Some fans have accused Marvel Studios' Phase 4 of being a tad directionless, but could at least some of the MCU's future plans be hiding in plain sight?
The Illuminati is reporting that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Ten Rings and Ms. Marvel's Bangle are connected and were left on Earth by the same alien race aeons ago. It sounds like the plan is for all these different weapons and artefacts to eventually link up similar to the Infinity Stones, but what's the endgame here?
The site doesn't know, but there have already been hints that they're connected. In the tomb where Kamala's bangle was discovered, the Ten Rings logo could be seen on the floor. Shang-Chi's post-credits scene, meanwhile, established that a beacon within them has now been activated, seemingly calling an ancient force back to Earth.
While Kamala Khan's bangle clearly has ties to the Kree (it was removed from a blue arm, remember), that doesn't mean it originated from Hala. While there has been speculation about Kamala's bangle being either a Nega or Quantum Band, we're guessing that it too is tied to the Makluans.
Those dragon-like aliens could pose a major threat to the MCU, though with Kang the Conqueror front and centre in The Multiverse Saga, we can't help but wonder how he'll factor into all of this. We also can't discount the possibility that the Celestials could come into play.
It's an exciting and intriguing time for the MCU, but we don't expect this particular plot thread to pay off for a while yet. The Marvels is likely to elaborate on the source of Kamala's powers, though, and we're still hoping Destin Daniel Cretton will find time to squeeze in a Shang-Chi sequel before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (it's probably not likely, but you never know).
What are your theories following this latest rumour?