A fan theory about the MCU version of Asgard could create a connection between Thor’s lost home world and a major Phase 4 setting.\
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was an interesting addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, introducing audiences to a slew of new characters with very few concrete connections to previous heroes. The film quietly teased a lot of mysteries surrounding the powers and elements inherent to realms like Ta Lo and weapons like the Ten Rings, mysteries that have remained unsolved at the time of this writing regarding their origins and connections to the rest of the universe. But some clever fan theories might offer some unique explanations.
One theory, in particular, suggests that while Ta Lo didn’t debut until Phase Four of the MCU, its world may have debuted far earlier. From Reddit user Subject89P13_, it suggests that Ta Lo might actually be located in the realm of Vanaheim — one of the Nine Realms connected to Asgard. It’s an interesting idea that connects one of Marvel’s Phase Four films to one of its foundational heroes and could offer insight into the kind of power fueling Shang-Chi’s weapons.
How Ta Lo Could Be in One of the Nine Realms
The Nine Realms were introduced to the MCU in Thor as a connecting thread between Earth and the realm of Asgard. As explained by Thor, a series of intergalactic portals connected nine different worlds in nine different parts of the cosmos. The Nine Realms are Asgard, Alfheim, Midgard, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, Niflheim, Nidavellir, Svartalfheim, and Vanaheim. While some (most notably Midgard, aka Earth) have played central roles within the MCU, others have only been briefly visited — such as the Ice Giant homeworld of Jotunheim or Surtur’s home of Muspelheim. Vanaheim was briefly seen in Thor: The Dark World, with Thor and his allies working to protect it before discovering an increasing number of portals between realms caused by the Convergence. However, other gateways between the realms exist — and one could be between a specific part of Vanaheim and Earth.
But as the theory explains, audiences may have technically seen the realm in Phase Four. The theory suggests that Ta Lo — the secret village hidden away from Earth in Shang-Chi — is actually located in Vanaheim. Secret portals existing between the worlds were confirmed in The Dark World by Loki, whose knowledge of these rifts played a part in his and Thor’s mission to stop Malekith. Similar to the gravitational effects caused by the gateways in The Dark World, Shang-Chi and Katy’s path to Ta Lo sees a great deal of water that ignores the laws of physics. The mysterious and protected path between Earth and Ta Lo could be functionally similar to the one Thor and Loki used to get from Asgard to Svartalfheim.
How Thor & Shang-Chi’s Homes Could Be Connected
It’s an interesting theory that potentially lays the groundwork for a connection between Shang-Chi and Thor’s respective corners of the MCU. The portal from Earth to Ta Lo proves to be hard to access but lacks the typical tell-tale signs of sorcery in the MCU, like the explosive sparks of Sling Rings. Ta Lo being in one of the Nine Realms might explain the host of strange creatures and unique metals in the area and could explain why the realm has greater experience fighting demonic forces. Being located on Vanaheim likely would have forced Ta Lo’s warriors to hold their own against all sorts of threats from the other realms. Ta Lo’s citizens being primarily of East Asian descent could even theoretically set up a connection to Thor’s old friend Hogun, who was played by Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano in the Thor films and whose people hailed from the forest-filled realm of Vanaheim.
While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings presents a more brightly colored world than Vanaheim, it’s also not caught in the middle of a war — and the similar mountain types across the two realms could suggest a similar landscape. The sheer scope of the MCU — especially as it becomes increasingly multiversal — has steadily increased the sheer number of locations and elements that can appear at any given time in any given storyline. Finding the threads that continue to connect the different corners of the universe remains a fun exercise, though, and this might be a clever way to keep elements of Thor’s mythology connected to more recent films in the franchise. Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings being connected to the kind of elemental forces glimpsed in the Thor films could even serve as a clever means of connecting two seemingly disparate corners of the universe.
