Shang-Chi has an Abomination fight to prepare the Hulk villain for more Marvel

At first sight, Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings It seems to firmly occupy its own corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s not long before some surprising connections are made. Many of these first appear as the movie’s heroes leave the familiar streets of San Francisco for the underworld of Macau, China, and unknowingly enter the Golden Daggers fight club, where a huge MCU surprise is already in the ring. .

[Ed. note: Spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follow.]

Like the collector’s lair in Guardians of the GalaxyThe Golden Daggers fight club is full of Easter eggs for keen-eyed fans in the background, with two big cameos smack in the middle of their arena. The first is Wong (Benedict Wong), an associate of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and a powerful sorcerer in his own right. The other is his opponent, Emil Blonsky, better known in Marvel comics as the Abomination, who we haven’t seen since 2008.‘s The incredible Hulk.

And we haven’t seen it the way we do it in Shang-chi. The character, who is still played by Incredible Hulk star Tim Roth – Has roughly the same massive, bony design that was given to him in his first appearance. Nevertheless, Shang-chi changes the facial features of the notorious Hulk villain, giving him a squarer mug with flap-like ears, wearing him much closer to how it looks in the comics.

Blonsky’s return as the Abomination, a name that has yet to be given to him in the MCU, is a bit of a surprise given the way the MCU has essentially sidelined. The incredible Hulk after switching to star Ed Norton for Mark Ruffalo in the Avengers. His MCU origin, however, is deeply steeped in Marvel movie continuity, as his transformation was fueled by a failed attempt to replicate the super soldier serum that created Captain America. (A process in which scientists seem to have improved at the time The Falcon and the Winter Soldier comes this way.)

But this could be a bit more than your typical Easter egg. In a conversation with Polygon, director Destin Daniel Cretton suggested that there is more in store for Blonsky’s monstrous alter-ego.

“There’s a lot I can say about what we wanted to do with that scene,” Cretton said. “He’s preparing a lot of exciting things for the future, not just for Shang-Chi and the characters in our movie in particular, but also for a lot of exciting things that are happening in the MCU in the future.”

Cretton is likely referring to Blonsky’s return in the next She hulk Disney Plus Series alongside Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner / Hulk, whose details are still under wraps beyond his cast, with Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany in the title role.

Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings is currently showing in theaters, and She hulk is scheduled to premiere on Disney Plus in 2022.