Master of Kung Fu Shang-Chi was born in
Henan Province,
China, and is the son of
Zheng Zu who at the time was using the alias of
Dr. Fu Manchu. Shang-Chi was trained from infancy in the
martial arts by his father and his tutors. Believing his father was a benevolent humanitarian, Shang-Chi is sent on a mission to
London to murder Dr. James Petrie, who his father claimed was a threat to peace. After assassinating Petrie, Shang-Chi encounters Manchu's archenemy Sir Denis Nayland Smith, who tells Shang-Chi his father's true nature. Realizing Smith is telling the truth, Shang-Chi escapes from Manchu's
Manhattan headquarters, telling his father they are now enemies and vowing to put an end to his evil schemes. Shang-Chi subsequently fights his adoptive brother
Midnight, who was sent by their father to kill Shang-Chi for his defection, and then encounters Smith's
aide-de-camp and
MI-6 agent
Black Jack Tarr, sent by Smith to apprehend Shang-Chi. After several encounters and coming to trust one another, Shang-Chi becomes an ally of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and MI-6. Together with Smith, Tarr, fellow MI-6 agents
Clive Reston and
Leiko Wu (his eventual love interest), and Dr. Petrie, Shang-Chi goes on many adventures and missions, usually thwarting his father's plans for world domination. Shang-Chi occasionally encounters his half-sister
Fah Lo Suee, who leads her own faction of the Si-Fan but opposes her attempts to co-opt him into her own schemes to usurp their father's criminal empire. With Smith, Tarr, Reston, Wu and Petrie, Shang-Chi forms Freelance Restorations, Ltd, an independent spy agency based in Stormhaven Castle,
Scotland. After many skirmishes and battles, Shang-Chi witnesses the death of Fu Manchu. Soon after his father's death, a guilt-ridden Shang-Chi quits Freelance Restorations, severs all ties with his former allies, forsakes his life as an adventurer, and retires to a village in remote Yang-Tin, China, to live as a fisherman.
Return Some time later, Shang-Chi returns from China and rejoins Tarr, Reston, and Wu. They battle Argus' terrorist group that aims to cause the United States to act more aggressively against all terrorists. Argus has Wu tortured, cutting off her hand. Shang-Chi and the others rescue Wu, but Shang-Chi imbibes a dose of a slow-acting poison. He is cured by Dr. Fu Manchu's
elixir vitae. His father's criminal empire split into factions: Sleeping Dragon Clan (led by Chiang Kai-Dong), Steel Lotus Group (led by Hsien Ming-Ho), Wild Tiger Mob (led by Deng Ling-Xiao) and Coiled Serpent Syndicate (led by Mao Liu-Cho).
Kingpin takes control of his own faction of the Si-Fan in
Hong Kong and provides them cybernetics. After collaborating with
British Intelligence, Fah Loh Suee was eventually placed as a director of
MI-6. Her endeavors perpetually placed her at odds with Shang-Chi and his fellow MI-6 agents. Years later, she once again became involved in the criminal underworld. Now going by the name the
Cursed Lotus, she headed a narcotics empire supplying a highly addictive drug, Wild Tiger, with Deng Ling-Xiao and the Wild Tiger, acting as a front for her in
Hong Kong. Despite the Wild Tiger Mob being brought down by Shang-Chi, she eludes capture. Shang-Chi never discovers his half-sister's involvement. Fu Manchu eventually resurfaces and employed
Zaran (Zhou Man She) to retrieve a chemical from
A.I.M. and later directed him to kill Shang-Chi for him. He sent his dacoits to aid Zaran against Shang-Chi and the
Marvel Knights. Although they succeeded in destroying the building that Shang-Chi was in, Zaran failed to kill him. Shang-Chi have rejoined MI-6, against his father and his previously unknown half-brother
Moving Shadow. The mission results in his father's Hellfire weapon being destroyed and Moving Shadow's death at Dr. Fu Manchu's hand for his failure in killing Shang-Chi. Still working for MI-6, Shang-Chi collaborates with
Pete Wisdom of MI-13 in facing the
Welsh dragon, which has become a human crime lord. He becomes the tutor of a young
Earth-616 Killraven.
Heroic Age In the "
Shadowland" storyline, Shang-Chi is one of the heroes fighting the
Hand's ninjas. He later works together with
Spider-Man against
Mister Negative and temporarily takes Mister Negative's powers until Shang-Chi is brought back to normal by Spider-Man. In
Secret Avengers,
Steve Rogers tracks down Shang-Chi to help turn back the
Shadow Council, which has partially resurrected Shang-Chi's father and employed the Hai-Dai, a squad of assassins, to hunt Shang-Chi down.
