Shang-Chi’s Ending Is Similar To Iron Man’s Nick Fury Post-Credits Scene

The ending of Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings accomplishes the same thing as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appearing in Iron Man. Marvel Studios is ready to return exclusively on the big screen with the upcoming Simu Liu-headling film directed by Destin Cretton. This is after the controversial hybrid roll out for Black Widow which resulted in Scarlett Johansson suing Disney.

With only a few days before Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings hit cinemas, the anticipation for the movie is at an all-time high. Before its wide release, however, some lucky fans around the country were given the chance to see it early through various special screenings. Shang-Chi reviews are generally positive, further bolstering the interest in the blockbuster, dubbing it as one of the best origins stories Marvel Studios has done. But while the film has a mostly contained narrative, focusing on Shang-Chi's heroic journey that includes his tumultuous relationship with his father, Wenwu — the real Mandarin (Tony Leung), expect some ties to the bigger MCU.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige teased this particular aspect of the movie in an interview with Comic Book. While the producer can't get into plot specifics, he reveals that the ending of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings essentially has the same impact as the game-changing Iron Man post-credits scene where Nick Fury appears before Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to talk about the Avengers Initiative.

Well, we don't want to spoil anything. But, I think the end of this film gives a pretty clear direction on, at least, how vital and how important and how directly Shang-Chi is stepping into this world. We are reminded of Nick Fury in the tag of Iron Man 1, telling Tony Stark, 'You're part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet.' And without giving away, a very similar thing happens to Shang at the end of this movie."

Nick Fury comes out of the shadows in Iron Man post-credit scene

Of course, this isn't the only connection Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has with Iron Man. Its titular Ten Rings organization has been in the MCU since the beginning; they're the terrorist group behind Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) kidnapping in Afghanistan. In the comics, the Mandarin is Iron Man's arch-nemesis, so this made sense. Unfortunately, with Tony no longer in the MCU, that match-up won't be happening in the franchise anymore, unless Marvel Studios does a What If...? episode regarding this matter.

Considering the fact that the Iron Man post-credits scene broke the MCU wide open, it's safe to say that at the very least the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ending will bring Shang-Chi to the bigger franchise. As previously mentioned, the film's narrative is mostly character-driven, with the focus on establishing his story and the pocket of the universe he inhabits. But, as with the nature of the MCU, it's only a matter of time before he joins his fellow heroes, and it doesn't seem like Marvel Studios is wasting any time doing this. For what it's worth, Shang-Chi was supposed to debut almost a decade ago, so in reality, this might be overdue.

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Source: Comic Book