With the overwhelmingly successful release of Shang Chi, our internet sleuths are back at it again, leaving no easter egg stone unturned. Today, I’ve compiled the top 5 things you may have missed in Shang Chi that are worth noting.
The Mysterious Origin of the Ten Rings
I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t too familiar with Shang Chi from the original comics. After some comic book research, the ten rings wielded by Shang Chi are extraterrestrial in origin. Their name is the Makluans, and they resemble dragons. Each of the ten rings contains the soul of a legendary cosmic warrior and corresponds to a different power. We will be learning more about their mysterious origin because of who showed up in the mid-credit scene. Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers appear and express their interest in the origin of the rings. Since Captain Marvel is our cosmic Avenger, we will probably discover their true home in a future film.
Lots of Hunky Green Men
If you love some hunky green gamma radiated fellas, then Shang Chi has something for you! During this movie, we have the return of a more comic-accurate Abomination taking on our beloved Benedict Wong. This cameo connects the existence of this villain from the Incredible Hulk film and makes him available for future use. We also get Bruce Banner in holographic form and specifically in human form. Although we do not know the exact time frame, our Hulk and Banner matrimony may have come to a halt. We’ll learn more when Marvel finally gives the Hulk a proper standalone film.
Lots of Marvel Crossover References
Marvel threw a few different callbacks to other films more for fun than depth. During the fighting ring sequence, a fighter in the background is fighting with what appears to be the Extremis virus from Iron Man 3. In the fighting ring, we can find a Black Widow played by Jade Xu. During the bus fight sequence, Shang Chi versus Razor Fist, the fight is filmed by Klev aka Zach Cherry. If he looks familiar, you’d be right because Mr. Klev appeared in Spider-Man Homecoming. He was a street vendor in our favorite web-slinging film. There are many little references throughout the film, but I doubt any of these hold much significance.
Pokemon is Canon in the MCU
I will ignore anyone who disagrees with my point here. All I know is that there’s a mystical creature who looks exactly like Nine-tails from Pokemon. The mystical creature is one of many to show up in Shang Chi including a fiery bird, guardian lions, and freaking dragons. To see a Pokemon and other mystical creatures in Shang Chi is another sign of Marvel’s continuing momentum to the fantastical.
The Ten Rings Are Not Comic Accurate. BUT! They Are Pretty Freaking Dope.
I’m sure you already heard this, but the ten rings in the comic were actual rings. They changed these to resemble martial art training rings that are worn on the hand since we’ve had plenty of powerful hand objects. Honestly, it looked so cool, and I think it added so much more style and depth than them being actual rings.