Beast reveals to Shang-Chi and the
Secret Avengers Dr. Fu Manchu is really an ancient sorcerer named Zheng Zu. When Shang-Chi and Rogers meet with
John Steele and the Shadow Council for the prisoner exchange, Rogers is overpowered by Steele and Shang-Chi is captured. While Zheng Zu prepares to sacrifice Shang-Chi to complete his resurrection, the Avengers and
Moon Knight drop in on him and the Shadow Council. The
Prince of Orphans disrupts the ritual, resulting in Zheng Zu's death and Shang-Chi's rescue. Shang-Chi subsequently joins the Secret Avengers, but leaves the team following the defeat of
Arnim Zola 4.2.3. The reveal of Zu's true identity results in Fah Lo Suee's real identity, Zheng Bao Yu, being revealed as well. Now in full control of the Hai-Dai, Bao Yu resumes her father's long-forgotten experiment of bio-engineering
Brood eggs as weapons, which she uses to carry out hits in New York's
Chinatown. The plot is uncovered by
Misty Knight and
Annabelle Riggs of the
Fearless Defenders with help from
Elsa Bloodstone; the three track Bao Yu and the Hai-Dai assassins and scientists to an underground laboratory. With the help of No-Name of the Brood, the Fearless Defenders defeat the Hai-Dai and destroy the experiments, forcing Bao Yu to teleport away from her lair. Per the instructions of the new
Madame Web, Shang-Chi is assigned to train Spider-Man in
kung fu to compensate for the loss of his spider-sense, which was 'overloaded' after the wall-crawler had to transmit a strong signal on the same frequency to disable a drone army of
Spider-Slayers. Under Shang-Chi's tutelage, Spider-Man develops his own martial arts style, the "Way of the Spider". During the events of
Spider-Island, Shang-Chi and other inhabitants of Manhattan are infected by the Spider-Virus, giving him the same
powers and abilities as Spider-Man. Shang-Chi is also plagued by recurring nightmares of himself as a spider attacking innocent civilians. People with spider-powers run amok in the city. When he sees
Iron Fist and other heroes fighting Spider-Man impostors and Peter Parker nearby, Shang-Chi protects Parker and confirms Spider-Man's identity to the other heroes. Meanwhile, the
Bride of Nine Spiders attacks and abducts her teammates in the
Immortal Weapons. Shang-Chi attempts to stop the Bride of Nine Spiders from abducting Iron Fist with his newly acquired powers, but is unsuccessful. Shang-Chi learns from
Silver Sable that she has found possible locations in Manhattan for the Bride of Nine Spiders' lair. Although Shang-Chi defeats the Bride of Nine Spiders and frees Iron Fist, he discovers the real culprit: the demon
Ai Apaec, who seeks to feed off the Immortal Weapons. Shang-Chi fights Ai Apaec and mutates into a spider during the battle as a result of his infection, but Iron Fist uses his chi force to cure Shang-Chi. After making sure Iron Fist and the rest of the Immortal Weapons are evacuated, Shang-Chi collapses the mansion hideout on Ai Apaec, leaving him immobilized for the Avengers to put back into custody. Shang-Chi and the Immortal Weapons arrive to join the heroes during the final stand against the
Spider Queen.
Marvel NOW! During the
Marvel NOW! relaunch, Shang-Chi joins the
Avengers after being recruited by
Captain America and
Iron Man. During the events of
Infinity, Shang-Chi and the Avengers join the Galactic Council to fight against the Builders and their crusade against all life in the universe. When several allies were captured by the enemy, Shang forms a rescue team with the
Black Widow,
Spider-Woman and
Manifold. Wielding a pair of energy projecting gauntlets, Shang's timely intervention prevented his friends from being vaporized by an Aleph. After the Builders' defeat, the Avengers return to Earth with their new Galactic Council allies to face off against an even bigger threat back home –
Thanos. Shang is sent along with the Black Widow and Manifold the infiltrate the Peak and shut down Thanos' first line of defense; however, the team is intercepted by
Black Dwarf and his guards. As Manifold returned to grab reinforcements, Shang and Natasha managed to defeat the entire security force, save the general who proved to be too much for even the Master of Kung Fu. The combined might of
Gladiator,
Ronan the Accuser and other Council members eventually made short work of the Black Dwarf and allows Shang and the infiltration team to complete their mission. With the threat of both the Builders and Thanos thwarted, Shang-Chi is sent to
Madripoor along with the
Black Widow, the
Falcon, and
Wolverine to stop a full-scale riot that has broken throughout out the island nation. Shang-Chi infiltrates a temple housed by the
Hand but is too late to stop the Hand's new leader,
Gorgon, from completing a ritual which raises the island out of the water up upon the head of a massive
dragon. When the dragon begins to take flight, Shang-Chi quickly takes out all of the present Hand ninjas at the temple and challenges Gorgon. Despite a valiant effort, Shang-Chi is defeated by Gorgon, who throws Shang-Chi from the edge of the dragon's head several hundred feet above the ground. Shang-Chi is rescued by the Chinese intelligence-gathering agency S.P.E.A.R and is taken to their air-bound base, the Circle, to recuperate. Shang-Chi, along with the Avengers and S.P.E.A.R.'s superhuman response team the Ascendants, go to
