer has to come out as an impressive and exciting character in order to warrant more screen time, and at this moment it feels as though he’s more of a contributing character that’s there to help the movie out but might not be given a lot of prominence other than to be an obstacle that Shang Chi will have to deal with. If things do happen that make Death Dealer a more appealing character it’s fair to say that a solo series could be the wisest move for further use of this character. Until we get to see him in action though it’s hard to say yes or no to this.
