"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" introduces a slew of new characters to the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. With all the new faces, it's easy to miss the deeper significance of a
few of them. Here are all the characters from "Shang-Chi" that are more than meets the eye.
The Dweller-In-Darkness in "Shang-Chi" is something of a counter dragon to The
Great Protector. He has spent centuries trying to break out of the dark gateway,
and finally managed to do so after tricking Wenwu into breaking down the barrier with the Ten Rings.
He proceeds to suck up the souls of many villagers and combatants before being defeated.
The comic-book-version of the Dweller-In-Darkness is a frequent villain of Doctor Strange as well.
He's a Cthulhu-like demon with little physical or biographical resemblance to what we see
in the "Shang-Chi" movie. In the film, he is actually an alien who came to Earth long ago,
bringing with him others of his kind and the Ten Rings.
There's also a pretty decent chance that the Dweller-in-Darkness is a reimagined Fin Fang Foom,
a diabolical dragon from the comics and a creature that's popped up throughout the Marvel universe.
Captain Marvel's appearance in the mid-credits scene is, in many ways, traditional MCU
worldbuilding. After spending almost the entire movie doing their own thing, Shang-Chi and Katy
finally meet up with Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers to discuss the Rings. This is
obviously the opening salvo to future Shang-Chi adventures and Avengers-style crossovers. But
it's not necessarily Carol who means more than it appears — it's Brie Larson herself.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton has four director credits to his name prior to "Shang-Chi."
Of those four, the last three, "Just Mercy," "The Glass Castle," and "Short Term 12" all
feature Brie Larson. He's been there for many phases of her career, with "Short Term 12"
often listed as her first true dramatic lead, and knew her well before she won an Oscar for "Room"
or became Captain Marvel. That makes "Shang-Chi" the fourth time
they've worked together — even if this particular appearance was a brief one.
Villainous monster The Abomination makes a brief appearance in "Shang-Chi,"
fighting Wong in Xialing's fighting ring. This marks his first appearance in the
MCU since "The Incredible Hulk," and his chummy relationship with Wong hints that
this is just the start of Abomination's new status in Marvel's shared universe.
Even though he hasn't been seen on-screen in more than a decade, Abomination has loomed in
the background for years. In the 2011 short "The Consultant," Agent Phil Coulson said that the
powers that be wanted Abomination assigned to the Avengers initiative. Coulson was against this and
sent Tony Stark to tank negotiations. Abomination was also name-dropped in an episode of "Agents
of SHIELD," where the audience was informed the one-time Hulk foe was still imprisoned.
"I'll reassign you to Barrow, Alaska and you'll spend the rest of your
years pulling the night shift guarding Blonsky's cryo-cell."
How and why Abomination ended up friendly with Wong remains unknown. What is known is that Tim
Roth is set to reprise the role of Abomination in the upcoming "She-Hulk" Disney+ series.
As such, this part in "Shang-Chi" is more than just a cameo — it's a sign of things to come.
Though he's never named on-screen, and stays silent through the picture's runtime, Death Dealer
looms large over the proceedings of "Shang-Chi." He's present for Shang-Chi's grueling training
as a child, and acts as Wenwu's right hand man later in life. He's rewarded for this loyalty by
getting eaten up by a so-called "soulsucker," a victim of his boss's misguided quest.
Though it's barely explored on screen, Death Dealer does have a brief,
albeit notable comics history. Death Dealer was a lieutenant of Fu Manchu,
Shang-Chi's father in the comics. He was brutal, and willing to do anything to
advance his position. Fu Manchu is the one who provided Death Dealer with the mask and weapons.
Death Dealer also had an obsession with playing cards, hence the name. He came to his end
just a few issues after his introduction, with Shang-Chi burning the villain alive.
Though Death Dealer himself has stayed dead all these years,
he did manage to leave something behind: a son. In 2009, a "Shang Chi:
Master of Kung Fu" one-shot comic had Shang-Chi facing off against Huo Li, the Junior to Death
Dealer's Frank Grimes. Might we see Huo Li in further MCU adventures? Only time will tell.
If you haven't read the comics or weren't paying all that close attention in the theater,
the name "Razor Fist" should make the character in question easy to identify.
A mercenary with a razor for a fist, he's hired by Wenwu to track down Shang-Chi. The two have
several altercations before ultimately working together to stop the soulsuckers.
There have been three Razor Fists in the comics. The first appeared
in a three-issue "Master of Kung Fu" arc in 1975. Unlike the movie,
he had razors on each hand. He died after his brief run, meaning that he arguably got
more development over the course of a two hour movie than he ever did in the comics.
"I LOST MY HAND!"
The second and third Razor Fist debuted in 1981, in the form of brothers William and
Douglas Scott. The two were in a car accident, with each losing an arm. The villainous Carlton
Velcro gave each of the Scott brothers a sword arm and — not long after — shot and killed Douglas.
William has since bounced around as a minor villain and henchman.
It's not known which of the three possible candidates is the Razor-Fist we see
in the "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' movie, but his survival means perhaps
we could learn his true identity and backstory in some future MCU project.