Shanghai to defend the city from the dragon and the Hand's forces. Using
Pym Particles supplied to him by S.P.E.A.R. director Xian Zheng, Shang Chi grows to the size of a giant and defeats the dragon in combat, but not before enacting payback by tearing off the Hand's temple (with Gorgon still trapped inside) from the dragon's head and throwing it several miles away. When the Illuminati were exposed to have tampered with the mind of Captain America and attempting to destroy worlds threatening Earth as part of the Incursions as seen in the
Time Runs Out storyline, Shang-Chi joined a faction of the Avengers led by
Sunspot. Sunspot's Avengers, having taken control over A.I.M., discovered that "Incursion points" (points where an Incursion world that is about to hit Earth can be seen) were causing a massive number of physical mutations among those who stumbled upon the locations. Sending Shang-Chi to an Incursion point in Japan, Shang-Chi was exposed to cosmic-level radiation that gave him the ability to clone himself. After capturing
Crossbones for a mission, Shang-Chi is informed by Captain America about his former lover Leiko Wu's murder at the hands of
Razor Fist while working undercover for MI-6 in one of London's
triads. Shang-Chi travels to London for Leiko's funeral and while wondering around
Chinatown, he is attacked by unknown assailants, one whom reveals that the crime lord
White Dragon was behind the murder. Shang-Chi is approached by triad clan leader and former enemy Skull-Crusher who offers him a truce; Chao Sima alleges he and Leiko became lovers while she was working undercover and had planned to defect from MI-6 for him. With help from Skull-Crusher, the
Daughters of the Dragon, and the
Sons of the Tiger, Shang-Chi confirms that Razor Fist was hired by White Dragon to kill Leiko due to her involvement with his rival Skull-Crusher and discovers that White Dragon has access to Mao Shan Pai, a powerful Chinese black magic. Shang-Chi and Skull-Crusher infiltrate White Dragon's estate, where they discover a room displaying the severed heads of missing triad leaders. The two of them fight White Dragon but are captured by Shang-Chi's brother, Midnight Sun, who reveals himself to be the true mastermind behind White Dragon. With the Mao Shan Pai spellbook taken by White Dragon's men, M'Nai plans to use its magic to give him power and influence over the triad clans, finally fulfilling Zheng Zu's legacy. Needing the heads of the clan leaders in order to complete the ritual, Midnight Sun beheads White Dragon and Skull-Crusher and proceeds to cast the spell. Instead of giving him power, the spell resurrects Leiko from Chao's spilled blood. Since Skull-Crusher made her the leader of his clan before her death, Chao's death violated the ritual and resurrected Leiko to punish Midnight Sun. Shang-Chi is able to knock out Midnight Sun during their fight while Leiko maims Razor Fist. Leiko uses her newfound powers to summon the dead spirits of Skull-Crusher, White Dragon and the other dead triad leaders, who drag Midnight Sun into their realm. When Leiko attempts to execute Razor Fist, Shang-Chi pleads with his former lover to stop; while he is able to get Leiko to spare Razor Fist, he is unable to bring her back to her normal self. Black Jack Tarr (now director of MI-6) and his men raid the estate; Razor Fist and White Dragon's men are arrested while Leiko escapes.
The Protectors Shang-Chi joins several other
Asian American superheroes (
Amadeus Cho,
Silk,
Ms. Marvel,
Jimmy Woo, and
S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jake Oh) for a fundraiser in
Flushing, Queens. Later, while the group is spending the night out in
Koreatown, Manhattan, they are ambushed by the alien Prince Regent Phalkan and his small army from Seknarf Seven. Shang-Chi and his allies briefly fight off the invaders before they and a large group of bystanders are teleported near Seknarf Seven, where Phalkan demands that the group offer a few people for food within a time limit. Dubbing their group "the Protectors", Woo rallies the group and bystanders into working together to escape, while Shang-Chi leads an attack with Silk and Ms. Marvel. The Protectors are eventually able to free themselves and defeat Phalkan and his forces with the help of the bystanders. The
Alpha Flight Space Program arrives to rescue the Protectors and bystanders and arrest Phalkan, who
Sasquatch reveals was exiled from Seknarf Seven for treason.
Domino Seeking a way to fight her ability-stealing adversary Topaz,
Domino approaches Shang-Chi at his retreat in
Lantau Island for training. After a long training session, the two spend a romantic night out in
Hong Kong, only to be ambushed at a night club by a large group of Shang-Chi's enemies, led by Midnight Sun and including
Razor Fist,
Shen Kuei,
Shockwave, Death-Hand, Shadow Stalker, Tiger-Claw and others. Domino and Shang-Chi defeat them with relative ease. The two are eventually confronted by Topaz who Domino defeats using Shang-Chi's teachings. Despite Shang-Chi's pleas for mercy, Domino kills Topaz. Disappointed, Shang-Chi breaks up with Domino and dismisses her as his student.
