Xu Wenwu

Xu Wenwu (Mandarin: 徐文武) was a legendary and nearly mythical figure who rose to power after discovering a set of mythical rings, and founded the army known as the Ten Rings. Wenwu established himself as a powerful warlord who conquered kingdoms over the millennia, the rings' power gifting him immortality. In the modern-day, Wenwu continued seeking power, finding the ancient city of Ta Lo. He fell in love with Ta Lo's gatekeeper, Ying Li, and fathered Xu Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing. Despite swearing off violence to raise his family, Wenwu eventually reclaimed his rings when Ying Li was murdered at the hands of the Iron Gang. He trained Shang-Chi to be an assassin to avenge his wife's murder. However, Wenwu's two children would grow fearful of their father and eventually abandon him. In the 21st Century, Wenwu discovered that Aldrich Killian had been able to recruit Trevor Slattery to impersonate Wenwu himself, giving him the Mandarin moniker, while also appropriating the legend of the Ten Rings. Enraged at Slattery's portrayal of him, Wenwu had him abducted and sentenced to imprisonment for tarnishing his name. Eventually, Wenwu would begin hearing his late wife's voice, urging him to free her from imprisonment in Ta Lo. Wenwu sought out his children to aid him, only for Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing to reject his request, siding with Ying Nan to stop his army. Through his attempts to rescue his wife, Wenwu unintentionally unleashed the Dweller-in-Darkness. Wenwu sacrificed himself to protect Shang-Chi from the Dweller, passing the Ten Rings down to him, before the Dweller drained his soul from his body and killed him.