'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' could help set up MCU debut of Agents of Atlas, Asia's premier super-team
The Atlas Foundation started out in Marvel Comics as your typical villainous secret society bent on world domination but after the Foundation's leader Yellow Claw was replaced by former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo, they have been transformed into a force for good. A descendant of the Mongol warlord Genghis Khan, Jimmy Woo is played by Randall Park in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and had a prominent role in 2018's 'Ant-Man and The Wasp' as the agent in charge of monitoring Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) during his house arrest.
The Atlas Foundation has traditionally employed a number of operatives in the comics who are known as the heroic Agents of Atlas. In 2019, the team was revamped by writer Greg Pak and artist Gang Hyuk Lim who radically transformed the team into a group of pan-Asian heroes, cutting across regional divisions to come together in defense of the continent.
One of their most prominent new members is none other than Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu, who will soon be played by Simu Liu in the upcoming MCU film 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'.
The new Agents of Atlas are a very promising young team with plenty of potential. The team's roster includes established heroes like Amadeus Cho/Brawn and Cindy Moon/Silk alongside newcomers like the Filipino superhero Pearl Pangan/Wave and South Korean pop sensation turned hero Luna Snow. In the comics, the team is brought together during the 'War of the Realms' event that saw the forces of the evil Malekith invade the Earth, with the Fire Demons of Muspelheim (one of whom, Surtur, appeared in the MCU in 'Thor: Ragnarok'), launching a full-on invasion of Asia.
Seeing as Shang-Chi is going to be facing off against the Mandarin (the real one this time) in his upcoming film, it would make sense to give him some back-up in the form of the Agents of Atlas. Even if the movie doesn't introduce the full team, it could set it up by bringing in either the Atlas Foundation or Agent Woo.
The team's recent run in the comics was a quite well-written story that addressed real-world political problems on the continent alongside themes of co-operation and leadership, all of which are subjects that would work quite well in an MCU film. Randall Park will be reprising his role as Agent Jimmy Woo in the upcoming Disney+ show 'WandaVision' in 2021.
'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' will arrive in theaters February 12, 2021.