Despite having a successful run at the Box Office, many naysayers still rant on and on at how bad a superhero Shang-Chi is. Considered one of Marvel’s greatest fighters to ever live, Shang-Chi comes full of surprises. People who call Shang-Chi ‘weak’ will now certainly think twice before saying anything. Marvel confirms Shang-Chi is powerful enough to take down the toughest Marvel hero. And he can do it with a single punch!! Weak? We don’t think so.
The comic books stand testament to this statement. Although he has only made an appearance now in the movies, the comics have featured him since a long time. Shang-Chi has had a pretty awesome and successful run in the comic book universe. And in Shang-Chi #4, things take a turn for the better.
In Shang-Chi #4, the martial arts expert has finally inherited his evil father‘s vast criminal empire. Called the Five Weapons Society, it is an almost cult like organization, the handling of which has almost led to Shang-Chi’s life going downhill. Shang-Chi is getting corrupted, influenced by the evil of his father’s organization. And this sudden turmoil has come at a great cost. Shang-Chi’s Five Weapons Society has now come face to face with one of Marvel’s premier teams – the Fantastic Four.
In Shang-Chi #4, the titular hero faces none other than the Thing in combat. To top it off, Shang-Chi shows his martial arts prowess isn’t just for show. The Thing was taken out with just one strike. His actions will have major consequences in the long run but for now, we can safely say:
Not even the Thing’s rock hard hide protects him from Shang-Chi’s blows.
How The Fight Went Down
Shang-Chi has been having recurring dreams about his long lost sister trapped in their old family home. He finally makes his way to Mister Lee, the Five Weapons society sorcerer. Mister Lee tells Shang-Chi that his visions are off the Negative Zone, a dimension only Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four is known to be an expert of.
Shang-Chi first tries to reason with the Fantastic Four, asking them permission for using a machine to access the Negative Zone. Reed is reluctant but Shang-Chi is ready to get his hands on the machine at any cost. They break into Reed’s laboratory and successfully bring back Shang-Chi’s mother, if not her sister, from the Negative Zone.
But by the time they return back, the Fantastic Four member – The Thing is already up in arms. The rest of the FF members soon follow him into battle against the Five Weapons Society’s forces. The Thing interrogates a member on who sent them here. That is when Shang-Chi springs into action. Jumping right behind the Thing, Shang-Chi uses a precision strike at a critical pressure point on his back. This takes out the Thing in one blow. Reed Richards arrives and breaks the fight.
Shang-Chi’s act will not go unnoticed. Reed Richards considers this an act of war, attacking his family on his own turf. To top it off, Shang-Chi has had unfavorable encounters with Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Captain America as well. In his quest to reunite his family, Shang-Chi is turning into a supervillain.
