“You can’t outrun who you are.” This dialogue by Xu Wenwu, Shang-Chi’s father, defines the climactic ending of Marvel Studios’ first martial arts/ magical movie. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a gust of fresh air for Marvel audiences.
It premiered during the pandemic and transported audiences to a world of millennia-old warlords, unfinished love stories, grief, children accepting their destinies, and Ten glowing Rings.
The film begins with Shang-Chi and his sister Xu Xialing getting hounded by their father, Wenwu, who wants to bring them back after they ran away from home since their mother died. He wants Shang-Chi to help him bring his wife, Li, back and become the successor of the Ten Rings organization.
He feels that his wife is still alive and has been calling him. Driven to the brink of madness over grief, Wenwu decides to go to his wife’s village and get Li back, who he believes is being kept hostage there.
Shang-Chi, Trevor Slattery, Xialing, and Katy all escape from Wenwu’s watch and head to Ta-Lo, the mystical hidden village where Li came from. They train there, and the siblings learn the secret of the ancient mountain where a dark creature called the Dweller in Darkness and his Soul-Eaters army from another dimension are trapped.
Shang-Chi also learns about the ancient dragon who once protected Ta-Lo and its people. The action reaches its peak when the climactic battle between Wenwu’s forces and the people of Ta-Lo begins.
Wenwu faces Shang-Chi as they, with five rings each, try to stop each other. But in his grief, love, and madness, Wenwu shatters the mountain and releases the demon trapped there. It’s revealed that it was that creature manipulating him.
Realization dawns on Wenwu, and he transfers his five rings to Shang-Chi, who then meets the ancient dragon protector. He, his sister, and the dragon end the reign of the Dweller of Darkness and his army. But there are still more questions left at the end.
What or Who Were The Ten Rings Trying To Contact?
In the post-credits scene, the Ten Rings send a beacon into space. It’s never shown who is receiving it, but the Rings may be contacting the beings from the planet of Maklu IV. According to the comics, the interstellar dragon-like beings, the planet’s inhabitants, used the rings as a power source in their spaceships.
The Mandarin/ Wenwu got the rings from the wreckage of such a ship. While this is never confirmed in the film, the ancient dragon protector may be a part of this race.
However, the MCU also has a habit of frequently changing origin stories or tweaking them to fit their ever-expanding franchise. So, the mystical Rings could be connected to Kang. After all, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, we saw circular motifs surrounding the antagonist. As such, the Kang we saw in the film, or some other version of him, could have made the Rings.
Who Is The Dweller In Darkness and The Soul-Eaters?
The Dweller in Darkness and his army of Soul-Eaters are based on the comics, although they are more connected to Doctor Strange rather than Shang-Chi. Once, Stephen Strange had to save a boy whose soul was possessed by the Soul-Eaters. He went into the soulscape and defeated the Soul-Eater, chosen as a champion by the rest. Then, they moved on in search of another host.
These Soul-Eaters are residents of the 6th dimension in the comics, while the Dweller in Darkness belongs to another dimension and is a Fear Lord. It’s never straight-up said in the film that the creature is indeed a Fear Lord, but its actions earn it a place in those ranks. In the movie, the dark creature and his minions consume the souls of its host, and if the Dweller consumes enough souls, it can become nearly invincible.
However, there’s indeed a way to defeat them. It’s through the dragon scales of the Great Protector. In the comics, nothing as such is mentioned. So it seems to be a pure film invention. If the theory about the Rings originating from Maklu IV is true, it’s possible that the gates to another dimension were opened while the dragon-like beings were traveling. This allowed the dark creatures to enter and attack Ta-Lo.
So could the Great Protector be someone from Maklu IV who simply stayed back to help the residents of the mystical Ta-Lo fight them?
When Will Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi Return? What About The Ten Rings Organization?
In the mid-credits scene, Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner talk about the Rings with Shang-Chi, Wong, and Katy. This directly means that the new hero has direct access to the upper-tier Avengers. As such, even though he hasn’t even cameoed in a single project till now, Shang-Chi could return in Avengers: Kang Dynasty. However, there’s also speculation that he could appear in Doctor Strange 3, that’s rumored to be released before Avengers 5.
After all, with the Dweller in Darkness and the Soul-Eaters directly connected to Doctor Strange in the comics, the magical maestro could have more answers to give Shang-Chi. The ending of Doctor Strange 2 also hinted at Stephen Strange traveling through other dimensions with Clea. So more information about the Ten Rings could be revealed in the third Doctor Strange film.
As for the Ten Rings organization, Xu Xialing is leading it now, and she allows women to get trained as well. The team will probably appear in the next Avengers film, as the superheroes will need every organization possible to defeat Kang.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming on Disney+.
What do you think about the theories? Do you agree that the Ten Rings originated from the planet Maklu IV, or do you think that Kang created them? What about the Great Protector? Is he from the ranks of the dragon-like beings?
Let us know in the comments below.
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