Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings remains one of Marvel Studios' best Phase 4 movies. No sequel has been announced, but with the prevailing theory being that the hero's Ten Rings are tied to Kang the Conqueror, we expect the hero to be a huge part of the Multiverse Saga moving forward.
As well as being a master of martial arts, Shang-Chi is wielding some major firepower thanks to those ancient weapons. However, newly revealed storyboards/concept art show at least one superpower that didn't make it into the 2021 blockbuster.
Illustrated by Director of Visual Development Andy Park, these images confirm Shang-Chi was once going to use the Ten Rings to create clones or duplicates of himself, a power that originated in the comic books. It's unclear how seriously this ability was considered, but there may be a good reason for it ending up on the cutting room floor.
For starters, this power was one Shang-Chi had only very briefly on the page after he was exposed to radiation. He'd eventually lose that ability, and in the MCU, it seems each of the Ten Rings would have generated a clone.
We also can't discount the possibility that this is something Marvel Studios is saving for down the line.
After all, where better to unleash nine duplicates of himself than against a villain like Kang? That would make for one heckuva set piece in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, anyway.
"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is nothing short of action movie perfection," we said in our review a couple of years ago. "This is the MCU like you’ve never seen before, and it’s no exaggeration to say Simu Liu was born to play the MCU’s newest Avenger."
Check out this new Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings concept art below.
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