Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has introduced a lot of new characters, but there were also a surprising amount of appearances from existing characters from the MCU. Some cameos may have been expected due to the trailer teasing a few significant appearances as well as a certain promotional item hitting Disney+ the week before the film's release.
However, some MCU characters were complete surprises catching even seasoned fans off guard. With the success of the first film, it's expected for Shang-Chi to helm his own trilogy, perhaps even a saga like the God of Thunder. With two or more movies presumably on the way, there is the potential for dozens of other MCU characters to cameo in future Shang-Chi films.
12 Should Have Cameoed: Ant-Man & Company Who Are Based In San Francisco
As soon as fans saw the San Francisco skyline they were immediately hoping for a Scott Lang cameo, but one never came. It's clear that Scott, Hank, and the Van Dynes still operate in the city before Infinity War so it's assumed they continued their work there upon returning in Endgame.
There is also a chance that the FBI could have been called in to investigate the mangled bus after the fight between Shang-Chi and Razor Fist. A hilarious Jimmy Woo cameo would have been incredible and probably would have made more sense than randomly tossing in Scott.
11 MCU Cameo: The Incredible Hulk's Villain, Emil Blonsky/Abomination
While this cameo was teased in the Shang-Chi trailer footage, fans seeing Abomination onscreen once again after a thirteen-year hiatus was certainly a treat. While the giant green monster looks a bit different than he did before, it's confirmed that it is the same Abomination from 2008 as Wong calls him Emil during their fight.
However, after the fight, fans come to find out that it was staged, and fixing fights is apparently a regular occurrence for Blonsky and Wong. Wong asks Emil if he's going to learn to pull his punches before conjuring a portal for him to return to what looked like a holding cell.
10 Should Have Cameoed: General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
Considering it was essentially Ross' fault Emil ended up as Abomination, it would have made sense for him to appear on the other end of Wong's portal to escort Abomination back to his holding cell. Perhaps Ross is aware of these fights and allows them to continue to keep Blonsky happy and to win a bit of money on the side.
It's heavily theorized that Ross is putting together— along with Val— a Dark Avengers or Thunderbolts team so fans are certainly expecting him to pop up in more places. After being confirmed for She-Hulk, some fans have even suggested that Ross will be turning into a (Red) Hulk himself.
9 MCU Cameo: Wong, The Powerful Librarian Of Kamar-Taj
This is another cameo that was teased in the Shang-Chi trailer footage, but Wong ended up being a fairly important character in the film's mid-credits scene as well. After his fight with Blonsky, Wong reappears at the end of the film to invite Shang-Chi and Katy into the Sanctum Sanctorum.
After leaving the shocked restaurant through the portal Wong had created, Shang-Chi and Katy discuss the Ten Rings with a few of the Avengers. It's discovered that Shang-Chi's use of the Rings sent out a beacon, signaling someone or something from across the cosmos, clearly setting up the next adventure for Shang-Chi and potentially even the Avengers.
8 Should Have Cameoed: The Sorcerer Supreme Himself, Doctor Strange
With such important foreshadowing at the end of the film, it's odd that Dr. Strange wasn't present during the meeting with Shang-Chi, Katy, Wong, Bruce, and Carol. Wong was great, but considering the presumed gravity of the situation, it would have made sense for Strange to put in his two cents.
With all of the information provided within Shang-Chi, fans can determine that the film takes place at the end of 2023, after the events of Endgame. It's unknown what Strange was doing after Endgame, but considering he was gone for five years, it's possible he had a lot of dark and interdimensional beings to take care of before returning to the Sanctum Sanctorum.
7 MCU Cameo: A Completely Human Version Of Bruce Banner
Bruce Banner's cameo takes place during the mid-credits scene when Wong brings Shang-Chi and Katy into the Sanctum Sanctorum to discuss the Ten Rings. Banner is a part of the meeting via one of the holoprojectors shown in Endgame but the most important part of his cameo is that he had returned to his human form.
