Toy lines seem to be the new go-to for spoilers and leaks these days when it comes to the world of comic book movies, and now, we may have confirmation of the involvement of a very exciting character in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Spoilers...possibly, to follow. A newly revealed image of a whole host of Funko Pop! toys shows that there will indeed be dragons in Shang-Chi's MCU debut, with a character named The Great Protector seemingly confirming this.

There have been rumors regarding dragons featuring in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings for some time, with a previous toy leak revealing a water-breathing dragon, which many fans have speculated to be the iconic Marvel villain Fin Fang Foom, a shape-shifting alien being from the world of Kakaranthara with nefarious plans to take over Earth.

While The Great Protector, seen here for the first time as a Funko Pop! toy, does not appear to have any basis in the pages of Marvel comics, this could always be another character being given a different name for the adaptation, or indeed it could be Fin Fang Foom, though he is traditionally depicted as green rather than red and white. Of course, if you something we don't, then please feel free to educate.

Really, the fact that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will feature dragons, and thus introduce dragons to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is exciting enough without knowing the identity of said mythical beast.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will bring a whole host of both new and more familiar elements in to the MCU. The movie will introduce audiences to the Marvel superhero named Shang-Chi, a character created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin back in the early 1970s. The character is often referred to as the "Master of Kung Fu", but in actual fact Shang-Chi is proficient in numerous styles of both armed and unarmed combat. The character later gained the ability to conjure countless duplicates of himself which led to him joining The Avengers, though whether the movie will contain this superpower is currently unknown.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been given a title that really is a bit of a giveaway, as the movie will follow Shang-Chi as he is drawn into the clandestine Ten Rings organization and is forced to confront the past he thought he had left behind. The Ten Rings have of course been referenced multiple times in the MCU, most notably in the Iron Man series, and are a terrorist organization led by The Mandarin, who are dedicated to destroying world peace by any means necessary. Except now, they come bearing dragons.

Starring Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, Awkwafina as Katy, and Tony Leung as Wenwu AKA The Mandarin Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Just Mercy) and is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 3, 2021, as part of Phase Four of the MCU. This comes to us courtesy of Twitter user SCBR Mídias.