Warning: this blog post contains spoilers for Shang Chi.

The movie was absolutely fantastic! Personally, we agree that Shang Chi is the perfect example of the new direction Marvel is taking in Phase 4. As the first new super hero of Phase 4, the movie allowed for Shang Chi to be looked at as a powerful force entering our established Marvel universe. Now before I begin some in-depth commentary, as usual, make sure to listen to the podcast for our full initial reactions!

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-11-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings-Reactions-e16utqt

The first thing that needs to be addressed is that in the time since our predictions episode, there was a massive Shang Chi push by Marvel. As we mentioned in the predictions episode, Marvel had seemed to be doing very little as far as promotions for the film. As this changed in the two weeks prior to the movie, we want to say that Marvel did an amazing job at marketing and hyping up the film, which is what definitely helped it to be so successful. We are insanely happy to see Marvel doing such a push!

Moving on from that and into the actual movie, something many wondered going into it was where, and more specifically how, the movie would fit into some of the upcoming works. Since the Multiverse is going to single-handedly carry the next few films (minus Eternals maybe), and Shang Chi has such an intense mystical aspect, this was critical to understand. And I think we can positively say we got so much more than we expected. The end credit scene allowed us to understand that Dr. Strange and Wong were both aware of Shang Chi, which specifically happened through the Ten Rings. But more than this, we were left with a cliffhanger that may be introducing one of the big factors of the next three phases. With the Rings emitting a beacon, and with Bruce and Carol both making it fairly clear that it is nothing like what they’ve seen, we can (and have to) assume it is from far far away. How far? Multiversal far, possibly. The breadcrumbs to the next big battle have started!

Another important aspect to the whole universe and strange things are that Ta-Loh was described as being in a different universe. Personally, I immediately thought of Harry Potter when I saw the moving forest and the different animals. All of it supposedly on Earth, but none of it really existing there. I great assumption has to be that Ta-Loh is not the only one of its’ kind, and may not be the only one across the universe as a whole. Obviously, it existed prior to the Multiverse, so there is likely not an aspect of that to pay attention to. But it could be a connecting point across different universes. Either way, Ta-Loh’s story will not be the only we see of its’ kind.

As usual, the entire reactions are going to be in the podcast, which makes it super important to listen to it and hear all of our thoughts. But something we talk about that is critical to highlight is the end credit scene with Xialing. It gives off Black Widow vibes and the continuation of the Ten Rings Organization is going to be important in the future. As many of the other Marvel Phase 4 works have shown, the magical and cosmic are important and critical. But Black Widow and TFATWS have shown we still have the boots on the ground superheroes. This is more specifically where I think we would see Xialing’s soldiers coming in. The question truly is whether they will be on the right side or not. And a part of me thinks that they won’t be and may instead have a run in with the Black Widow’s that Natasha freed.

We really hope that everyone enjoyed this movie as much as we did and showed support by watching it in theaters (safely of course!). The direction Phase 4 is taking is absolutely amazing and while it is bittersweet to see some of our original Avengers leaving, the new heroes are showing their power and how ready they are to take on their roles. Don’t forget to keep up with What If? and get prepared for Eternals! Somewhere in there, we are still expecting to see Ms. Marvel, but at this point, let’s not hold out breath. But keep watching all this great material, since Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Shang Chi”, Maya Phillips, The New York Times

We are one week away from the Shang Chi premiere, which of course means that it is time for predictions!

To hear all of our in-depth thoughts, take a listen to our podcast.

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-10-Shang-Chi-and-the-Legend-of-the-Ten-Rings-Predictions-e167qpc

As we mention in the podcast a few times, Shang Chi has been kept relatively close to Marvel from the beginning. While we obviously understand the general premise, many of the trailers have not included new images and have been the same shots in a different order. This is not the first time Marvel has done this, nor the first time they have given us trailers where we think we understand things, and the actual product is completely different *cough, cough* Loki and WandaVision. However, one thing that Marvel has made clear: we need to see Shang Chi and his Ten Rings on the same level we see Tony and the suit, Cap and his shield, and Thor and Mew Mew. This comparison to us only means one thing, and it is that we are being introduced to someone who is going to help carry us through the next three phases. A big three contender, if you will.

A big question that will be interesting to see answered will be related to the fate of the Ten Rings organization. As we know it, it is a terrorist group with cells located across the world. This additional information given by Shang Chi, that it is based out around the Ten Rings wielded by Shang Chi’s father, means that the organization has been around longer than previously thought. It also means that it likely has had a hand in much more than we are aware. So since we know Shang Chi is going to take on his father, it becomes interesting to theorize what will happen with the organization if Shang Chi wins (which I think we mostly all are assuming he will). Not to be forgotten is Shang Chi’s sister as well, whose side appears to be leaning towards their father. While it is very likely this relationship will play a key role in this film, we have to keep in mind that she may stay loyal to her father and find a way to continue the organization.

