It's a new movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so you know it's full of references
to the comics and movies that have come before — and maybe the stories to come,
too. These are the Easter eggs you missed in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
Writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton has gone
on record saying "Shang-Chi" is set after the so-called "Blip,"
when all of the victims of Thanos' snap have returned after five long years away.
The timeline is established in the movie by dialogue and the set dressing; take a close
look at the scene early in "Shang-Chi" when Shaun visits Katy and her family. As he pulls open the
exterior door to her building, you can see a flyer reading "Post-Blip anxiety? You are not alone."
This might be the kind of sign that advertised Steve Rogers' support group that he hosted after
the Snap, as seen in "Avengers: Endgame." Of course, that scene took place before everyone's
return, and Steve ultimately was giving advice that he may have ended up regretting:
"You gotta move on..."
Yeah, or maybe you have to go back in time
and kick as many asses as it takes to sort this mess out.
The group advertised in "Shang-Chi" seems to be not only for those with loved ones who vanished,
but also the people who returned after years away. At the time when "Shang-Chi" is set,
anxiety is a common affliction. Now that androids, aliens, and wizards are commonplace,
how can a normal person feel like anything other than an ant, hoping to not get squashed?
"An ant-man. That's what they called you."
In the mid-credits scene, Shang-Chi and Katy have a conversation with a virtual Captain Marvel and
Bruce Banner. Along with Doctor Strange wingman Wong, the braintrust is extremely
interested in the Ten Rings, the tale of how Shang-Chi acquired them, and their true nature.
They debate the Rings' power and origin, with Carol Danvers calling them unlike any alien
tech she's ever seen. Eventually, they seem to conclude that the Rings are some sort of beacon,
sending a message for purposes unknown. Then Banner signs off by saying:
"Guys, stay safe. Welcome to the circus."
It's a fun cameo scene that seems to set up our heroes for future Avengers collaborations.
But sharp-eyed viewers might also notice that Banner's right arm is in a sling. Any guesses why?
As you recall, in "Avengers: Endgame" it was determined that only the Hulk was strong
enough to wear the Stark Gauntlet and snap everyone back into existence. But in doing so,
he was exposing himself to massive gamma radiation, and sure enough, he fried his arm.
In a 2019 interview with ComicBook.com,
"Endgame" director Joe Russo said the damage is permanent. According to him,
"He's lost an arm ... that's not coming back. He's damaged himself. It's permanent damage,
the same way there was permanent damage with Thanos. It's irreversible."
So, will Bruce Banner spend the rest of his MCU games with his arm in a sling?
In a world where Thor can pop in a new eye and Rhodey can become paralyzed from a fractured
spinal column but walk again with help from Stark bionic supports, no injury seems truly permanent.
We'll see how long Ruffalo has to keep wearing the sling, but in this,
his first Hulk scene since "Endgame," it's clear that he's still in a bad way.
Sharp-eyed fans were delighted when, earlier this summer, they seemed to uncover a quick
shot of Abomination in the "Shang-Chi" trailer. Sure enough, when our newly-revealed hero makes
his way back to China in an attempt to locate his sister Xialing, he looks for her at The
Golden Daggers Club and discovers that not only does she run the place, but currently appearing
on the main stage is a smackdown between the "Incredible Hulk" villain and Wong.
For starters, there are several things worth discussing about Emil Blonsky's
monstrous appearance. First, he seems to be evolving, or, at the very least,
the CGI is getting better — after all, it has been 13 years since we last saw the guy.
He now has ear fins that look fully engaged, and he boasts more prominent
dorsal spine needles — both signatures that make Abomination stand out on the comic book page.
The second interesting thing worth noting is that the character looks even less
like Tim Roth than he did before — which is saying something,
because he has never really looked much like him to begin with.
Over the last decade, Marvel fans have watched as Hulk has increasingly resembled the actor
who played him, with storylines that sought to humanize the monster within Bruce Banner.
But while "The Incredible Hulk" gave us an Abomination whose face at least
somewhat resembled a human's reactions, the Abomination character design now seems
to be moving in the opposite direction of Hulk, leaving all humanity behind.
"You have to explain that statement, sir."
"No, I don't."