War of the Realms In "
The War of the Realms" storyline, after taking part in a demonstration for Jimmy Woo's Pan-Asian School for the Unusually Gifted in
Mumbai, Shang-Chi and the Protectors are offered membership to Woo's
Agents of Atlas. Shang-Chi and the others are suddenly alerted by the news of
Malekith's
invasion of Earth; most of the New Agents of Atlas head to
Seoul while Ms. Marvel joins Jake Oh and the
Champions in New York. Shang-Chi and the others defend Seoul from Malekith's ally Queen Sindr and her Fire Goblin forces from
Muspelheim with help from the Korean heroes
White Fox,
Crescent, and
Luna Snow. After Sindr threatens to summon a volcano in the middle of the city and kill millions of innocents,
Brawn teleports Atlas and their new allies away from the battle, allowing Sindr to peacefully annex
South Korea. Brawn eventually summons the Chinese heroes the
Sword Master and
Aero,
Filipina heroine
Wave, and the
Hawaiian Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes
Pele from
Shanghai to help assist in the fight against Sindr. The newly summoned heroes are less than pleased for being taken out of their previous battle, but Pele quickly puts a stop to the infighting, warning the group that Sindr plans to melt the
polar ice caps if they do not work together. After formulating a plan, Brawn confronts Sindr and her forces directly while Aero, Wave and Luna use Sindr's Black Bifrost to travel to the
Arctic to decrease its temperature; Shang-Chi and the others are teleported to Atlas' ally the
Monkey King of the Ascendants in Northern China, where Shang-Chi begins training the remaining members for their final fight. As planned by Brawn, the Queen of Cinders arrives in Northern China with a captured Brawn, only to be taken by surprise by Shang-Chi and the others, who defeat Sindr with Shang-Chi's training, although Pele (who is revealed to have been M-41 Zu, a mystically enhanced Atlas android) and the Monkey King sacrifice themselves in the process. Despite given the chance to surrender, Sindr flees using the Black Bifrost, only for Shang-Chi and the others to follow her with Brawn's teleporter, where they help
Captain Marvel defeat her and her remaining forces at the
Great Wall of China near
Beijing. Shang-Chi is later shown fighting the remaining Fire Goblins alongside
Wolverine,
Hawkeye, and the
Warriors Three in
Shanghai. After Malekith's defeat, Shang-Chi is seen with the other Agents in Shanghai looking on while the captured Fire Goblins are escorted back to Muspelheim.
New Agents of Atlas Shortly after the "War of the Realms" storyline, Shang-Chi encounters the Sword Master in New York City, who is searching for his missing father. Noticing the upstart hero's inexperience and recklessness, Shang takes Lin Lie under his wing to improve his skills. While Shang-Chi and the Sword Master are continuing their training in Flushing, they are interrupted when white lights begin engulfing the city. The two, who are reunited with the other Atlas agents and
Giant-Man discover the cities they were in (along with other Asian, Pacific and
predominantly Asian cities outside of Asia) have been merged and connected together with portals. Tech mogul Mike Nguyen of the Big Nguyen Company reveals himself to be behind the newly merged city, "Pan", which he states for 24 hours would allow every citizen to easily explore each other's respective cities without any political and economic restrictions. Sometime later, Shang-Chi and the Sword Master are confronted by
Ares, who attempts to take Lin Lie's Fuxi sword. Shang-Chi makes a compromise to Ares: in exchange for Shang-Chi and the Sword Master helping him, Ares would help find Lin Lie's missing father. Ares accepts, explaining that his
drakon son
Ismenios had been abducted and that he wished to use the sword to kill Ismenios' kidnapper, who Ares believes to be another god. Using Pan Portals, the three track Ismenios to a temple in
Madripoor, where they encounter Davi Naka, the Mother Goddess of Madripoor. Naka reveals that Ismenios attempted to plunder
Atlantis's treasure hoard during the absence of its
sea serpent guardian, but was caught by
Namor. Due to her duty to protect all dragons, Naka rescued Ismenios from Namor's wrath and imprisoned the young drakon in her temple for his protection and to placate the king. Naka further warns the group that despite her efforts, Namor is still outraged over the disappearance of his dragon and implores them to find her. Amadeus later approaches Shang-Chi and tasks him with locating Jimmy Woo, who has not contacted the team since Pan's creation. Along with Crescent, Shang-Chi infiltrates Woo's office in the Pan-Asian School for the Unusually Gifted in the Mumbai sector of Pan, where he discovers a photograph of Woo and Nguyen together. Shang-Chi and Crescent discover a secret tunnel in Woo's office that takes them to the Atlas Foundation's headquarters in the Pan sector of
San Francisco, where they confront Woo and the Atlas Foundation's dragon adviser Mr. Lao, who introduces himself to the Atlas agents. Concurrently, the other Agents find Atlantis' missing sea serpent imprisoned in Nguyen's personal tower, where her magical scales are being harvested to power Pan's portals. Woo and Lao order the team to immediately release her while Nguyen argues that doing so would disrupt Pan's portals. Before a decision can be made, Namor emerges from the waters off of Pan's coast to reclaim his stolen dragon, kickstarting a
war between Pan and Atlantis.
