Kung Fu Panda 4 Perfectly Set Up Po’s Next Major Villains Before Kung Fu Panda 5

Kung Fu Panda 4 features a lot of changes for Po, voiced by Jack Black, and undoubtedly steers the franchise in a new direction while teasing Po’s new opponents in the upcoming movies. The 2024 animated comedy film, directed by Mike Mitchell and written by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Darren Lemke, chronicles Po’s pursuit to find his successor as the Dragon Warrior since Master Shifu wants him to take on the role of the Spiritual Leader. Along the way, Po must face a daunting new villain whose goal is to steal the kung fu of the masters in China.

The voice cast of Kung Fu Panda 4 includes the introduction of the aforementioned formidable villain — the Chameleon, voiced by Viola Davis — and the return of an infamous antagonist — Tai Lung, voiced by Ian McShane. The fourth installment in the franchise is a true celebration of all the enemies Po has faced over the course of the film series. However, Kung Fu Panda 4‘s ending also sets up the next chapter for Po as the new Spiritual Leader and seemingly foreshadows who he will butt heads with next.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Revealed Po Has Fought Demons & Demigods Already

During a scene between Po and his biological father, Li Shan, voiced by Bryan Cranston, in Kung Fu Panda 4, Li Shan mentions that Po has already fought demons and demigods as the Dragon Warrior. It could be regarded just as a throwaway line from Po’s biological father, or some may interpret it as what is to come for the new Spiritual Leader of the Valley of the Peace. Perhaps demons and demigods will be the main antagonists in future installments of the Kung Fu Panda movie series since Po has previously faced them (offscreen).

Po has gone up against some of the fiercest warriors in China and, with the help of his friends, always comes out on top. It’s time for the panda to encounter a bigger challenge to freshen up the Kung Fu Panda franchise and prevent it from getting repetitive. Consequently, the answer is introducing demons and demigods as Po’s next opponents in the upcoming films (DreamWorks has confirmed that they would like to produce two more sequels, even though Kung Fu Panda 5 isn’t confirmed yet).

Demons & Demigods Would Be Perfect New Villains For Po In Kung Fu Panda 5

Hopefully, the writers threw in Li Shan’s line about Po fighting demons and demigods to foreshadow the future of the franchise because they would be the ideal next villains for Po, especially given how his story ended in Kung Fu Panda 4. Po is the Spiritual Leader now, so it would make sense if his opponents were more connected to the spiritual side of the film series, as opposed to the villains Po faced as the Dragon Warrior. However, only time will tell how the events of Kung Fu Panda 4 will affect the upcoming movies.