Fans were treated to an intriguing mystery in Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings‘ mid-credits scene. Shang-father Chi’s found the Ten Rings in the distant past, and they’re not just magical or cosmic in origin, but they’re also sending a homing beacon. Who could the signal have been sent to, and who had developed it?
The origins of the Ten Rings can be attributed to a variety of factors. Some have ties to present and probable future MCU characters, while others have ties to their past in Marvel Comics.
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While the Ten Rings’ secret origins are likely to diverge from the comics in certain ways, they will undoubtedly be significant in the MCU moving forward. Let’s have a look.
1. Kang The Conqueror
Among Kang’s friends In the comics, the Conqueror’s most powerful abilities are his ability to use superior technology from the 31st century.
He Who Remains, a variation of the villain in the MCU who is presumed to be Kang, has already demonstrated this power by wearing a bracelet.
The Ten Rings could be a product of future technology that was accidentally left behind in the past during a Kang variant’s attempt to meddle in history. The beacon might be calling to this variation or others, adding another wrinkle to the time-traveling villain’s imminent menace.
2. The Makluans
The Makluans, an alien race, established the Ten Rings in the comic books. Fin Fang Foom, an evil member of the species that has made multiple appearances throughout Marvel throughout the years, is undoubtedly familiar to comic book readers.
The MCU may establish the Makluans as the architects of the Ten Rings, and the Great Protector dragon as one of their number at the film’s conclusion.
Given how hidden the Makluans are, it might be just as satisfying a reveal as other alternatives.
3. The Quantum Realm
Captain Marvel stated that the Ten Rings do not have a cosmic origin that she is aware of, and she would know. The Ten Rings may come from another dimension, such as the Quantum Realm, rather than from outer space.
This world has been depicted in various films, but it has yet to be thoroughly explored. The Ten Rings’ advanced strength could be the result of civilization or someone who dwells there.
They could be from the enigmatic metropolis seen in the background of one of Ant-Man And The Wasp’s shots.
4. Annihilus
The Ten Rings could be the work of Annihilus, one of the Fantastic Four’s most powerful foes. Annihilus is a character from Marvel Comics who lives in the Negative Zone.
The Quantum Realm has practically replaced the Negative Zone in the MCU movies, so if the ancient weapons had an origin there, it could be related to Annihilus.
The beacon might be used to inform the villain of the position of the Ten Rings, triggering an invasion from the Quantum Realm similar to some of Annihilus’ most dramatic events in the comics.
5. The Dweller-In-Darkness
The Dweller-in-Darkness, the ultimate Big Bad adversary of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, could be linked to the Ten Rings.
The Dweller is from a dimension known as Everinnye, and the power utilized to forge the Rings may be beyond Wong’s or Kamar-magical Taj’s abilities.
The Dweller-in-Darkness is a character who blurs the cosmic and mystical lines, and the Ten Rings may as well. They could be crucial in safeguarding Earth against the Multiverse’s increasingly strong enemies.
6. Shuma-Gorath
Shuma-Gorath, one of Doctor Strange’s most powerful foes, is one of these threats. Shuma-Gorath is from another dimension and has ruled over a number of them. He did, however, govern Earth for a long time.
This massive tentacle monster, seen in several episodes of the animated What If…? series, could be the ancient origin of the Ten Rings.
If the tentacled Dweller-in-Darkness and Shuma-Gorath in the MCU have any connection, the Ten Rings could be a mechanism to connect these spatial threats.
7. The Celestials
Carol Danvers may not be aware of the Celestials, even though the Ten Rings have a cosmic origin. The Celestials, who are among the most powerful celestial creatures in the Marvel Universe, have invented a technology that is well beyond human comprehension.
They’ve been mentioned before in the MCU, but it appears that their strength and potential are largely unknown to the universe.
The Celestials’ involvement in Earth’s early history could be reflected in the Ten Rings, or they could be one of their most significant inventions.
8. The Eternals
The Eternals are the result of Celestial genetic experiments on early man, according to Marvel Comics. They inherited and developed an incredibly advanced technology that had existed for tens of thousands of years. Some of their abilities, as seen in the teasers for the next film, appear to be similar to the Ten Rings.
The Rings’ hue changed from dark blue gold to light blue gold when Shang-Chi seized possession of them.
Gold appears to be the Eternals’ power and technology’s characteristic color, and they may have created the weapons in the past, but they were either lost or stolen.
9. The Nega Bands
Captain Marvel questioned the Ten Rings’ cosmic origins, yet the weapons had some visual similarities to the Nega Bands from the comics. The Nega Bands were invented by the Kree and worn by Mar-Vell, the first Captain Marvel in the comics.
The powerful Nega Bands were very ancient and once locked Mar-Vell in the Negative Zone, which is a workaround for the MCU and Carol Danvers’ unfamiliarity with them.
It’s possible that they got lost in the MCU and then found their way back to Earth. In the comics, Annihilus also constructed his own Nega Bands, so if he appears in the MCU, it might support the hypothesis that the Bands and the Rings are the same.
10. The Quantum Bands
If not the Nega Bands, the Quantum Bands are another option for the Ten Rings’ origin. The Kree were inspired to develop the Nega Bands by these extraordinarily strong artifacts, which pull energy from the Quantum Zone in the comics.
The Protectors of the Universe, an elite group of heroes chosen by the cosmic entity Eon, were given these bands.
Quasar and Mar-Vell, two long-running Marvel heroes who patrolled outer space and defeated cosmic perils like Deathurge, were among the Protectors in the comics.
The Ten Rings are probably the Quantum Bands, and the beacon is calling out to Eon or the last person to wear the bands as the Universe’s Protector.
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