Atlantis Attacks In the 2020 "
Atlantis Attacks" storyline, Shang-Chi and the other New Agents of Atlas are summoned by Brawn during his confrontation with Namor. Namor warns the group to return Atlantis' dragon in a day or else face the wrath of
Atlantis before retreating. After the skirmish, Shang-Chi and the other New Agents are introduced to the original Agents of Atlas by Woo. When Woo sends
Namora,
Venus,
Aero and
Wave to Atlantis for a diplomatic mission, Brawn discretely orders Shang-Chi and the Sword Master to spy on Namora, due to her familial ties with Namor. The dragon is eventually released from captivity, but upon arriving home she unexpectedly goes berserk and attacks the underwater kingdom. Witnessing the destruction caused by the dragon, Shang-Chi relays to Amadeus that Atlantis' scientists discovered an implant embedded in the dragon's scales to be the source of her behavior and that Namor believes Amadeus to be behind the sabotage, prompting the king to resume his attack on Pan. When Amadeus is forcibly transformed into the
Hulk and put under Nguyen's control with Sirena tech in a last ditch effort to destroy Atlantis, Shang-Chi is able to remove the device from Amadeus, freeing him from Nguyen's control and reverting him back into Brawn. After the conflict, Shang-Chi admonishes Woo for using the team as his pawns and subsequently quits.
Brothers and Sisters Yearning for an ordinary life, Shang-Chi relocates to San Francisco's
Chinatown but crosses paths with Leiko, who had rejoined MI-6. When Leiko informs him that his father's organization might be active again, they are attacked by unknown assailants but are rescued by Brother Sabre and
Sister Dagger, who reveal themselves to be Shang-Chi's half-siblings. The two reveal to Shang-Chi that he has been chosen by Zheng Zu's spirit as the next Supreme Commander of the
Five Weapons Society, a secret organization created by their father centuries ago, the society has used various names over the years such as Si-Fan, Golden Dawn and Hai-Dai; Shang-Chi arrives at the House of the Deadly Staff in London, where he and Shi-Hua surprisingly have a tearful reunion. Shi-Hua explains to Shang-Chi the history of the Five Weapons Society and its five houses, which had gone through many names, including the Si-Fan, the Golden Dawn and Hai Dai; Shi-Hua reveals that she had been sent to the House of the Deadly Hammer in
Russia as its Champion following their separation. Shang-Chi reveals the truth of their father's nature and attempts to convince Shi-Hua to leave the Society, but is rebuked. Mistakenly believing that Shang-Chi murdered Zheng Zu, Shi-Hua is outraged that their father's spirit would choose Shang-Chi over her to succeed him and reveals that she can only be legitimized as the Society's Supreme Commander by killing Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi realizes that his sister had poisoned him and begins to succumb to its effects. Instead of dying, Shang-Chi awakens in one of the House's laboratory, whose panicked scientists unleash a swarm of
jiangshi to kill him. Shang-Chi is grievously wounded by a jiangshi and, before losing consciousness, he is rescued by Sabre and Dagger. While recuperating at the House of the Deadly Dagger in
France, Shang-Chi is provided with a new ceremonial uniform and trains with Sabre and Dagger (who reveal their birth names to be Takeshi and Esme, respectively, to him) to prepare against Shi-Hua's jiangshi, which are powered by spirit energy and an "unavenged grievance". Shang-Chi notices that his wound has begun turning his flesh to resemble a jiangshi's, making him realize that he is slowly turning into one. A dilapidated spirit beckons Shang-Chi to the House's shrine room. Believing him to be his father, Shang-Chi uncovers a shrine dedicated to Zheng Zu's younger brother, Zheng Yi, and a mysterious map. The spirit reveals himself to be Yi and disappears before explaining anything else. Guided by the map, Shang-Chi and his siblings are directed to Yi's tomb in Henan, where Yi's spirit appears to him in full flesh. Shang-Chi requests Yi's guidance in stopping Shi-Hua and her jiangshi and to heal his festering wound inflicted by the jiangshi. Instead, Yi's spirit tells Shang-Chi to stop running away from his family, otherwise he would lose his way like his father and that his wounds would lead to something greater. Yi also reveals that Zu did not steal his life essence for immortality, but willingly gave it when Zu tried to save him from dying. When Shi-Hua and her jiangshi army attack London, Shang-Chi and his siblings arrive as back-up for Leiko and MI-6, providing them with
paper amulets to purify the jiangshi. Shang-Chi begins to succumb to his wound and partially transforms into a jiangshi, allowing Shi-Hua to control his body to attack Takeshi and Esme. When Shang-Chi starts resisting, Shi-Hua plants a microchip containing her unavenged grievance on him to put him under her complete control. Instead of resisting, Shang-Chi calms himself, which transports the two to an astral plane where they witness memories of Shi-Hua's harsh upbringing by their father at the House of the Deadly Hand in Russia. Realizing that her anger is at Zheng Zu rather than Shang-Chi, Shi-Hua stops her assault, causing the jiangshi to collapse and Shang-Chi's wounds to heal. However, Shi-Hua blames Shang-Chi for robbing her of her life's purpose and flees before Leiko can apprehend her. On the day of the
Lunar New Year, Shang-Chi is named the new Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society and with Takeshi and Esme at his side, Shang-Chi vows to keep the Society free of Zheng Zu's influence and to use it to protect all humankind. After the ceremony, Shang-Chi is visited by Zheng Zu's spirit, who congratulates him and comments that he is destined to become like him, unsettling Shang-Chi.
