Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the newest hero into the MCU while further expanding the universe. Despite some fun cameos, the movie was mostly a standalone adventure, though it did touch on aspects of the larger universe. In fact, it seems to have revealed a very interesting aspect about Lil Nas X and one of the biggest events in the MCU.
Lil Nas X shared on his Twitter page a Reddit post from a fan who managed to establish proof that the rapper survived "the Snap." They pointed out that Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi takes place in 2023 and the Snap happened in 2018 within the Marvel world. They also pointed out that since Shang-Chi and Katie are seen signing Lil Nas X's 2019 hit song "Old Town Road," the rapper would have had to be among the half of the universe that survived the Thanos snap of Avengers: Infinity War. Lil Nas X perfectly responded to the theory by simply tweeting, "holy s***."
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu as the newest Marvel hero who must confront his past with his villainous father to save the world. It was written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Along with Liu, the movie stars Awkwafina, Tony Leung, Meng'er Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, and Benedict Wong reprising his role as Wong. Shang-Chi also marks the first new hero of Phase 4 to get their own solo MCU origin movie.
Judging by the post-credit scenes of Shang-Chi, it seems likely that this movie could have some bigger impact on the rest of the MCU. However, it is unlikely Marvel Studios considered the ramifications they welcomed by simply including a Lil Nas X song. The timeline of the MCU is already a bit shaky and seems to have created a number of plot holes elsewhere. Plus, the Lil Nas X revelation opens up a lot of other questions. Did Billy Ray Cyrus also survive the Snap, or is there an alternate MCU reality in which another artist collaborated with Lil Nas X on the song? It's also fun to think about the fact that half the universe was wiped out of existence and yet Lil Nas X still creates a song like "Old Town Road."
In the end, it is fun to see the fans continuing to explore the different corners of the MCU and embrace the latest chapter in such a passionate way. Liu has also been having fun on social media around the release of the movie and it is a testament to its success that others famous folks are joining in on it. Time will tell if this leads to a Lil Nas X cameo in Shang-Chi's inevitable sequel.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now in theaters.
Source: Lil Nas X/Twitter