A Shang-Chi Featurette Explains the Ten Rings' Larger MCU Connection

As one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest heroes, the responsibility to save the world (presumably) will fall to Shang-Chi in director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But unlike many of Marvel’s other upcoming projects that have previously-established roots in the MCU, Shang Chi is set to introduce a slew of new characters whose lives haven’t exactly revolved around the Avengers.

While Shang-Chi’s title gives you a pretty big clue about the chunk of Marvel’s comic lore that the film explores, some of the major questions about the story have revolved around what exactly this incarnation of the Ten Rings are/is, considering that a terrorist group by the same name was previously dropped way back in Iron Man 3. It always seemed a stretch that Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin would end up factoring into Shang-Chi in any significant way, and in a new featurette for the upcoming film, the cast explains a bit more about how Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) ends up becoming a pivotal figure within the MCU in his own right.

In the featurette, Kevin Feige explains how the Ten Rings featured in Iron Man 3 have a direct connection to the organization at the center of Shang-Chi. Tony Stark may be dead and gone, but Shang-Chi further explores how the Avenger was once forced to develop weapons for the Ten Rings, and how Shang-Chi has to deal with the consequences. The video also spotlights a few shots that tease Shang-Chi’s fantastical/magical elements, but it stops just short of explaining whether the weaponized rings that Shang-Chi and his father Wenwu (Tony Leung) fight with are advanced (Stark) tech, or if their power is mystical in nature.

Even though Phase 4 is meant to be about ushering in the new guard of heroes, it’s good to see that Shang-Chi’s being given a story that will establish him as a proper presence in the world who’s up to the challenge of putting things right when people—including the Avengers—drop the ball. But with that all squared away, now the interesting thing to look forward to seeing is just how tightly crafted and impressive a standalone story Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is when it hits theaters on September 3.

Wondering where our RSS feed went? You can pick the new up one here.

Comments

The Only Version of Return of the King Worth Watching Missing From Max After Streaming Bug

Screenshot: Warner Bros. Bad news for Max subscribers who’ve made re-watching The Lord of the Rings extended editions an annual New Year tradition: the third film in the trilogy, The Return of the King — which just celebrated its 20th anniversary! —is only available to stream in its theatrical version. No ancient evil is to blame, thankfully; it’s an unspecified “tech issue,” according to a Max spokesperson who responded to a comment request from Vulture after the issue was noted by dismayed fans on Reddit . The fact that The Return of the King extended edition is merely temporarily unavailable is actually good news given Max’s track record for removing content in the past, and the explanation makes sense considering The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers remain available in both their theatrical and extended editions. The Max spokesperson assured Vulture that The Return of the King extended edition will be, ah, returning soon to the service, though as of this writing i...

Unicorn Jerky Is Not Only the Perfect Name for a CBD Candy Edible, It's Also 20% Off, and Proceeds Go to The Trevor Project [Exclusive]

You Can Visit Freddy Fazbear's Pizza in Hollywood

Image: Universal Pictures Just in time for Halloween and for the release of Blumhouse and Universal Pictures’ Five Nights at Freddy ’s fans can visit a pop-up location of the fictional franchise from the game and film. That’s right, a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza has mysteriously appeared in Hollywood. Like in the game and upcoming film, it’s a run-down spot that’s been closed down due to some mysterious activity within. Unfortunately, you can’t actually go in unless you’re hired as a security guard (kidding)—it’s just a facade for photo-ops you can visit. Check out the video captured by deadboifilms on TikTok below at the location on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood (near the Chateau Marmont Hotel). If you want to encounter the animatronic band of fuzzy and totally friendly creatures from the game, you’ll have to visit Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights, there’s a walk-through in the DreamWorks theater lobby that’s been taken over by Blumhouse which features the real Jim ...

Future Stories

Search This Blog