WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, now playing only in theaters.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), is already getting rave reviews from critics and fans alike according to Rotten Tomatoes, crediting its elaborate action sequences and comedic timing for its success. And as a Phase 4 film, it’s opening doors for the future of the MCU, which is set to involve the magical Ten Rings.
But the rings that appear in Shang-Chi are not what they look like in the comics, a purposeful decision on the production team’s part to avoid them resembling the Infinity Gauntlet and “looking goofy.” The redesigned rings were designed to be magical versions of Hung Gar iron rings, which also help reinforce the martial arts and Kung Fu elements in the film.
The Classic Ten Rings Are Like Infinity Stones
In the pages of Marvel Comics, the Ten Rings are worn like traditional rings on the fingers, with one on each finger. In a way similar to the Infinity Stones, each ring had its own kind of name and a special power associated with it. When wielded all together, it gives the user immense power. Both the Ten Rings and the Infinity Stones come from space as well, implying their cosmic and Earth-shattering powers. The parallels to Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet are undeniable, but instead of residing on one hand, they are on two. The Mandarin used the Ten Rings to build up his shadow organization and amass immense power, much like Thanos did with his Infinity Stones — just on a more cosmic scale.
Upon finding the Ten Rings, which were alien technology used to power starcraft from a race of dragon-like species called the Makluan, the Mandarin began to wear them and understand their powers. The Ten Rings’ abilities range from the ability to slow down time around a victim to creating false illusions and a beam of nothingness from outer space. Similar to how the Ten Rings speak to Xu Wenwu — Shang-Chi’s father in the film — and pull him to Ta Lo to release the Dweller-in-Darkness, the Ten Rings of the comics have spirits in them that speak to the Mandarin and influence his mind.
Hung Gar and Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings
The Ten Rings depicted in Shang-Chi are different in many ways from their comic counterpart, and not just due to their powers. The rings are not worn on the fingers but on the forearms like iron rings used to train and perfect form in Hung Gar, which is a type of Kung Fu that originates in Southern China. In Hung Gar, the iron training rings are used to harden and strengthen muscle, skin and bones, while performing forms and develop the harder fighting style associated with the martial art. In Shang-Chi, the rings can become detached from the wrists and be wielded in arcs of energy past the fist and deliver more powerful punches. They also have the ability to grant long life, which Xu Wenwu uses to his advantage to build up his Ten Rings organization.
In a recent interview, producer Jonathan Schwartz revealed why the Ten Rings were redesigned for the film. Martial arts film The 36th Chamber of Shao-Lin is to thank for the Hung Gar rings-inspired Ten Rings in Shang-Chi, according to Schwartz. The rings were too similar to the Infinity Gauntlet in style and function because they were worn on the hands, and Marvel Studios likely wanted to distance itself from Phase 3, which heavily featured the Infinity Stones and the Gauntlet throughout. Schwartz also admitted that the comics’ depiction of the Ten Rings was “goofy,” and that they wanted to lean into “the genre elements” of Shang-Chi.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings takes the classic Ten Rings from the comics and reinvents them to be more like Hung Gar iron rings than traditional finger rings. Doing this helps make the rings more relevant to the Kung Fu and wuxia elements that director Daniel Destin Cretton wanted to highlight and sets them apart from previous MCU weapons. And the changes not only make the Ten Rings unique to Shang-Chi and his story but are truer to the themes of the movie themselves.
Go see what makes the Ten Rings so special in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, available only in theaters.
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