Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings has hit box offices hard, vindicating those behind its cinema-only release. Its post-credit scenes have sparked forums of their own – on Reddit, Twitter and elsewhere – especially with regard to the meaning of the “beacon”. So, what is the significance of the Ten Rings beacon?
How many end credit scenes are there in Shang-Chi?
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings concludes with two scenes that play out either during, or after, the end credits.
It may be useful to make the distinction here between a mid-credits scene – which occurs during the credits – and a post-credits scene, which only happens after the credits have finished.
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Power Trailer
In the first (the mid-credits scene), Shang-Chi, Katy and Wong speak with Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel. It is in this scene that they discover that the titular ten rings emit a mysterious signal; it is said that they are thousands of years old.
What do Reddit users think the Ten Rings beacon means?
Audience members discussing the beacon in a Reddit thread on the Ten Rings have compared it to astral projections seen in Endgame.
It is also mentioned during the first end credit scene in Shang-Chi that there is something in the rings acting as a beacon – sending a signal. But to where?
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When Katy and Shang-Chi ask where the signal is pointing, Captain Marvel receives a message. She and Bruce leave without revealing anything else about the Ten Rings beacon.
So it is not fully explained, but…
Ultimately, the consensus among those dissecting the film seems to be that the beacon is reaching out to the Eternals.
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Coincidentally (or not), Eternals (the movie), directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), is just round the corner. It is due to premiere in the US on 5 November. Meanwhile, the poster for the film features 10 Eternals – one for each ring. Pre-production began in 2018.
Another suggestion is that the signal is targeting even higher personages, metaphorically speaking: the Celestials themselves. Either way, it is likely that audiences will have to wait until November to get a definitive answer.