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When Marvel dropped the newest trailer for Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, one particular scene implied the return of an MCU villain not seen since 2008. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige has now confirmed our suspicions: yes, that's The Abomination spotted in the final shot of the trailer.
This latest tease is cut from a different cloth than the first teaser, leveraging fewer comedy beats and focusing more on our hero's past as he grapples with the legacy bestowed upon him. But, still, it's a Marvel movie trailer and it's not without a tussle or two. And the best action is saved for last, when Shang-Chi and his friend, Katy (Awkwafina) attend a fight club where we see Doctor Strange's Wong in the ring opposite what appears to be The Abomination.
Turns out, it's absolutely him.
Talking with Rotten Tomatoes, Feige confirmed suspicions. "Some fans said, 'This looks like a character they hadn’t seen in many years named The Abomination, fighting a character that looks like Wong'. And I can say that the reason it looks like that is because that is Abomination fighting Wong."
With the MCU in Phase 4, and more than a decade of movies in its continuity, throwbacks to old characters are a perk. "[It’s] a fun thing to have a character that we haven’t had on screen in over a decade show up again in the MCU," he adds. "And to see fans on that little tag of the trailer recognize that and embrace that is great fun."
Abomination made his MCU debut back in Marvel Phase 1 where he appeared in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Tim Roth tackled the role opposite then-Hulk Edward Norton, but there's no word on whether he's set to reprise it in human form here. Nevertheless, the character is making a comeback with an appearance in the Disney Plus She-Hulk series on the cards.
Behind the camera on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is Short Term 12's Destin Daniel Cretton who directs Simi Liu in the titular role, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, and Tony Leung.
Next on the Marvel docket is Black Widow, arriving in theaters July 9, but we won't have long to wait until the next MCU pic lands. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings drops just shy of two months later on September 3. While we wait, do your MCU marathon right and watch all the Marvel movies in order, and look ahead to the future with our guide to Marvel Phase 4.