The Equinox Blade While Shang-Chi is still in London, Leiko approaches him on behalf of MI-6 and asks him to steal the mystical Equinox Blade from the
British Museum before it could be auctioned off due to the danger the sword poses. Leiko guides Shang-Chi via earpiece through the museum's security systems, but he encounters
Lady Deathstrike,
Project Gelsemium Shortly after taking control of the Five Weapons Society, Shang-Chi and Leiko spend vacation together in
Seoul, where they witness several gas bombs detonate across the city, turning victims into trees. After helping
White Fox rescue civilians from a gas explosion, they receive a broadcast of similar explosions happening in major cities worldwide. The three track the origin of one of the diffusors to an
A.I.M. laboratory in London to, where they encounter scientist Jessa Chen, who claims she and other scientists are being forced against their will to create the bioweapon, named the Gelsemium Molecule. Leiko takes Chen to safety while Shang-Chi and White Fox fight A.I.M. guards; however Chen reveals herself as Doctor Gelsemium, the true mastermind behind the Gelsemium Molecule and uses her tree-like physiology to restrain Leiko before exposing her to a Molecule sample, taking her to a laboratory in the
Pacific Northwest. With the help of Gelsemium's former co-workers who used to work for his father, Shang-Chi and White Fox find Leiko through her tracker and fight Gelsemium. After Gelsemium is defeated, Leiko is cured with an antidote which later supplied to Gelsemium's victims around the world.
Enter the Phoenix During the "Enter the Phoenix" storyline, Shang-Chi is chosen by the
Phoenix Force to participate in her tournament alongside many other superheroes and supervillains to decide her next host. Along with the other champions, Shang-Chi is empowered by a spark of the Phoenix's cosmic fire and wins his first match against
Hyperion, who is unable to control the Phoenix's power and immediately surrenders without fighting. For his next match, Shang-Chi is pitted against Captain America, who plans to throw the match and help train Shang-Chi into controlling the Phoenix, as he believes Shang-Chi is the ideal choice for the entity's next avatar. Before Shang-Chi can land the final blow, he vows to not use his powers to take another life, causing the Phoenix to intervene and eliminate him from the tournament, giving Captain America the win.
Shang-Chi vs. the Marvel Universe As the new Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society, Shang-Chi finds himself struggling with balancing his loyalties between the superhero community and his family obligations. Sister Dagger and Brother Sabre become increasingly frustrated with the new direction Shang-Chi has for the Society while his newfound involvement with his father's criminal empire puts his superhero allies on edge. After establishing a new House of the Deadly Hand in New York City's
Chinatown to serve as the Society's main headquarters, Shang-Chi is reunited with his exiled
mutant half-sister Zheng Zhilan, who rejoins their family as the new Sister Staff, and his biological mother
Jiang Li, who had been previously trapped in the
Negative Zone for years. After Brother Sabre steals a
Cosmic Cube from
Captain America without Shang-Chi's knowledge to help his former lover Lady Iron Fan escape Captain America's custody, the
Avengers,
Spider-Man and
Mister Fantastic confront Shang-Chi and the Society to reclaim the Cube. Shang-Chi realizes the truth when Brother Sabre discreetly uses the Cube's power to help Shang-Chi defeat
Thor and relinquishes the Cube along with Takeshi as a prisoner to the Avengers. Despite Spider-Man and Jiang Li reassuring him, Shang-Chi's relationship with his siblings becomes strained while his former allies remain unconvinced of his conviction. Unbeknownst to Shang-Chi, these events are being orchestrated by Chieftain Xin, an old enemy of Zheng Zu, who conspires with Zhilan, Lady Iron Fan and former Society allies King Wild Man and the Red Dot Collective to bring an end to Shang-Chi's rule.