It was reported that fans would see a different Banner in She-Hulk but they had no idea that they would see a new version of Banner so soon, let alone a completely human version. He is shown still wearing a sling, indicating that he is still recovering from the Snap he performed in his merged state.
6 Should Have Cameoed: The Lovable God Of Mischief, Loki
While having Loki show up likely would have taken away from the main storyline, it's entirely possible he could have popped up through a time door via the TVA. While Hiddleston's Loki would have been fun to see, Di Martino's Sylvie could have made her silver screen debut.
It's possible she could have been hiding in Ta Lo since Lokis have a knack for finding hidden passageways between known and unknown realms. It might have made sense for her to hide out there since the TVA probably wouldn't have noticed her presence among the chaos from the Soul Eaters and the Dweller-in-Darkness.
5 MCU Cameo: The Avenger's Unofficial Space Representative, Captain Marvel
Another surprising cameo was Captain Marvel. She too was a part of the meeting at the end of the film with Wong, Bruce, Katy, and Shang-Chi, there to offer her expertise on the cosmos and indicating that the Rings weren't any alien tech she had ever seen before.
Danvers didn't stay long as she had to turn her attention to some kind of emergency in space. She indicated that Shang-Chi could get her number from Bruce, but Bruce just tells him that he doesn't have her number and she actually does this kind of thing all of the time.
4 Should Have Cameoed: Wanda Could Have Made A Brief Appearance (Or At Least Been Referenced)
At the end of WandaVision, Wanda is seen living in isolation in a cabin at the base of a mountain. Many have theorized that this mountain could be Mount Wundagore, presumably somewhere in Sokovia in the MCU. However, considering what was left of Sokovia after Age of Ultron was cannibalized by neighboring countries, perhaps Wanda is elsewhere in Eastern Europe, or maybe even Asia.
Regardless of where she ended up, word of her kidnapping of an entire town would have eventually gotten around to the rest of the U.S. and could have even been referenced by Clev in San Francisco. It's also possible that one of the Avengers, especially Wong, could have known about the Hex and dropped a hint for fans during the mid-credits scene.
3 MCU Cameo: The Face Of The Fabricated Mandarin Character, Trevor Slattery
Many fans assumed Trevor Slattery was going to make an appearance after Marvel released All Hail the King on Disney+ about a week before the movie's premiere date. Even though it was expected, Slattery's cameo was brilliant and Kingsley delivered another superb performance as the goofy Shakespearean actor.
Slattery provided fans with plenty of comic relief and introduced them to a wonderous creature from Ta Lo called Morris. While Slattery may have a few screws loose, he means well and fans love him so hopefully, this isn't the last they've seen of Mr. Slattery.
2 Should Have Cameoed: It Would Have Made Sense For Val To Pop Up
La Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, or simply Val, has appeared in two Phase 4 projects already and she appears to be quite busy potentially putting together a team of anti-heroes. She recruits John Walker for her team during TFATWS and fans learn in Black Widow that she has been working with Yelena Belova for what appears to be years.
Val always seems to know way more than she rightfully should. She knew about the legal gray area regarding the ownership of Cap's shield, she knew Walker had taken the Serum when no one else knew, and she somehow knew that Clint and Natasha went on their time heist mission together. Considering what she already knows, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that she is fully aware of the Ten Rings; both the organization and the weapons. She may even know the coordinates of their secret base and could have popped up to recruit Xialing for her secret team.
1 MCU Cameo: A Few Small Cameos You Might Have Missed
In addition to some major MCU cameos, there were also a handful of smaller yet still significant cameos that some fans may have missed. The video blogger from the bus fight scene who refers to himself as "Clev" is first seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming telling Spider-Man to do a flip from the street below.
In addition to the hilarious cameo by Clev, fans may have noticed a couple of unique fighters in Xialing's underground fight club. One of the lower-level fights happened to be between a woman who had been part of the Red Room program and a man who had been part of the Extremis program. The Extremis patient is fairly obvious as his body reacts the same as Killian's did when it takes damage. The Black Widow is later confirmed in the cast credits; the actress was reprieving her role from Black Widow.
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