MCU Fan Theory: Kang Variant Rama-Tut Is Connected To Shang-Chi
The following article contains spoilers for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has gradually been chipping away at the multiverse for some time now. "Loki" Season 1 introduced the first Kang the Conqueror variant in the form of He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). Spider-Man (Tom Holland) met a few variants of his own in "No Way Home," and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) traveled through multiple realities in "Multiverse of Madness." Now, with "Quantumania" out for the world to see, it's gradually getting clearer what the next MCU endgame is going to be.
The first post-credits scene for "Quantumania" introduces a Council of Kangs but focuses on three in particular who actually have dialogue. One of those main Kangs is clearly pharaoh Rama-Tut, who has quite a history in Marvel Comics, especially when it comes to the Fantastic Four. With the multiverse breaking and a "Fantastic Four" movie on the way, some may assume Rama-Tut will enter the bigger picture at that point. But one Redditor, u/Artistic-Stomach571, has an intriguing theory that Rama-Tut could actually be the main villain of the "Shang-Chi" sequel.
Could the 10 Rings have belonged to Rama-Tut previously?
The Reddit theory essentially states that the follow-up to "Shang-Chi" will see the titular hero, played by Simu Liu, get transported back in time to Ancient Egypt, where he will meet Rama-Tut. There he will learn that the 10 Rings belonged to Rama-Tut before they went to Wenwu (Tony Leung). It would further explain Captain Marvel's (Brie Larson) statement in the "Shang-Chi" post-credits scene, where she mentions how the energy signature of the rings is unlike anything she's seen before. That's due to the fact it's actually future technology Rama-Tut brought with him to the past, and the signal it sends out would allow Rama-Tut to find the rings regardless of where they are in the timeline.
While "Shang-Chi" will receive a sequel, there aren't really any other details surrounding it at this point. It doesn't even have a confirmed release date, but one thing we do know is that "Shang-Chi" director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty." Cretton's also coming back for the planned "Shang-Chi 2," so it would make sense to get him deeply involved in the Multiverse Saga and adapt several versions of Kang for the franchise. Additionally, it seems likely that the next Shang-Chi adventure will be a time travel story. While an official title for the sequel hasn't been confirmed yet, Marvel Studios did trademark several titles for the brand. The studio can obviously change its mind, but one of the titles trademarked was "Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time."
It remains to be seen how Rama-Tut will factor into the future of the MCU, but one thing's abundantly clear — after "Quantumania," we're about to see a whole lot more Kangs.