'Shang-Chi' director wanted to put Doctor Strange in the movie, but there were 'clear reasons' why he couldn't

• "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" features several cameos, but not Doctor Strange.
• Director Destin Daniel Cretton said he wished he could have put Strange in his movie.
• However, there were "clear reasons" he couldn't after a conversation with Kevin Feige.

Cameos are a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with various characters jumping in and out of each other's movies in this ever-expanding shared story.

One character who seems to be a highly-sought-after cameo-maker is Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. He was supposed to appear in "WandaVision" until those plans changed, and now "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" director Destin Daniel Cretton has confirmed that he too would have loved to feature Strange in his movie. However, there are apparently "very clear reason[s]" why that didn't happen.

In an interview with men's blog BroBible, Cretton explained: "There are clear reasons why Doctor Strange is not there. I wish we could've put Doctor Strange in our movie."

"But there are very clear reasons why the characters who showed up could show up very briefly. There's also a very clear reason why they're not physically in the room," he continued. "But all of that is a big conversation with Kevin [Feige] and the producers and directors who are working on other things."

-Post Cred Pod (@PostCredPod) August 24, 2021

What these reasons are remains to be seen, but we wouldn't bet against it being something to do with "Spider-Man: No Way Home." That movie will feature Doctor Strange extensively, so maybe that didn't leave room for Strange to appear in "Shang-Chi," particularly if both movies take place around the same time.

Strange's companion, Wong, does appear in both "No Way Home" and "Shang-Chi." In the trailer for the former, Wong can be seen exiting the Sanctum Sanctorum via a sling ring - perhaps he's traveling to the fighting ring where he appears in "Shang-Chi."

His cameo in "Shang-Chi" is short but notable, appearing alongside another cameo-maker: Tim Roth's "Abomination," who makes his return to the MCU after his last appearance in 2008's "The Incredible Hulk."

There are other cameos in "Shang-Chi" that Cretton seemed to directly refer to, but they will remain unmentioned for now in order to save some surprises for the movie, which comes out September 3.

Watch the trailer for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" below: