Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally debuted in theaters this past weekend, bringing the next chapter in the saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to life. The blockbuster already had the ambitious task of introducing Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and those in his orbit to general audiences, all while further showcasing the status quo of a post-Avengers: Endgame world. The series’ promotional material had already hinted that Shang-Chi and his supporting cast would not be alone in that effort, with cameos from Doctor Strange‘s Wong (Benedict Wong) and The Incredible Hulk‘s Abomination (Tim Roth) in the film’s tournament sequence. But as those who have seen the film know, the MCU cameos don’t end there. Obviously, spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings below! Only look if you want to know!
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The first set of cameos are the aforementioned ones from Wong and Abomination, who appear in a sort of underground fight club run by Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). While we don’t get full context as to why and how Wong and Abomination are involved in the club, it seems as if it’s a slightly-recurring thing for them. The fight club also includes some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos from other groups in the MCU, with a Black Widow agent and an Extremis soldier both in the smaller fighting cages.
The second noteworthy cameo is courtesy of Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), the “actor” who infamously portrayed The Mandarin, a fictionalized and appropriated version of Wenwu (Tony Leung) in Iron Man 3. As Shang-Chi, Katy (Awkwafina), and the audience soon learn, Trevor was almost killed by Wenwu and his army following the events of the film, but he ended up in their good graces after showcasing his acting abilities. Now, Trevor essentially functions as a sort of jester for Wenwu and the Ten Rings camp, but he then joins the team on their mission to the hidden world of Ta-Lo.
The final string of MCU cameos occur in the film’s final moments, when Wong uses a portal to find Shang-Chi and Katy in San Francisco, asking for them to meet with him. They do, and back in New York, they’re introduced to both Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Bruce Banner / Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who are talking to them via the Avengers’ holographic video conferencing technology. Wong, Carol, and Bruce reveal that Shang-Chi’s ten rings triggered some sort of energy surge during the film’s final battle, which appears to have called out to some sort of being. Even then, it’s unclear what being this is, as the group confirms there’s no record of their origin — mystical, cosmic, or otherwise.
While these cameos vary wildly in corners of the MCU, they provide some essential bits of worldbuilding to anchor Shang-Chi and his ensemble to the larger canon. Of course, it’s anyone’s guess as to where those elements will be followed through next — but either way, we definitely haven’t seen the last of these characters.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now playing in theaters.
