It sounds like one of Marvel’s more underappreciated films may be getting a surprising second life!
The MCU has been in a state of flux for a bit with several box office disappointments such as The Marvels, Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. Lost amid the mix was 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While it did perform well at the box office, grossing $432 million worldwide, the film didn’t have as lasting an impact as other MCU projects.
Yet it seems that may be changing, as during his monthly Q&A, The Cosmic Circuses’ Alex Perez first revealed that there are still plans for a sequel with Destin Daniel Cretton directing. But he also dropped the intriguing news that Marvel may be developing a series centered around the Ten Rings group.
“Marvel Studios is interested in developing a Ten Rings project similar to Eyes of Wakanda. From an idea that I heard, though, different from how Eyes of Wakanda was executed, they want to show how the organization has gone on through the ages and has influenced the events of the MCU from the very beginning. It would have had the organization interact with characters throughout history, including the Eternals, The Red Room, WW2, and modern MCU events.”
First mentioned in 2008’s Iron Man, the Ten Rings were the focus of Shang-Chi. Led by the centuries-old Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), the dark organization has secretly ruled the underworld for decades. The name comes from Wenwu’s weapon of ten mystical ring-like bands.
After his father’s sacrifice to save the world, his son Shang (Simu Liu) inherited the Rings himself. Meanwhile, his sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), ended the film secretly rebuilding the organization.
That leaves room to set up a sequel, yet this would be an interesting take on the property. Seeing how the Ten Rings developed and evolved from a small gang to a vast power has scores of potential, especially if Leung reprises his role as Wenwu. Showing how he rose to become the group’s leader and gain the Rings in the first place is also needed.
More interesting are the hints that the Ten Rings may have been behind various events in the MCU, from wars to the creation of the Red Room, the rise of SHIELD and Hydra, and more. It would also be fun to see interactions with the Eternals, still a property that didn’t get the respect it deserved.
This is still in the early stages, and it is unclear if it will happen. Yet Wonder Man proved the MCU can succeed with tales shining light on different parts of this universe, and the history of the Ten Rings would be a great way to give Shang-Chi fans more entertainment.