The Shang-Chi Post Credit Scenes Explained!

Is a Marvel movie ever complete without some post-credit scenes to mess up our brains? Nope.

The same happened with Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest installment in the MCU. The post-credit scenes of Shang Chi kickstarts the Phase 4 of the MCU, which has been hinted upon for a long time now, isn’t it?

It goes without saying, there are major spoilers and my own weird theories coming up, so if you’ve not watched Shang Chi yet, just go watch it NOW!

What Happens in the Post-credit Scenes?

Shang Chi actually goes a step ahead from other MCU films. It has not one, but two post-credit scenes and each has its own significance. The first one comes in the middle of the credits while the second one comes after the credits are finished.

Let’s talk about the mid credit scene first. The scene picks up exactly where the actual movie ends. We see Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) leaving dinner with their friends after Wong (Benedict Wong) requests them to come somewhere.

Wong asks Shang-Chi where his father got the ten rings from. To this, Shang says that it was a thousand years ago but he does not know how.

Meanwhile, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), our beloved Avengers heroes also join our new superheroes on zoom call for a discussion on the ten rings. Classic 2021!

They talk about the origin of the rings and its functions. They even mention that the rings are not made of any material known to humans on earth.

The final post-credit scene is all about Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing. Shang Chi mentions that his sister is off taking care of their dad’s criminal association which is also named Ten Rings.

But as the scene unfolds, we see Xialing and she does not seem to be doing anything of that sort. Rather, she seems like some sort of queen of some cult that she formed.

The final card even declares that the ten rings will return. But the hints are clear: they’re going to be better and stronger. So we MCU fans have a lot to look forward to.

Shang-Chi Mid Credit Scene About The Ten Rings Explained

I think the mid credit scene is supposed to give us a few more details about the legendary ten rings, which are definitely going to be central to the next phase of the MCU and also indicate what we can expect from this new phase of the universe.

In other words, this scene is pretty indicative of the nature of the Phase 4 of the MCU. From the discussion between our Avenger superheroes and Shang Chi and Kate, we get some information about the rings.

Banner says that because of the molecular makeup of the rings they look much older than a thousand years. They’re also not made of any substance that’s known on earth.

These statements open up multiple possibilities, such as whether this storyline is heading the comic way or not. In the Marvel comics, the rings belong to this race of people called the Makluan. They’re basically an ancient, shape-shifting group of aliens from another galaxy.

So if that is what we are moving towards in the movies too, it could literally give us a brand new range of MCU villains. We can expect Fin Fang Foom aka the most popular Makaun character to come on board as well.

Besides, it could also hint at some sort of connection with the Dark Dwellers, because though Captain Marvel says that she can’t make much of the rings even from her experience of space travel, the movie leaves a lot of hints.

The Dark Dwellers are basically ancient beings who are trapped in Ta Lo and also share some dragon-y sort of traits with the Makluan aliens. In fact, in the movie they keep hinting that it’s the leader of the Dark Dwellers who’s calling out to them.

Its simply because the Dwellers can sense their power and not necessarily for the Makaun connection though.

So all in all, there are numerous possibilities and potential plot lines. Let’s see which one the MCU takes up.

The Final Shang Chi Post Credit Scene Explained

The implications of the scene is quite obvious TBH.

Shang Chi’s sister Xialing was always an ambitious woman and wanted to have hold over her father’s empire, something her brother was always expected to inherit.

So now that the criminal organization founded by her father aka Ten Rings is left without a leader, Xialing has decided to take matters up in her own hand. She wants to reshape it and make the necessary changes in its functioning instead of disbanding it.

But the question is whether Xialing is going to use the organization for good or evil purposes. Now considering she lied to her brother about it, she might not exactly end up being on his side.

I mean I would not be surprised if she ends up being an adversary to Shang Chi in future adventures. The post credit scene made it pretty clear that she is a strong woman and has taken up matters in her own hands.

But no matter her intentions, she seemed quite adamant on the actual goal of establishing power. The scene even shows women being trained as warriors so Xialing is definitely not settling for anything less than what she wants.

I have a feeling she’s going to be pretty darn important in the coming episodes.

About Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten rings is an upcoming American superhero film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. It is based on the Marvel Comics character Shang-Chi.

Cast members include Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, and Ronny Chieng.

When Shang-Chi is drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings organization, he is forced to confront the past he thought he left behind. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie will be a part of its ongoing Phase Four.