Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit theaters on Thursday night. The long-awaited film is the first movie released in the post-Avengers: Endgame era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though fans did get a brief taste of the post-blip era from the three Disney+ series (WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and Loki) released earlier this year.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the origin story for the title character and his family, officially bringing them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie also touches on the roots of the Ten Rings organization that has been referenced since Iron Man.
ComicBook.com has the answers to all the burning questions you have about Marvel Studios’ martial arts movie.
Who is Shang-Chi?
In the Marvel universe, Shang-Chi is a Master of Kung Fu inspired by the character Kwai Chang Caine from the TV show Kung Fu. Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi made his comic books debut in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973 and had a solo run in Master of Kung-Fu #17 through #126.
A Marvel Team-Up book also saw Shang-Chi and Spider-Man crossing over for a 1979 comic run. The Spider-Man and Shang-Chi team-up is something Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu said he would love to see happen on the big screen.
Actor Simu Liu, who plays the title character, is an Asian-Canadian actor, writer, and stuntman. Before entering the MCU as Shang-Chi, Liu was known for his character Jung Kim in the CBC sitcom Kim’s Convenience.
Read More:
- Marvel’s Shang-Chi Was Always Going To Debut in a Solo MCU Movie
- Awkwafina Creates a Whole New Marvel Hero for Shang-Chi
How Does Shang-Chi Tie Into The Avengers and Other MCU Movies?
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel Studios film that is both a part of Phase 4 and set in the post-Avengers: Endgame era of the MCU. While it is a stand-alone movie centered around incredible characters, it quickly becomes obvious that Shang-Chi and his family have major ties to other characters seen across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Right out of the gate, Shang-Chi has ties to several MCU Phase 1 movies: Iron Man and Iron Man 3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings rights the wrongs of the Mandarin twist from Iron Man 3. A twist which was viewed by comic fans as a frustrating change to the source material where Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery character unknowingly became the face of a terror organization dubbed as the “Ten Rings.”
The ties to Marvel’s big screen past don’t stop at Iron Man movies. One of the more shocking in early trailers was the inclusion of Abomination. This ties Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to 2008’s The Incredible Hulk – a Phase 1 movie made with in cooperation with Universal Studios – something the Marvel Cinematic Universe rarely ties itself to. Marvel producer Jonathan Schwartz has confirmed that Tim Roth returned to voice Abomination for Shang-Chi and Disney previously confirmed Tim Roth’s Abomination will be returning in the She-Hulk series when it premieres on Disney+ in 2022.
Read More:
What is The Ten Rings?
The Ten Rings organization was first mentioned by name in the MCU in the first Iron Man movie where Tony Stark was captured by a group using the same name. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings takes a more comics-accurate route to more deeply explores the story of the criminal organization to its origins.
The rings by which the organization gets its name are cosmic technology that grant the owner special powers. These powers include enhanced strength, and immortality. The rings – which appear as finger rings in the comics but enlarged for the Shang-Chi movie to be worn on the wrists – can also be controlled telepathically and emit blasts of energy.
Read More:
- Marvel’s Shang-Chi Producer Says an Iron Man Movie Couldn’t Do “Justice” to the Mandarin
- Iron Man 3: The Answer To The Ten Rings Question
Shang-Chi Credits Scenes: How Many?
Are there end credits scenes for Shang-Chi? That’s the question fans ask whenever a Marvel movie releases in theaters. There are two scenes after the credits start to roll – one mid-credits and another an the end of the credits.
The movie introduces Shang-Chi into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The mid-credits scene potentially starts the stage for the next Avengers movie. The post-credits scene hints at even more, showing the events of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will have a direct effect on future events in the MCU.
Read more:
- Shang-Chi Post-Credits Scene: How Marvel Studios Set Up the Next Avengers Movie (Contains Spoilers!)
- Marvel’s Shang-Chi: Opening Night Moviegoers React to Credits Scene You “Don’t Want to Miss”
Will There Be a Shang-Chi Sequel?
With its tie-ins to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi has a strong path laid out for future appearances and perhaps even a sequel, if the filmmakers get their way. Director Destin Daniel Cretton revealed there was at least one “setting” he wasn’t able to get into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But Cretton stopped shy of sharing it with the hope of being able to get the scene into another film.
Read More: Is Shang-Chi in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?
