Almost five years after Shang-Chi came out, Marvel fans still haven’t found any answers as to what the post-credits scene could mean for the universe. In a recent interview with The Wrap, director Destin Daniel Cretton said that he does have plans to follow up on the scene.
The scene took place right after the movie ended, showing Shang-Chi and Katie, with Wong’s help, trying to figure out the origin of the Ten Rings. They look to Captain Marvel and Bruce Banner for help, and Marvel says she doesn’t think they are from outer space—at least nowhere she knows of. However, Banner tells them the rings also aren’t made of any metal from Earth.
Nerdist posted a video explaining the scene’s significance, see that below:
Nerdist’s own Dan Casey noted that in the Marvel comics, the rings are of an alien origin, coming from the Makluans, a shapeshifting race. Casey theorized that maybe Captain Marvel has just never encountered said aliens, Makluan or not.
Cretton seemed to feel bad about leaving the audience on a cliffhanger, and with questions that six years later remain unanswered.
“I do think it’s frustrating when these things are left out in the open, and you never see them,” said Cretton. “And Shang-Chi is one of those. It’s still hanging out there. I have every intention of answering the question.”
With a clip of Shang-Chi fighting Gambit appearing in the official Doomsday trailer, it seems that although the upcoming movie may not answer the question, Shang-Chi is still definitely on Marvel’s radar.
Cretton wistfully mentioned his desire to make more Shang-Chi content, but his inability to do so given the studio’s current state.
“I feel like if Marvel was where it was before, we would have had maybe two sequels already. Who knows?”
That said, with the looming threat of a potential MCU reset, it seems unlikely the question will find resolution in the form of a feature-length sequel. All we know is that there is a lot of untapped comic potential when it comes to the ring-bearing character.