Cosmic, and the antagonists
Xialing
Alive, running the Ten Rings organisation
- Appearances
- 1
Along the chronological spine
Where the guide talks about them (4)
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.
His father Wenwu drags him and his sister Xialing back, convinced their mother is alive and imprisoned in the hidden realm of Ta Lo. He's being deceived by a soul-eating entity called the Dweller-in-Darkness, which has been mimicking her voice.
Xialing takes over running the Ten Rings organisation itself.
| 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 |