Perhaps the most notable thing about this Abomination, however, might be his shift in
tone. As you may recall, after Abomination nearly defeated Hulk in Harlem, General Thunderbolt Ross
had the creature locked up in a high-tech cell in Alaska; Phil Coulson said in a 2014 episode
of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." that he was still in that cryo-cell. But in the 2011 "One-Shot" short
film "The Consultant," an angry Coulson says the World Security Council wants Abomination released
and assigned to ... the Avengers initiative? Coulson says that the Council considers Blonsky
to be a war hero — they want him exonerated, released, and added to the Avengers roster.
In a conclusion played for laughs, S.H.I.E.L.D. reveals in the short film that they purposefully
sent Tony Stark to screw up the negotiations — leading to the "Incredible Hulk" post-credits
cameo where he clashed with a hard-drinking Ross — and as a result, Blonsky went back into custody.
"Mission accomplished. The Abomination will remain in his cage for now."
But clearly, Blonsky is not only on the loose post-Blip, but he seems to be chummy with
Wong — who "Shang-Chi" reveals to be a major player in the recruitment of new Avengers.
Could it be that (whatever remnants remain of) the World Security Council finally got their way,
and Abomination will soon be fighting on the same side as Hulk? Abomination is gearing up
to appear more frequently in the Marvel sandbox, including the upcoming "She-Hulk" Disney+ series.
"How do you feel?"
"Pissed off and ready for round three."
The first real indication to Shaun that his reality is about to get very,
very expanded is when he and Katy are attacked on a San Francisco bus
by several highly-trained men — one of them wielding a machete in place of his right forearm.
As well-read comic fans will be eager to point out, his name is Razor Fist, and you wouldn't
want to try and shake his hand. In the comics, Razor Fist was introduced in 1975 in "Master of
Kung Fu" #29 as a henchman of the evil Carlton Velcro. This villain had a razor-sharp blade on
each arm — not that it helped him much, as he died three issues later, shot down by Velcro's guards.
Of course, no comics mantle, however obscure, is ever laid down for good. Velcro attempted to
create more Razor Fists in 1981 — when brothers William and Douglas Scott were in a car accident,
he gave them sword arms, too; Douglas died and William became the new Razor Fist.
In more recent years, that Razor Fist has appeared in various comics, usually seen
as supporting muscle for supervillains — much like we find him in "Shang-Chi."
In the background of almost every scene containing Wenwu,
you may have noticed a silent man dressed in black, wearing white make-up punctuated
by streaks of red and black. That guy's name is Death Dealer, and for good reason.
In the comics, the character's real name is Li Ching-Lin, and like other characters
in Shang-Chi's orbit, he has a history with MI-6. The baddie was actually a double agent,
working on the sly for Fu Manchu when he and Shang-Chi had an epic
battle that nearly killed him — and he then took on the Death Dealer persona.
In "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,"
this Death Dealer has clearly been with Wenwu for multiple decades — and seems to
have largely led the training that taught Shaun every possible way to kill a man.
The mysterious nature of the live-action character, coupled with the lack of dialogue,
has given rise to some interesting theories about Death Dealer,
whose story will certainly be explored in future movies in the MCU.
Okay, technically this Easter egg isn't in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,"
but you'll likely glimpse it in one of the trailers that plays before the film.
In the multiverse-expanding first trailer for "Spider-Man:
No Way Home," Dr. Stephen Strange makes the really, really bad decision
to cast a spell that will make the entire world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Under normal circumstances, an MCU fan would say: "No way. Wong would
never let such an irresponsible thing happen. He's the voice of reason."
Great point. But when the cat's away, the mice will play. So, while we see Wong in the trailer
instructing Strange not to mess with the spell, we also see him in a winter parka, holding two
suitcases and traveling somewhere that looks like it has old, regal structures adorned by columns
and domes. Which is when Strange casts his spell on Peter's behalf, and all hell breaks loose.
Those who've seen "Shang-Chi" know that Wong pops up multiple times in China,
as well as San Francisco. So, could either of those be where he's teleporting to in the trailer?
Do the events of that scene run concurrent to "Shang-Chi"? We'll find out soon enough,
once Spidey's latest adventure slings itself into theaters.
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