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Major spoilers for Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings lie ahead.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced audiences to a new hero but to a new corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. This included a deep dive into the shadowy organization known as the Ten Rings. Thanks to the film’s post-credits scene, fans were able to get a small taste of what lies in store for the group, though there are still questions on that front. So when CinemaBlend recently spoke with Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige, we attempted to get some answers.
Shang-Chi actually includes both a mid and post-credits scene. The first essentially thrusts the hero and best friend Katy into the larger MCU by having them engage in a discussion with Wong, Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers about Wenwu’s ancient rings. The second tag shifts the focus to the titular character’s sister, Xu Xialing, who was supposedly disbanding the Ten Rings after the death of their father. However, in a twist, she’s actually shown to be taking command of the organization and rebranding it.
In the past, Marvel Studios’ films have commonly ended with a black title card featuring white letters that indicate the eventual return of the lead character. But here, the card indicates that the Ten Rings will be back. CinemaBlend’s own Sean O’Connell couldn’t help but ask Kevin Feige about this change-up during the Shang-Chi junket, and the studio head provided some interesting thoughts:
Uh, I think you’re reading too much into it… you’re reading a little much into it. That doesn’t mean Shang-Chi won’t return. I think the tag before that is pretty clear. It’s more about that -- spoilers, I guess --- that last tag. To say that [the Ten Rings] organization perhaps is not as defunct as Shang-Chi thought it was going to be. And it’s actually not the white words on a black card. Destin [Daniel Cretton] did a very cool graphic for that phrase at the end of this movie.
So Marvel fans have nothing to fear when it comes to whether Shang-Chi will actually return to the big screen. But as Kevin Feige mentions, the mid-credits tag pretty much solidifies his position in the cinematic universe. However, fans may still be a bit concerned about the status of the Ten Rings and what it could mean for the martial arts master down the line.
The Ten Rings was originally introduced in the MCU’s first installment, Iron Man, during which a sect of the organization kidnapped Tony Stark. The shadowy group returned again in the franchise’s third installment in 2013, but only in name. Their image was co-opted by businessman and terrorist Aldrich KIllian, who also recruited actor Trevor Slattery to play their faux leader, the Mandarin. Both Marvel films, along with Ten Rings-centric short film All Hail the King, are available to stream on Disney+, which you can sign up for using this link.
The nature of Xu Xialing’s new Ten Rings is a bit ambiguous at the moment. While it’s far more inclusive than her father’s, it remains to be seen whether their goals are strictly altruistic. Nevertheless, one would imagine that Shang-Chi probably won’t be thrilled that his sister is keeping the group alive in any form, which could surely create another family conflict in a potential sequel.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is currently playing in theaters.
