I can’t believe we’re still waiting for the MCU to solve a huge 3-year-old mystery

There’s a three-year-old mystery Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings which I’m shocked Marvel Studios hasn’t addressed in the MCU yet. 2021 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings became one of my favorite Phase 4 projects as it brought Simu Liu’s titular martial arts master Shang-Chi into the MCU. I loved exploring the story of the Ten Rings, a global terrorist organization led by Tony Leung’s Xu Wenwu that has been an ever-present threat in the MCU since 2008. Iron Man.

The Ten Rings borrowed its name from Wenwu’s ten mysterious and powerful bracelets, which gave him incredible strength and immortality. I assume that Wenwu’s ten bracelets now gift Shang-Chi with these powers, as Wenwu sacrificed the rings to his son seconds before the Dark Dweller consumed his soul. Since they’ve only appeared in one MCU project, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the Ten Ringsincluding a huge mystery that was created in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ mid-credits scene.

Shang-Chi’s Ten Ring Beacon Hasn’t Been Mentioned in 3 Years

The mid-credits scene of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings revealed that the rings are sending out a beacon

After defeating the Dweller-in-Darkness in Ta Lo, Shang-Chi and Awkwafina’s Katy returned to San Francisco, where they were welcomed by the MCU’s Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict Wong’s Wong. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ mid-credits scene, we saw Wong introduce Shang-Chi and Katy to Avengers Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, all gathered to investigate a strange beacon being sent out by the ten rings. Three years later, We still have no idea who this lighthouse was signaling.

In Marvel Comics, the ten rings were found on a crashed Makluan spaceship on Earth, although we have not been told whether this is also the case in the MCU. It’s possible that the beacon was signaling to the Makluans, who are a race of dragon-like reptilians in Marvel Comics, though it seems more likely that the beacon connects to someone already important to the MCU. I’m worried because it’s been so long since the lighthouse was approached that it has become insignificantand Marvel Studios may have already removed the perfect chance to explain this unknown sign.

Marvel Studios May Have Removed the Perfect Explanation for Shang-Chi’s Lighthouse

Speculation suggested about the lighthouse connecting to Kang

After Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the beacon of the ten rings to the MCU, there was a huge amount of speculation suggesting that this beacon could be signaling a variant of Kang the Conqueror. The MCU saw major changes in 2023 when the future of Kang, who was defined as the main antagonist of the Multiverse Saga, was put in jeopardy. Jonathan Majors’ arrest and conviction shocked us and made us think Kang would either be recast or removed from the MCU, with the latter turning out to be true.

I liked seeing theories that relics like the ten rings, Ms. Marvel’s Quantum Bands and others could have connections to Kang and its villainous variants from across the multiverse. That seems incredibly unlikely now that Marvel Studios has moved on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in Avengers: Judgment Dayand cast Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom before his appearance in Phase 6 of the MCU. Marvel’s departure from Kang makes me think Lighthouse will be changed or ignored, which I think is a real shame.

Spider-Man 4’s Exciting Update Has Me Worried About Shang-Chi’s MCU Future

Destin Daniel Cretton is directing Spider-Man 4

As the Ten Rings Lighthouse appears less and less likely to be approached in Avengers: Judgment Day after your changes, I think Shang-Chi 2 would be the next best place to explore this mystery. However, I now suspect it will be even longer before we see the sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsas Destin Daniel Cretton was recently hired to direct the next MCU film Spider-Man 4with production starting soon. This represents very good news for Spider-Man 4but not for this huge Shang-Chi question, which will now be even harder to answer.