For films such as this one, it can be difficult to make predictions. This is due primarily to the fact that it is an origin story that is coming right before some very prominent movies. It is a similar issue that faced Captain Marvel, where it came between two very critical films. It leaves us to question whether Shang Chi will play a part in some of the Multiversal drama that we are facing in upcoming works. Having Wong included in this film certainly paves a possibility of tying it in with Strange, and therefore some upcoming work. Past that, Shang Chi’s outcome may not be fully felt until we see the next team up in Avengers 5, which is still quite a bit away and definitely past some of the more prominent Multiverse movies.

Overall, I think I speak for both Taylor and me when I say this movie is going to be amazing. I am personally really looking forward to the martial arts aspect and how the Ten Rings are going to be used in a fight. As I know I reference in the podcast, I have added a little chart to show what each of the Ten Rings is, just for some reference in case anyone is interested. But either way, I hope that everyone is pumped for this film and have long since gotten their tickets! Not far after Shang Chi is Eternals and in between all of that we have What If? and possibly Ms. Marvel. Marvel is spoiling us, so make sure to keep up with all the great content, since Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Ten Rings Image: “The Ten Rings”, Hoary Host of Hoggoth!, Marvel Database

When the initial Shang Chi trailer dropped, many were surprised to see some Marvel characters make cameos that we didn’t expect to see. Of the most prominent was of course the Abomination, which we haven’t seen since the Incredible Hulk in 2008. While it makes a lot of sense to bring his character back since they are going to be exploring more with the Hulk family, it began to raise questions about where this slimy lizard was hiding all of this time. For our full predictions, you can check out the podcast episode below.

https://anchor.fm/ltmft/embed/episodes/Episode-9-Shang-Chi—Where-Have-They-Been-e15hbfq

Now to address Abomination a little more, we have to first look at the fact that he has been gone for about 15 years. In that time, the Hulk of course went on to become an Avenger and save the world from Thanos. And speaking of Thanos, we have to bring up the possibility that Abomination may have also been snapped for the past five years as well. But he is big, and gross looking, so he definitely hasn’t just been living his best life in the world of people. As mentioned in the podcast, his comic book story has him taken and not even on Earth for a long period of time. This means it is completely possible that they may make this his story as well in the MCU. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a quick one liner to try and explain his whereabouts and that’s it, as he isn’t the most important character in the movie.

However, another interesting character we see cameo while fighting Abomination is Wong. What the heck is Wong doing? We do know he isn’t snapped, so it is intriguing to see him in a battle using his magic. It is possible he is out on an assignment, maybe to stop Abomination or the Ten Rings organization. They have a magical element to them, so it wouldn’t surprise me that they have popped up on Dr. Strange’s radar. I don’t exactly know how they did and Wanda didn’t, but I don’t write the MCU shows or movies. I highly doubt that Wong has gone haywire and is now just using his powers to fight in a fighting ring. He was clearly still loyal to Dr. Strange when the Blip took place, which means I can’t think he has jumped ship randomly.

Lastly, the Ten Rings organization is something that a majority of the first and third Iron Man, and a little bit of the second, focused itself around. Of course we’ve seen it before, but where has it been this whole time? As we did mention in the podcast, the Avengers began to take on the bigger level threats, so a terrorist organization may not have been on their radar. They have popped up in some discreet locations throughout films, but are really only noticed by those with eagle eyes. This being said, what have they have been up to all this time is also a great question to ask. Their leader clearly has mystical power, so they have an advantage compared to regular terrorist groups. If Shang Chi doesn’t take down the group, I have a feeling it may play a bigger role in the next phase than just this movie. It already has played a pretty large role before, essentially being the reason Iron Man was created and therefore the entire Marvel universe that we know. It also makes me think that maybe this will mean Shang Chi will be a bigger part to our new group of heroes than previously believed as well.

If you want a little more of an in depth conversation about these characters/groups that have been slightly MIA, make sure to listen to the podcast! And don’t forget, Shang Chi will be hitting theaters early September so tickets should be going on sale soon for that as well. One final thing to remind everyone is that the premiere of What If? is this week and it looks very exciting. As always, keep up with all the Marvel content, because Marvel just blew your mind, so let’s talk about it.

Image: “Abomination vs Wong”, Matt Singer, Screen Crush