Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, started his time in Marvel Comics with Special Marvel Edition #15, by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. In his earliest days, Shang-Chi spent much of his time in his corner of the universe, though he interacted with other heroes such as Iron Fist, Jack of Hearts, and White Tiger (Fist and Jack later becoming Avengers themselves, with White Tiger’s successor also becoming an Avenger).
Shang-Chi slowly became acquainted with other heroes across the Marvel Universe and eventually became a full-fledged member of the Avengers. He is now a trusted ally to the likes of Captain America and Spider-Man. He has a cordial relationship with many of the most prominent heroes of Earth.
10 His Avengers Affiliation (Technically) Started With Civil War
Before becoming an “official” Avenger, Shang-Chi became a member of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing’s newly reformed Heroes for Hire. Though at first the team was employed by Iron Man‘s pro-registration Avengers to help bring in unregistered heroes, the team later helped Captain America escape after being double-crossed by Paladin.
This was Shang-Chi’s first brush with being an Avenger, though the Heroes for Hire were afterward kept at arm’s length by both sides of the Civil War.
9 He Officially Became An Avenger With Steve Rogers’ Black Ops Secret Avengers
Years later, Shang-Chi became an official Avenger—though it was off the books. Steve Rogers, then the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, also ran a black ops Secret Avengers team. Other members included Moon Knight, Nova, War Machine, Black Widow, Ant-Man (Eric O’Grady), Beast, and the Valkyrie. Shang-Chi was brought onto this team to help fight the Shadow Council.
The Shadow Council was a clandestine group made up of superhumans John Steele and Aloysius Thorndrake, rogue LMD Max Fury, and Grigory Rasputin.
8 The Secret Avengers Helped Shang-Chi Fight His Returned Father
Of course, Shang-Chi helping the Secret Avengers wasn’t a one-way street. The team also helped Shang-Chi deal with a personal issue brought about by the aforementioned Shadow Council. The Shadow Council resurrected Shang-Chi’s father. In the comics, Shang’s father, Zheng Zu, isn’t the Mandarin, who is a different, more Iron Man-focused villain. Zheng Zu goes by “Fu Manchu” as an alias in the comics.
Zheng Zu managed to capture Shang-Chi during his return from the grave, but Moon Knight saved Shang. The Prince of Orphans, another member of the Secret Avengers and one of the Immortal Weapons, was the one who finally sent Zheng Zu back to the afterlife.
7 He Taught Spider-Man His Own Unique Fighting Style Called “Way Of The Spider”
Around this time, Spider-Man dealt with an unprecedented threat brought about when the entire island of Manhattan became “Spider-Island.” Its inhabitants became spider mutates with powers similar to Peter Parker’s. Madame Web requested that Shang-Chi help Spider-Man create his own martial arts style that capitalized on his powers, as he was no longer the only one with spider powers. Shang agreed, and he taught Spider-Man “the Way of the Spider.”
Shang was also infected by the Spider Plague and began having nightmares of him and the Immortal Weapons going on a rampage. This led to his own adventure dealing with Spider-Island involving Silver Sable, Iron Fist, and the other Immortal Weapons.
6 He Became A Public Avenger During The “Avengers World” Era
Shang-Chi finally became a public Avenger during the “Avengers World” era of the team. At this point, Cap and Iron Man decided to expand the team to be larger than ever before so they could deal with more threats around the world and beyond. Fresh faces like Hyperion, Cannonball, Sunspot, Manifold, Smasher, and Shang-Chi himself were brought onto the team.
Thanks to his fighting prowess, wits, and physical training, Shang-Chi proved to be an indispensable asset to a team with members like Captain Marvel, Thor, Hyperion, and Hulk.
5 He Went To Space To Fight In The Builders War
When the Builders, an elder race responsible for constructing much of the known universe, decided to unmake all of creation, the Avengers allied with several alien civilizations to stop this in an apocalyptic war across the stars.
Shang-Chi, though not one known for going on cosmic adventures, still participated in this Builders War. Shang and a few other Avengers were actually able to rescue some of their captured teammates from the Builders.
4 Shang-Chi Once Used Pym Particles To Become So Large He Towered Over Hong Kong
After the Builders War and the simultaneous invasion of Earth by Thanos, Shang-Chi and the Avengers returned to dealing with more terrestrial issues. Among these threats were Gorgon and the Hand mobilizing in Madripoor. This led to an international adventure that brought Shang-Chi to Hong Kong.
There, the Hand unleashed a threat so vast that Shang was prompted to use Pym Particles to grow to a size where he dwarfed the very skyscrapers in Hong Kong.
3 He Did So To Fight A Dragon With The City Of Madripoor On Its Head
That threat was a massive dragon. This dragon was so large that the entire city of Madripoor sat upon its head. Shang-Chi fought this dragon just outside Hong Kong and kept it from devastating the city.
Shang-Chi won the fight of course, and he took the opportunity to remove the Hand’s Madripoor headquarters and hurl it into the ocean.
2 He Later Defected From Steve’s Avengers To Join Sunspot’s Team
During the Time Runs Out story, the Avengers became splintered after the revelation of the Illuminati’s return and the Incursion crisis. This led to Steve Rogers and Iron Man being at one another’s throats again, so Sunspot decided to use his money and resources to form his own Avengers team that would focus on dealing with the Incursions.
This team included Cannonball, Smasher, Manifold, and Shang-Chi among others. Ultimately, Sunspot decided to use his team to finally force the Illuminati and Steve’s Avengers to make peace so that they could all stop the Final Incursion.
1 During This Period, Shang-Chi Gained The Power To Make Copies Of Himself
Shang-Chi was central to Sunspot’s plans to force the Avengers and Illuminati to make peace. An alien infestation in Kobe, Japan had granted Shang-Chi the power to replicate himself. When Sunspot crashed the battle between Steve Rogers’ Avengers and the Illuminati, Roberto unleashed Shang-Chi as a one-man army to stop the fight.
These copies of Shang-Chi were able to restrain many of the combatants until the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four was able to use her forcefield powers to bring the brawl to a standstill.
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