Dragons We Want To See In The MCU

Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is an official smash hit, breaking Labor Day box office records and introducing audiences around the world to "The Master of Kung Fu." The film welcomes several brand new faces (sorry, Morris) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Simu Liu's Shang-Chi and Meng'er Zhang 's Xialing to the incomparable Tony Leung as Wenwu.

But the biggest, newest face belongs to the Great Protector, the mysterious and mystical dragon who saves the city of Ta Lo from the evil known as the Dweller-in-Darkness. Wowing viewers since the "Shang-Chi" trailers first teased the dragon's debut, the Great Protector is just one in a school of powerful dragons who have soared across the Marvel Universe.

Whether they're moon-dwelling demons or alchemy-assisted androids made in a lab, these dragons don't just serve one role in the Marvel Universe — you can never be sure when one will be friend or foe. (One of them has even been a chef.) Silly, sinister, and striking, they all have the potential to follow the Great Protector and make the jump from page to screen.

Here are the dragons ready to swoop into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Ask any Marvel fan which classic Fantastic Four villains they want to see in the MCU, and odds are they'll name heavy hitters like Doctor Doom and Galactus. But if the MCU wants to introduce a FF foe never before seen onscreen, why not dig a little deeper into their rogues' gallery? Why not introduce ... Dragon Man?

Joining Fin Fang Foom in the very exclusive "dragon in little purple pants" club, Dragon Man first appeared in 1965's "Fantastic Four" #35. An android created by Professor Gregson Gilbert and brought to life by the evil alchemist Diablo, Dragon Man was unleashed on the Fantastic Four during their visit to State University. He was a creature of powerful strength and rudimentary intelligence, until in true "King Kong" fashion, a beautiful blonde (Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl) soothed the savage beast. Brawling his way across the Marvel Universe, he's fought Spider-Man, the Hulk, and even the pint-sized heroes of Power Pack — but after Sue and Reed's daughter Valeria Richards upgraded his programming, he became a valued member of the Future Foundation.

Unlike the other Marvel dragons on this list, Shou-Lao the Undying has technically already appeared in the MCU ... if you count a single pair of red eyes glowing in the dark.

Introduced in "Marvel Premiere" #16 (1974), Shou-Lao is an ancient dragon who dwells in the mystical city of K'un-L'un and is the power source behind the Iron Fist mythos. A warrior must defeat Shou-Lao the Undying, whose molten heart is hidden inside a sacred cavern, if they are to absorb his power and become Iron Fist. Included in this heroic lineage is the modern-day Iron Fist, Danny Rand. But when the 2017 "Iron Fist" television show on Netflix welcomed Rand and K'un-L'un into the MCU, Shou-Lao was nowhere to be seen. Though he was mentioned by name, Shou-Lao never made a full appearance due to one disappointing factor: the budget.

As Danny Rand himself, Finn Jones, told a reporter in 2017: "I'd love to have the budget for these shows to have a full-on 'Game of Thrones' style dragon...But unfortunately, you know, we have budget restraints. That's the nature of the show." Netflix's "Iron Fist" ended in 2018 after two seasons, but the character's rich comic book history is still worth exploring — and Shou-Lao is still somewhere out there in the darkness, waiting for his close-up.

Before the dawn of the superhero, there was ... Grogg! One of Fin Fang Foom's "Strange Tales" fraternity brothers, Grogg first appears in "Strange Tales" #83 (1961) as a member of an ancient dragon race held back by the Great Wall of China. In the spirit of creature features like "Gamera" and "The Deadly Mantis," the prehistoric beast spends thousands of years sleeping beneath polar ice until nuclear testing behind the Iron Curtain startles him. In his second appearance, Grogg boards a Soviet rocket ship destined for Mars, seemingly ending his fire-breathing threat forever.

The 2005 comic "Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl" #1 revealed that Grogg had been seized by the Collector, becoming part of his macabre menagerie along with other "missing" Silver Age comic book behemoths like Taboo and Grottu — though Grogg's city-smashing days were far from over.

Memorably played by Benicio del Toro, the Collector is one of the most slippery supporting characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The true depths of his specimen collection are unknown. Could Grogg be among them? If nothing else, it would be fun to see Grogg and Giant-Man re-enacting "King Kong vs. Godzilla."

Of all the dragons on this list, Plumdragon has a particularly prestigious pedigree — not only is she a member of the Captain Britain Corps, but she's also an inter-dimensional counterpart of the purple-tressed mutant formerly known as Psylocke.

With the events of "Loki" cracking open the multiverse like a dragon's egg, it is only a matter of time before the MCU introduces the Captain Britain Corps. A superhero team founded to protect the multiverse, every member of the Corps was a Captain Britain from an alternate reality, including Captain Britain from the mainstream Marvel Universe (aka Earth-616), Brian Braddock. The reality-annihilating Beyonders destroyed the Corps, however, with Brian as the only survivor. The guardian of the restored multiverse, Saturnyne, took advantage of the inter-dimensional chaos of 2020's "X of Swords" event to try to restore the Corps in the image of Brian, whom she loved. But another Captain Britain had been chosen — Betsy Braddock, a powerful mutant telepath and Brian's twin sister — and her infinite incarnations were magically inducted into the new Captain Britain Corps.

Captain Plumdragon is Betsy's counterpart on Earth-2112. A mighty armored dragon, not much is known about her yet, but she has already proved her mettle fighting alongside her anthropomorphic alternate selves Captain Baboon and Britannica Rex. If the Captain Britain Corps ever appears in the MCU, Captain Plumdragon is the first member many longtime Marvel fans will want to see.

Flying past the finish line is the X-Men's diminutive dragon friend, Lockheed. Debuting in "Uncanny X-Men" #166 (1983) by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith, Lockheed is a member of the alien race known as the Flock. With the X-Men trapped in space during the "Brood Saga," Lockheed rescued Kitty Pryde by torching the "Sleazoids” hunting her. Accompanying the X-Men back to Earth, Lockheed helped Kitty fight off more alien hatchlings — and a beautiful friendship was born.

Given his small size, Lockheed is often regarded as a pet, but he is highly intelligent and communicates in several languages, including English. (Much to the dismay of Kitty's ex-boyfriend Pete Wisdom, whom Lockheed would secretly torment.) Apart from the X-Men, he has worked with SWORD, guarded the Time Gem with the Pet Avengers, and squared off against fellow dragon Fin Fang Foom. Lockheed can usually be found perched on Kitty's shoulder, whether they're dimension-hopping with Excalibur in the "Cross-Time Caper" or sailing the high-seas in "Marauders."

Lockheed had a cameo in "The New Mutants," the final Fox "X-Men" film, alongside Magik (Anya Taylor Joy), Kitty's comic book best friend. But after the failure of "The New Mutants" at the box office, it would be a shame to consign Lockheed to cinematic limbo. Marvel Studios' plans for the X-Men remain unknown, but if Kitty Pryde appears in the MCU — as either the wide-eyed junior X-Man or the swashbuckling Captain Kate — Lockheed is sure to be flying by her side.