Cosmic, and the antagonists
Shang-Chi
Alive, holding the ten rings. D
- Appearances
- 1
Along the chronological spine
Where the guide talks about them (10)
Roughly a thousand years ago, Xu Wenwu found ten mystical rings of unknown origin that granted him immortality and immense power. He built the Ten Rings organisation, which quietly shaped world events for a millennium. In the 1990s he fell in love with Ying Li, guardian of the hidden realm of Ta Lo, set the rings aside, and had two children: Shang-Chi and Xialing. Li was murdered by Wenwu's enemies. He put the rings back on.
Layer 3 — the consequence. The real Ten Rings were, understandably, furious. They abduct Slattery and keep him alive as a court jester rather than executing him. He resurfaces in Shang-Chi (film, 2021) living in Wenwu's compound, and again in Wonder Man (series, 2026) as a free man after a decade inside.
Wenwu trained Shang-Chi from age seven as an assassin. At fourteen he was sent to kill the man who murdered his mother. He did it — and then didn't go home. He fled to San Francisco, took the name Shaun, and spent ten years working as a hotel valet with his friend Katy, telling nobody anything. That's the flight this film opens on.
How Wenwu dies, and how the rings pass over. He attacks Ta Lo and releases the Dweller. It attacks him and eats his soul while he's mid-fight with his son. In his last moment he passes the ten rings directly to Shang-Chi, who then uses them — plus his mother's Ta Lo techniques and the Great Protector dragon — to kill the Dweller.
The mid-credits scene has Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers examining them — establishing that Shang-Chi is now on the Avengers' radar.
| Character | Premiered | Appeared in | Status now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Strange | Doctor Strange (2016) | Doctor Strange, Ragnarok, Infinity War, Endgame, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness | Alive, with a third eye from the Darkhold. Not on the Doomsday list |
| Wong | Doctor Strange (2016) | Doctor Strange, Infinity War, Endgame, Shang-Chi, No Way Home, She-Hulk, MoM | Alive — Sorcerer Supreme, having been promoted during the Blip |
| The Ancient One | Doctor Strange (2016) | Doctor Strange, Endgame (2012) | Dead |
| Mordo | Doctor Strange (2016) | Doctor Strange, Multiverse of Madness (838 variant) | The Earth-616 version hasn't been seen since 2016 |
| America Chavez | Multiverse of Madness (2022) | Multiverse of Madness | Alive, training at Kamar-Taj |
| Agatha Harkness | WandaVision (2021) | WandaVision, Agatha All Along | Dead — and back as a ghost, bound to Billy Maximoff |
| Character | Premiered | Appeared in | Status now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanos | Avengers (2012, post-credits) | Guardians, Ultron, Infinity War, Endgame | Erased from existence by Stark. Both versions |
| He Who Remains / Kang | Loki S1 (2021) | Loki S1–2, Quantumania | Dead, and the character is retired — Jonathan Majors was fired and not recast |
| Ultron | Age of Ultron (2015) | Age of Ultron | Destroyed — and returning in VisionQuest |
| The Collector | Dark World (2013, post-credits) | Dark World, Guardians, Infinity War | Dead, killed by Thanos offscreen |
| The Grandmaster | Ragnarok (2017) | Ragnarok | Alive, deposed, not seen since |
| Arishem | Eternals (2021) | Eternals | Alive — took three Eternals for judgment and never came back |
| Mephisto | Ironheart (2025) | Ironheart | Alive, now loose in the MCU |
| Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel | Captain Marvel (2019) | Captain Marvel, Endgame, Shang-Chi, The Marvels | Alive, mostly in deep space |
| Monica Rambeau | Captain Marvel (2019, as a child) | Captain Marvel, WandaVision, The Marvels | Stranded in another universe — the one with Beast and Charles Xavier |
| Shang-Chi | Shang-Chi (2021) | Shang-Chi | Alive, holding the ten rings. D |
| Xialing | Shang-Chi (2021) | Shang-Chi | Alive, running the Ten Rings organisation |
| Thaddeus Ross | The Incredible Hulk (2008) | Incredible Hulk, Civil War, Infinity War, Endgame, Black Widow, Brave New World | Alive, imprisoned at the Raft by his own choice |
| Samuel Sterns / the Leader | The Incredible Hulk (2008) | Incredible Hulk, Brave New World | Alive, imprisoned |
Returning MCU: Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson), Paul Rudd (Scott Lang), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Danny Ramirez (Joaquín Torres)
Tier 2 — the texture that makes the above land Winter Soldier (FILM) · Doctor Strange (FILM) · WandaVision (SERIES) · Falcon and the Winter Soldier (SERIES) · Multiverse of Madness (FILM) · Shang-Chi (FILM) · No Way Home (FILM) · Hawkeye (SERIES) · The Marvels (FILM) · Agatha All Along (SERIES) · VisionQuest (SERIES)
Phase Four (2021–2022): FILMS — Black Widow · Shang-Chi · Eternals · No Way Home · Multiverse of Madness · Love and Thunder · Wakanda Forever SERIES — WandaVision · Falcon and the Winter Soldier · Loki S1 · What If...? S1 · Hawkeye · Moon Knight · Ms. Marvel · She-Hulk · Guardians Holiday Special