What are Shang-Chi's 10 rings in Marvel? Explained

Marvel's 10 rings were referenced in the popular 2021 MCU movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featuring Simu Liu in the titular role. The movie connected the rings to the criminal organization named Ten Rings Organization run by the titular character's father, an immortal warlord in the MCU.

The movie covered the clandestine organization and its leader, Xu Wenwu, for the first time. However, the Ten Rings organization was previously mentioned in the three Iron Man movies, The Ant-Man movie, and the miniseries, Ms. Marvel.

Later integrated into the Marvel universe, the organization was originally named as a homage to Marvel Comics' 10 cosmic rings belonging to The Mandarin, Iron Man's archenemy in the comics. However, the MCU version of 10 rings held by Xu Wenwu and Shang-Chi is different from those of Mandarin in the comics. While Mandarin has finger rings, Shang-Chi wears ten bracelet rings.

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Who created the 10 rings?

Xu Wenwu is credited with using the rings in the MCU (Image via Marvel)

In the MCU legends, Xu Wenwu discovered the mystical iron rings with special godly powers. With one of the powers being immortality, Wenwu lived for more than a thousand years. He used the power of the rings to establish an organization that toppled governments, conquered kingdoms, and involved itself in criminal activities for centuries.

The 10 rings have an ambiguous origin in the MCU. As mentioned before, in the movie, Wenwu discovered the rings and imbibed the powers bestowed by them. In later Shang-Chi comics by Gene Luen Yang, they were revealed to be supernatural weapons originating from Ta-Lo, the mysterious realm of Jiang Li, Shang-Chi's mother.

A scene from the MCU movie (Image via Marvel)

However, the 10 rings belonging to the villain Mandarin were created using Makluan technology holding the spirits of dead alien warriors giving specific power to each ring.

As per Comics, Mandarin discovered 10 cylinders in a crashed Makluan spaceship. Realizing their significance through Makluan science, he fashioned 10 rings out of the cylinders. Powered by the rings, Mandarin aimed at world dominion.

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Why are the 10 rings so powerful?

Shang-Chi received the rings from his father (Image via Marvel)

The 10 rings hold mystical powers that can grant the one wielding them immense power. As per the Marvel universe's depiction, after imprisoning the powerful Wyrm of Desolation using the Universe Ring, The Jade Emperor of Ta-Lo separated the ring into twelve parts as a precaution.

However, he sealed ten of the twelve rings when they returned to Ta-Lo after being distributed over different dimensions. The rings could respond to the dark side of the person wielding them.

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Who holds the 10 rings in Marvel?

Powered by the rings Wenwu established the Ten Rings (Image via Marvel)

In the MCU, Xu Wenwu, who discovered the 10 rings became the owner of the rings and utilized their power to commit several crimes. Later on, when he settled down with his wife, Jiang Li, and their children, Shang-Chi and Xialing, he took them off. However, when his enemies killed his wife, he donned the rings again to hunt and kill his enemies.

In the later part of the movie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Wenwu entrusted Shang-Chi with the 10 rings as the evil Dweller-in-Darkness killed him. Shang-Chi acquired the 10 iron rings and held them in his possession.

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Who is the leader of the Ten Rings?

In the past, Wenwu had established the Ten Rings organization but left it. He joined it again after his wife's death and gave the rings to Shang-Chi just before he, Wenwu, died.

While Shang-Chi asked his sister, Xialing, to disband the organization, she instead became the new leader of the Ten Rings. Under her leadership, women were also trained for combat along with men within the Ten Rings organization.

Fans who want to know more about the rings can watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on Disney+.