Family of Origin and Blood and Monsters While spending time with his mother at the New House of the Deadly Hand, Jiang Li reveals her past to Shang-Chi, including her history as a
Qilin Rider from the mystical dimension of
Ta-Lo and how she met and married his father. Shang-Chi and Jiang Li are ambushed by Zhilan, Red Dot, King Wild Man, Lady Iron Fan and their henchmen; Jiang Li uses her psionic abilities to detect that they are being led by Xin, her father. Zhilan reveals that her betrayal is a ruse and helps Shang-Chi and the Society defeat the would-be assassins. Jiang Li explains to Shang-Chi the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and Xin's hatred towards Zu and his bloodline. Unfortunately, the assassins take Jiang Li hostage and escape though a portal created by Xin to Qilin Island. When Shang-Chi proves too difficult to defeat in combat, Xin resorts to creating several
taotie from Shang-Chi's blood to hunt down anyone who possesses the bloodline of Zheng Zu. Shang-Chi rescues Takeshi and Shi-Hua when they are both attacked by
taotie and the Qilin Riders, respectively, and reconciles with both of them. With all five of the Champions of the Five Weapons Society back together, Shang-Chi and his siblings take a makeshift portal to Ta-Lo to rescue his mother and stop his grandfather. The siblings are confronted by the Jade Emperor's guards for trespassing, with the Emperor himself arriving to capture them with his Ten Rings. While imprisoned in the Jade Palace dungeon, Zheng Zu's spirit visits Shang-Chi to convince him to take the Ten Rings to stop Xin from destroying their family. Xin, empowered by a
taotie mask created from Shang-Chi's blood and Shi-Hua's severed hand, arrives at the dungeon to destroy the Zheng bloodline once and for all. Shang-Chi reluctantly allows his father to guide him to the Jade Emperor's vault containing the Ten Rings, donning them to save his siblings from his grandfather. When Shang-Chi tries resisting Zheng Zu's influence, Xin is able to take six of the Rings from him and defeats the Champions before heading to the House of the Deadly Hand to join the Qilin Riders in destroying the Society. Shang-Chi and his siblings are protected by the four remaining Rings, which is witnessed by the Jade Emperor, who allows Shang-Chi and the others to leave Ta-Lo to stop Xin on the condition that he returns the Ten Rings. At the House of the Deadly Hand, Shang-Chi fights Xin again but loses the remaining Ten Rings to his grandfather, who then orders the Riders to destroy New York City. With no other option, Shang-Chi gives in to Zu's influence, allowing him to reclaim all of the Rings from Xin, unlocking their full power and taking on his father's appearance and personality. Shang-Chi then uses the Rings to defeat Xin and all the Qilin Riders. Before a corrupted Shang-Chi can execute Xin, he is talked down by Jiang Li and his siblings, freeing him from Zu's influence. Shang-Chi has the Five Weapons Society repair the damage done to the city and tend to wounded civilians, revealing the Society's existence and his leadership to the public but restores his superhero allies' faith in him. Afterwards, Shang-Chi hands Xin and the Ten Rings to the Jade Emperor, who appoints Jiang Li as the new Chieftain of the Qilin Riders, forcing her to stay in Ta-Lo. Shang-Chi's siblings go their separate ways but leave on good terms with him. One month after the ordeal, Shang-Chi discovers that the Ten Rings have left Ta-Lo and arrived at the House of the Deadly Hand.
Secrets and Fool Me Twice Sometime before the Ten Rings return to him, Shang-Chi reunites with Jimmy Woo to take down illegal fighting rings organized by
Crossfire, where unwilling participants, particularly
those of color, are mentally coerced in fighting each other by Crossfire's brainwashing technology. After Crossfire and his brokers apprehended by the two with help from the Agents of Atlas, Five Weapons Society,
Champions and Leiko, Shang-Chi and Jimmy reflect on their similar backgrounds and different upbringings before reconciling with each other. Shang-Chi later discovers that the Eyes of the Dragon survived their destruction and were stolen by the
Inhuman criminal
Kamran. Shang-Chi, Sister Dagger and Sister Staff track down the Eyes to
Jersey City, New Jersey, where they prevent Kamran from using the Eyes on Ms. Marvel to sacrifice her life to prolong that of his boss, the Inhuman crimelord Lineage.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings Unable to access the gateways to Ta-Lo, Shang-Chi has the Ten Rings sealed in a vault within the House of the Deadly Hand. Due to the final battle between Shang-Chi and Xin being televised all over the world, the Ten Rings have become public knowledge, prompting several criminal organizations into attacking the House of the Deadly Hand to claim the Rings, forcing Shang-Chi to don them again to fight them off. Shang-Chi leaves the Rings in another vault while accompanying Leiko in rescuing Clive Reston; Shang-Chi discovers the rescue mission is a ruse orchestrated by MI6 to keep him preoccupied while the Ten Rings are stolen by Black Jack Tarr and his men. When MI6 and
MI13 accidentally summon an eldritch parasite called the Wyrm of Desolation with the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi saves them and reacquires the Rings, but not before admonishing his former friends for betraying him. These events are witnessed by the Xian
Jinzha and
Muzha, who question Shang-Chi's worthiness of wielding the Ten Rings, prompting them to host a
Game of Rings to find a true Ring Keeper. Shang-Chi and nine other fighters are summoned to the Meritorious Striving
