Shang-Chi: How the post-credits scene changes the MCU going forward

Spoilers follow for ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest release, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is finally out in cinemas.

Like most other entries in the hit superhero franchise, Shang-Chi features mid and post-credits scenes, teasing future developments in the MCU.

Here’s a breakdown of what the scenes mean for the Marvel universe going forward.

Spoilers follow for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings...

The mid-credits scene sees Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) go with Wong (Benedict Wong) to the New York Sanctum, the mystical base that is home to Doctor Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s character is nowhere to be seen, however – which itself could point to off-screen events that will be made clear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which will featured Strange in a prominent role.

As Wong tries to determine the origin of the ten rings, the three ask for expertise from two familiar faces: Carol “Captain Marvel” Danvers (Brie Larson) and Bruce Banner, AKA The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

Marvel fans will surely notice a drastic change from The Hulk’s last MCU appearance; in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, he had transformed into Professor Hulk, a stable fusion of Bruce Banner’s normal human state and his Hulk alter-ego.

Here, however, Banner is just a regular pink-skinned human again – but it’s not clear how this has happened, or what this means for the character’s future.

Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Marvel Entertainment)

More explanation is sure to be given at some point, with Ruffalo already confirmed to appeared in Disney Plus’s forthcoming series She-Hulk.

Danvers’ appearance meanwhile has also changed (less radically) from her look in Endgame. Her considerably longer hair suggests that Shang-Chi takes place several months after that film.

She is also called away to deal with an emergency – something that may be expanded upon in the forthcoming film The Marvels.

As for the rings themselves, the group determines that they are not alien, but are unable to ascertain any more details, save for the fact that they seem to be emitting some sort of signal. It’s unclear what this is setting up, but it’s possible that the rings could tie into Eternals, Marvel’s next film due out later this year.

Another scene is then featured at the end of the credits. In it, we see Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) take command of the Ten Rings army.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is out in cinemas now.