Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is going to bombard the MCU with new characters and a compelling storyline. I am personally excited to see Simu Lui as the lead. The movie is just around 2 months away from us, and it keeps getting better. The recent trailer was anything but weak. It came with multiple Easter eggs and reveals. I mean, we finally got to see The Great Protector! Moreover, the trailer revealed that Shang-Chi and the Mandarin would fight each other, and so much more. But the trailer also hinted at a tournament. So, let me explain the Ten Rings Fighting Tournament of Shang-Chi.
The Ten Rings Fighting Tournament of Shang-Chi
The tournament that is featured in the recent trailer goes against the normal MCU fights. This is not your usual hero-villain battle, fighting for the greater cause. Here, you can hardly take any sides. We will see super-powered opponents going at each other’s throats for reasons that we will discuss further in the article. Let’s take a look at the fighters included in this tournament.
Xialing
Xialing is Shang-Chi’s estranged sister. We think that this tournament will bring the siblings face-to-face after a long time. She seems to be thoroughly trained in martial arts and is Shang-Chi’s opponent in one of the scenes. Xialing may even be inspired by the comic book character Sister Hammer. In a miniseries published in 2020, she fought with her brother for her father’s legacy.
The Abomination
The last we saw this behemoth was in The Incredible Hulk in 2008. Since then, he’s literally absent. The way he looks now, it is clear that he has significantly evolved over the years, only to resemble his comic book counterpart in a close manner. The character is played by Tim Roth, Emil Blonsky and is set to appear in She-Hulk. But seeing him in Shang-Chi is definitely a surprise.
Wong
This was a major surprise for me; I’d be honest. We know that he is Doctor Strange’s right-hand and an experienced Master of the Mystic Arts. At this point, it is difficult to know if it is Wong himself fighting The Abomination, but the stature and physique point towards Wong only. If it’s Wong, he could be very well after the Ten Rings to keep them preserved.
Razor-Fist
It’s speculated that the assassin Razor Fist is after Shang-Chi on his father’s commands. He’s a killer with bladed hands and is definitely a tough competition. So, having him in the tournament is definitely a plus for the film’s intensity. Moreover, this character has a history of participating in such tournaments in the comics. So, why not the MCU too? I’d bet my money on him!
Where Is The Tournament Taking Place?
Do you remember Madripoor from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier? It’s a fictional place in South Asia that is home to such bloody tournaments. Moreover, the footage from the recent trailer hints at Madripoor with the overall aura. So it wouldn’t be a surprise if the tournament actually takes place in this place that is not ashamed to house the corrupt. Moreover, Marvel set up a tourist website promoting Madripoor as a smart way of advertising The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. The catch is that the website had Easter eggs for Shang-Chi as well. Sleeky much?
But there’s more to it. It would actually make sense for the tournament to be held in Madripoor. First, the viewers didn’t have much of this fictional place in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. So, it could be a great idea to bring back this place. Moreover, it would make sense for a major terrorist organization like the Ten Rings to be present at a place that has no extradition treaties with other countries.
What Is The Ultimate Price For The Winner?
We first learned about the Ten Rings in Iron Man (2008). It was seen as a cell-based terrorist organization that kidnapped Tony Stark to make advanced weapons for them. And we all know where that took Tony Stark! Later on, we learned more about the history of the Ten Rings. In Marvel’s one-shot “All Hail the King,” actor Trevor Slattery disguised himself as the Mandarin in Iron Man 3.
It was revealed that the organization was believed to have been active since the Middle Ages. The recent trailer also emphasized the rumor that the real Mandarin is active since the Genghis Khan days. The fake Mandarin had found some competing portraits of the same and combined them into a composite. This only proves one thing. And that is that there have been other leaders of the Ten Rings, and now it’s time for the Mandarin to pass on the mantle. Hence, the winner of the tournament could lead the Ten Rings and wield the same powers.
This is what the Shang-Chi fighting tournament could be all about. Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, with a script from Dave Callaham. Shang-Chi was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. Simu Liu will play the titular character. The movie stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Tony Leung as Wenwu, Awkwafina as Shang-Chi’s friend Katy, Michelle Yeoh as Jiang Nan, and fellow MCU newcomers Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Florian Munteanu, and Ronny Chieng.
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