Seeing more women supervillains would be exciting as Marvel Studios continues to grow its empire. Currently, Hela is the sole reigning woman villain in the Thor saga. She was vicious and ruthless in her desire to conquer the universe. One of the main reasons Hela was a formidable villain for Thor is due to Cate Blanchett’s performance. When casting a villain, especially a woman villain, they must be willing to use the cemented foundation and be even more despicable. With Marvel’s plans to make Shang-Chi 2, seeing Sandra Oh as the villain would be the perfect casting.
Oh is quite a versatile actress. To cast her as an enhanced individual or extraterrestrial bringing justice would be easy. Audiences have seen her play the protagonist, a compelling anti-hero, but a superhero villain would be the complete trifecta. In each of her roles, her emotional delivery is a catharsis unlike anyone else in Hollywood. She would set a new standard for any villain in the MCU’s future. Her legacy in Hollywood is unparalleled for Asian-American actresses. To be the first Korean-American villain in a Marvel film about a Chinese superhero would be an outstanding honor. Here’s why Oh should play a villain in Shang-Chi 2.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Killing Eve Proved Oh Can Take on Action
BBC
The BBC series Killing Eve follows an assassin named Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer, and an MI-5 agent named Eve, played by Oh. The role of Eve evolves from an apathetic to driven person, as Oh explains in an interview with Collider: “One of the reasons that I like playing Eve is that I find her to be a very unconscious character. I don’t think that she would even say that she’s unhappy. It’s almost like she’s just not awake. But the spark that happens with Villanelle leaves her wanting more and wanting to break out of her shell, and then you see that transition. You’ll see that really come alive. You’ll see it grow, more and more, through the eight episodes.”
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
Most MCU villains come out of the gate with some glorious purpose, like Loki. Yet to have a twist villain, like Jude Law’s Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel, would be exciting for Shang-Chi to face. Oh would brilliantly bring a twist villain to life because of the foundation laid by her role as Eve in Killing Eve. In the BBC series, Oh has proven capable of demonstrating Eve’s 180. In the final season in particular, she also showed her ability to take on stunt choreography in a way that felt natural and exciting.
4 Subtle Villainy in Turning Red
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Despite her maternal role in Turning Red, Oh brings the villainization of mothers to the forefront. While Ming, voiced by Oh, is not the outright villain, every action she takes is to protect her daughter. A Thanos-like villain — one whose means justify the ends — would also be immaculate for Oh to play. If Shang-Chi had to face a villain who is driven by doing the right thing, despite the pain they’re causing others, Oh could capitalize on her role as Ming while making it darker.
3 Oh Did Her Own Stunts in Catfight
MPI Media Group
In Catfight, Oh stars opposite Anne Heche in an action-packed dramedy about vengeance. According to ET Canada, both Heche and Oh did their own stunts, leaving the set bruised. Since Shang-Chi had beautiful fight scenes, Oh’s experience doing her own stunts would be beneficial in Shang-Chi 2. Additionally, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness using more live-action than green screen, the door is wide open for Oh and Simu Liu, who plays Shang-Chi, to have epic battles.
2 One of the First Breakout Korean Actresses in Hollywood
ABC
In an interview with Squid Games’ Ho-Yeon for Variety, Oh says the representation of Asian-Americans in media has been recent: “The other day, I was driving. On Sunset Boulevard, it’s like you’re driving down American capitalism, and you see what Hollywood or North American capitalism is showing what we should follow, what we should buy. And you are on there. You are on the side of a building — like, ‘Oh, there’s my girl.’ But then also I will say there were probably two more billboards where there is another Asian model and another model, I think maybe she’s mixed race. I don’t know how many times I have driven on Sunset Boulevard — like, a billion. And I don’t think I would’ve seen that four years ago.”
Oh’s career spans over 30 years, from independent films to major studio productions like Pixar’s Turning Red and hit network shows like Grey’s Anatomy, but she wasn’t a breakout star immediately. Being the first of anything is heavy because the path being forged is still quite rocky, something Oh is all too familiar as one of the first well-known Korean actresses. For Oh to be cast as the first Korean villain in the first Asian superhero’s sequel film would honor Oh’s legacy in Hollywood in a magnificent way, especially since Shang-Chi, too, represents a first: the first Asian-led superhero MCU film.
1 Sandra Oh Wants to Play a Supervillain
Marvel Studios
In a recent roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter, when asked about her next dream role, Oh stated that she wanted to play a supervillain. As mentioned above, she has dabbled in antagonistic and morally gray characters, so playing an all-out supervillain in Shang-Chi 2 would be the natural next step for the actress. The fact that she has expressed a desire to is also important, as it denotes her drive and dedication. Fans love Oh, and they love the MCU. Bringing such a talented and decorated actress into the high-grossing movie franchise’s fold is undoubtedly a win-win: for the studio, the audiences, and Oh herself.
