Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed the Ten Rings are sending a beacon of some sort – but who or what are they signaling to, and why?
Shang-Chi & the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed that the Ten Rings are sending a mysterious signal throughout the Multiverse – but who (or what) are they calling for? The MCU has reinvented the Ten Rings from the comics, transforming them into mysterious and powerful artifacts that were found by Wenwu, a.k.a. the Mandarin (Tony Leung) thousands of years ago. Shang-Chi‘s end-credits scene revealed that the Ten Rings are even more mysterious than they had initially seemed.
According to Wong (Benedict Wong), when Shang-Chi took possession of the Ten Rings, they began to emit a signal across the entire Multiverse, which the sensitive magic users of Kamar-Taj detected. Wong assembled the best minds of the world’s superhero community – Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for his scientific knowledge and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) for her knowledge of outer space – but they were also unable to pinpoint the origin of the rings or why they’re sending out a multiversal signal. Here are all the details on who the Ten Rings are most likely calling to in Shang-Chi‘s ending.
The Shang Chi Ten Rings Are Calling The Makluans, According To The Comics
Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton has strongly hinted that Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings are calling a dragon-like alien species called the Makluans. Speaking to ET, Cretton expressed surprise that viewers wouldn’t know where this was going. “Really? If you look into the comics, if you watch that end-credit sequence, it’s not,” he began, before breaking off. “You don’t have to dig very deep to at least point yourself in a direction.“
He’s most likely alluding to the origin of the Ten Rings in the comics. They are technology originating from the Makluans, and each of the Ten Rings contains the soul of a long-dead cosmic warrior trapped in an ethereal state. The Makluans are a race of dragon-like shapeshifters, the most famous of whom is Fin Fang Foom, a classic Iron Man villain.
The fascinating question, though, is why the Ten Rings responded to Shang-Chi by switching allegiance and then sending a signal. It’s likely something to do with Shang-Chi’s character journey in the film, finding a place of balance within his heart. The power of the Ten Rings turned yellow and orange when worn by Shang-Chi, symbolic of power, royalty, and prosperity.
Interestingly, many of the creatures seen in Ta Lo are also associated with the rise of a benevolent ruler. Putting all this symbolism together, it’s as though the Ten Rings recognized something in Shang-Chi’s character that marked him as a potential ruler or destined for greatness – perhaps choosing him as a champion of the Makluans for some reason. The other interesting question is whether Shang-Chi‘s Great Protector is itself a Makluan, given it would be odd for the MCU to introduce two species of dragon-like creatures.
The Shang-Chi Ending Beacon Could Be Calling Kang
While it seems most likely that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ end-credits scene points to the Makluans, one theory posits that the beacon is instead connected to Kang the Conqueror. As the MCU’s next Thanos-level threat, Marvel has continuously reinforced Kang’s presence throughout the MCU after his debut as He Who Remains in Loki. Before he became an omnipotent timeline-hopping overlord, Kang was a human named Nathaniel Richards, a scientist from 31st-century Earth.
As an immortal with technological knowledge far beyond that of the MCU’s 21st-century setting, it would make sense if Kang were the originator of the Ten Rings. In fact, theories persist that both the Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel’s Quantum Bands are somehow connected to Kang. However, despite opportunities to confirm the connection, nothing has been solidly teased beyond some similarities in visual design.
Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings Connection With Ms. Marvel: Are They Calling Her?
Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings could also be connected to another powerful ancient weapon—Kamala Khan’s bracelet in Ms. Marvel and The Marvels, which activates Ms. Marvel’s unique powers. After the Ms. Marvel post-credits scene in which Kamala disappears from her bedroom and is replaced by Carol Danvers, theories made the rounds that they could be connected to Kang and/or the Ten Rings. It’s still possible, but The Marvels did nothing to promote a tie.
The Shang-Chi Easter egg in Ms. Marvel, where the Ten Rings organization logo can be seen carved into the floor of the temple in which Kamala’s great-grandmother retrieved the bracelet, is the most telling evidence in favor. Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel’s respective weapons also both function as keys to other dimensions. The Marvels made the bangles (called the Quantum Bands) even more potent in terms of reality-hopping, but no connections to Kang or the Ten Rings were revealed or teased.
