Shrouded in secrecy and comprised of mystically-inclined individuals, the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings is connected to the ancient Wellspring of Power, and each member uses their magic for nefarious means.
A Ring of Secrets
The true origins of the Ten Rings have yet to find their way into the public record. While they seem to have a connection to the ancient Wellspring of Power—cosmic energy that’s the source of magic and more with conduits across the world—it remains unclear exactly how long the group has been around.
Hope for Power Springs Eternal
The true extent of the Ten Rings' reach, methods, and ideology remain murky at best. Known members include Aaron Chord, AKA Midnight's Fire, Dune, Tomoe and Eclipse. Most of what is known about the group comes directly from the mouth of Midnight's Fire and recent actions uncovered in the Boston area by Ironheart. When she encounters them near the Wellspring of Power, they bicker amongst themselves.
However, the Ten Rings members collectively believe that weapons hold spiritual power. Some posit that each of them has their own powers with roots in the Wellspring of Power, possibly related to natural elements like fire, water, air, the sun, ice, lightning, flora, fauna, earth, and the moon. Magic also seems to play a prominent role in their operations.
Circle of Trust
The Ten Rings have made relatively little impression on the Super Hero community at large, tending to stick to the shadows. One member steals from Dr. Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange, while others attempt to recruit Riri Williams, AKA Ironheart into their group. The young hero not only refuses, but also works with Wakanda’s Princess Shuri, former New Warriors member Silhouette Chord, AKA Silhouette, and Wakanda’s greatest warriors, Okoye, to stop their plans to access the Wellspring of Power.
Ring of Midnight's Fire
The young hero Ironheart first encountered the Ten Rings when they sent Clash out into the world. He drew Ironheart's attention and she managed to capture him. Before he was taken away by the authorities, Clash handed Williams a Ten Rings medallion, a circle with ten smaller circles each with its own symbol. Shortly after that, two members of the Rings attacked Ironheart and told her to stay out of their business before disappearing in fire.
At this point, the Ten Rings had established a crime ring using children to steal electronics belonging to people who worked for local bureaucrats. All of these machinations were orchestrated to elevate Thomas Birch' political career. However, Williams’ friend Daija got mixed up with the thieves. She was released by Ten Rings member Midnight's Fire in an attempt to get the hero off their backs.
Midnight's Fire later ambushed Ironheart and nearly killed her, but she managed to pull his fingerprints from her armor. She defeated him, but he disappeared before getting arrested. He later showed up at Riri's mother's house, told her about the Ten Rings, and asked if she wanted to join, which she passed on. Fire's plan to free Daija backfired, especially when Riri connected her friend to the abused kids. She followed Daija back to the operation's headquarters and shut it down, but was also told that Birch was but one small part of the overall plan.
The Ten Rings believed that their individual powers came from the Wellspring of Power. As an extension of that, a blood sacrifice from the circle could lead to unimaginable cosmic power. However, none of them wanted to die, so Rings member Eclipse used her magic to steal the life force from others, turning them into zombies. Around this time, another Rings member, Dune, managed to sneak into the Sanctum Sanctorum and steal the Stone of Hala, an artifact with the potential to access the Wellspring of Power. Eclipse needed to practice her life-stealing magic, so she began turning people into zombie-like beings in the Boston area. She was stopped by Ironheart and Nadia van Dyne, AKA the Wasp. During the confrontation, the armored hero noticed her opponent sported a symbol belonging to the Ten Rings.
Realizing she was up against magical forces, Williams consulted with Doctor Strange who had realized by this time that the Stone of Hala had gone missing. As they spoke, the mage surmised that the Ten Rings might be using it to access the Wellspring of Power. Though all access to the mystical locale were supposed to be shut off, he did see a potential opening in Wakanda and sent her there to investigate.
While the Ten Rings also made their way to the African nation, Ironheart began working with Shuri as well as Silhouette, the sister of Midnight's Fire who had dealings with those obsessed with the Wellspring during her New Warriors days. She explained the Ten Rings' belief in the sacrifices leading to ultimate power. They went off to stop them and were joined by Okoye.
Having come together in the designated place, the Ten Rings prepared to access the Wellspring of Power, but also could not seem to stop bickering. While reconnoitering, Silhouette saw that Dune of the Ten Rings looked an awful lot like Riri and posited that it might be her presumed-dead birth father, Demetrius Williams. The arguments amongst the Ten Rings came to an end when one of them spotted the spying Silhouette and ran off. She regrouped with Ironheart, Shuri, and Okoye and fought the pursuing Ten Rings.
Williams attempted to get Dune to stop fighting by revealing the she was his daughter, but the gambit failed, and he instead used the Stone of Hala. However, Ironheart managed to get the artifact away from him and briefly bonded with the Wellspring of Power. She used the power up to defeat the Ten Rings. Seeing the writing on the wall, the group disappeared by way of Eclipse's magic. Though the Ten Rings have not yet reappeared since they are surely planning their next move to amass even more power!
