I Cant Believe Were Still Waiting For The MCU To Address A Major 3-Year-Old Mystery

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The Ten Rings borrowed their name from Wenwu's ten mysterious and powerful bracelets, which gifted him incredible strength and immortality. I assume Wenwu's ten bracelets now gift Shang-Chi these powers, as Wenwu sacrificed the rings to his son in the seconds before the Dweller-in-Darkness consumed his soul. Since they have only appeared in one MCU project, there's still a great deal that we don't know about the ten rings, including one huge mystery that was created in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' mid-credits scene.

Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings Beacon Hasn’t Been Mentioned In 3 Years

Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings' Mid-Credits Scene Revealed The Rings Are Sending A Beacon

After succeeding in defeating the Dweller-in-Darkness in Ta Lo, Shang-Chi and Awkwafina's Katy returned to San Francisco, where they were met by the MCU's Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict Wong's Wong. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' mid-credits scene, we saw Wong introduce Shang-Chi and Katy to Avengers Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, all of whom had gathered to investigate a strange beacon being sent out by the ten rings. Three years later, we still have no idea who this beacon was signaling.

The true origins of the ten rings in the MCU have not been addressed, though they are said to be well over a thousand years old, with both Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers being confused about their true roots.

In Marvel Comics, the ten rings were found in a crashed Makluan spaceship on Earth, though we haven't been told whether this is also the case in the MCU. It's possible the beacon could have been signaling the Makluans, who are a race of dragon-like reptilians in Marvel Comics, though it seems more likely the beacon will connect to someone already important to the MCU. I'm concerned that it's now been so long since the beacon was addressed that it's become insignificant, and Marvel Studios may have already removed the perfect chance to explain this unknown signal.

Marvel Studios May Have Removed The Perfect Explanation For Shang-Chi’s Beacon

Speculation Hinted At The Beacon Connecting To Kang

Kang the Conqueror looking angry in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

After Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the ten rings' beacon to the MCU, there was a huge amount of speculation suggesting that this beacon could have been signaling a variant of Kang the Conqueror. The MCU saw huge changes in 2023 as the future of Kang, who was set up as the primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, was thrown into jeopardy. Jonathan Majors' arrest and conviction shocked us, and made us think that Kang would either be recast or removed from the MCU, with the latter turning out to be true.

The MCU's Ten Rings Come From Kang - Shang-Chi Theory Explained

The origin of the Ten Rings in Shang-Chi are shrouded in mystery, but they seem to be tied to another reality, and might have belonged to Kang.

I enjoyed seeing theories that relics such as the ten rings, Ms. Marvel's Quantum Bands and others could have connections to Kang and his villainous variants from across the multiverse. This seems incredibly unlikely now that Marvel Studios has changed Avengers: The Kang Dynasty into Avengers: Doomsday, and cast Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom ahead of his appearance in the MCU's Phase 6. Marvel moving away from Kang makes me think the beacon will either be altered or ignored, which I consider a real shame.

Spider-Man 4’s Exciting Update Has Me Worried About Shang-Chi’s MCU Future

Destin Daniel Cretton Is Directing Spider-Man 4

Spider-Man swinging at the end of Spider-Man No Way Home

Since the ten rings' beacon seems less and less likely to be addressed in Avengers: Doomsday after its changes, I reckon Shang-Chi 2 would be the next best place to explore this mystery. However, I now suspect it'll be even longer before we see the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as Destin Daniel Cretton has recently been hired to direct the MCU's upcoming Spider-Man 4, with production beginning soon. This spells very good news for Spider-Man 4, but not for this huge Shang-Chi question, which will now be even more difficult to answer.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: This film introduces Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Confronted by his past, he becomes entangled with the mysterious Ten Rings organization, which challenges his identity and abilities. Released in 2021, the movie explores themes of family and legacy.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton

Release Date September 1, 2021

Runtime 132 minutes