Pagoda in Ta-Lo as participants for the Game of Rings; each player is given one of the Ten Rings and forced to fight against one another in the pagoda, with the winner receiving all Ten Rings. Shang-Chi forms an alliance with
Shen Kuei and each are able to claim two Rings apiece before advancing to the pagoda's next floor. On the next floor, Shang-Chi and Shen Kuei meet Jinzha and Muzha, who reveal the history of the Ten Rings to them. Shang-Chi and Shen Keui are attacked by Leiko, who had been possessed by a spawn of the Desolation Wyrm and entered the tournament as a contestant. After Shang-Chi frees her from the Wyrmspawn, Leiko apologizes to Shang-Chi for the theft of the Ten Rings and withdraws from the tournament. However, Shen Kuei betrays Shang-Chi and steals Leiko's Ring from him as both advance to the final floor of the pagoda. As Shang-Chi and Shen Kuei fight in the final round, Shen Kuei willingly consumes the Wrymspawn to defeat Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi is rescued by the other remaining player, Red Cannon, who reveals herself to be Shi-Hua. Shi-Hua destroys the Wyrmspawn but when she is prevented by Shang-Chi from killing Shen Kuei, she gives her Rings to Shang-Chi and withdraws from the tournament. Shang-Chi pleads with Jinzha and Muzha to heal Shen Kuei; the brothers honor his request and send Shen Kuei back to his home dimension. Shang-Chi is declared winner of the Game of Rings and is congratulated by Jiang Li and the Jade Emperor, who reveal themselves to have orchestrated the Game of Rings to test Shang-Chi's worthiness of wielding the Rings. The Emperor warns Shang-Chi of a looming threat to Earth that can only be stopped by a worthy Ring-Keeper on Earth, which was why he entrusted the Ten Rings with Shang-Chi. During a mission with his siblings to thwart a gang of Zheng Zu's loyalists from summoning an earlier version of their father from the past, Shang-Chi is accidentally sent back in time to the
First Opium War, where he encounters younger versions of Zheng Zu and Zheng Yi and that era's Deadly Warriors. Shang-Chi is taken aback by Zu's heroic and amiable personality and befriends him. The two work together to apprehend a corrupt
constable and part on good terms as Shang-Chi is transported back to the present.
Gang War During the events of "
Gang War", Shang-Chi attends a meeting held by the heads of New York's criminal families following the attempted assassination of
Tombstone, claiming that he acting in the best interests of the Five Weapons Society. As Tombstone's coma has left a power vacuum within the criminal underworld, tensions between rival superpowered gangs escalates to a city-wide gang war; due to the close proximities of their organizations' territories, Shang-Chi is forced to intervene during a destructive turf war between Mister Negative and
Lady Yulan. Struggling between his commitment to New York's superheroes, maintaining the loyalty of the Society's battle hungry warriors and prioritizing Chinatown's safety, Shang-Chi minimalizes Society's activities as much as possible in the Gang War. Spider-Man confronts Shang-Chi for his involvement with the other crime lords, but Shang-Chi explains that he is only doing so to protect Chinatown's citizens and reassures Spider-Man that he would keep the Society confined to Chinatown. Believing that Shang-Chi's actions are weakening the Society, several members led by Captain Feng stage a coup against him, which Shang-Chi easily fights off. However, several of Feng's sorcerers trap the Ten Rings within a magic prison, robbing Shang-Chi of his weapons. Hoping to find a way to keep Chinatown safe without the Rings, Shang-Chi sends a message to Mr. Negative, Yulan and
Diamondback, requesting they each send their best champion to challenge him in a duel for control of Chinatown. The three crimelords accept the challenge but attend the duel themselves. Shang-Chi easily defeats them but discovers they each had sent decoys in their places while focusing their attention on having their forces destroy each other, which Shang-Chi had planned to happen. While Shang-Chi's gambit to pit his biggest rivals against each other while keeping them out of Chinatown succeeds, it creates further destruction throughout the rest of city, prompting Mayor
Luke Cage into gathering Spider-Man,
Danny Rand,
She-Hulk and Tombstone to confront him. Having anticipated this as well that his rivals would eventually team up against him after fighting each other, Shang-Chi manipulates the arriving heroes and villains into fighting each other at the House of the Deadly Hand while tricking Captain Feng and his sorcerers into releasing the Ten Rings, which he then uses to defeat the traitors and villains. With Chinatown safe and the Ten Rings back in his possession, Shang-Chi joins the other heroes in ending the Gang War.
Thunderbolts Shang-Chi is recruited by
Bucky Barnes into his new
Thunderbolts team to eliminate the
Red Skull and his enterprises. Using the codename
Gamemaster, Shang-Chi and Barnes travel to
Hong Kong to intercept
U.S. Agent and
American Kaiju, who were tricked by the Red Skull's spies within the
United States Army into destroying the Skull's remaining secret base to cover his escape. When Red Skull remotely forces American Kaiju to go on a rampage in the city, Shang-Chi orders the Five Weapons Society to protect citizens and provides Barnes with the mystical Ring of
Kuafu, allowing Barnes to grow into the size of a giant to subdue American Kaiju. Shang-Chi and the Thunderbolts travel to
Latveria to attack the Red Skull at his remaining base, which is successful after the team tricks
Doctor Doom into attacking and killing the Skull.
Avengers Assemble Shang-Chi is one of several heroes recruited by Captain America to part of the
Avengers Emergency Response Squad and is deployed on the team's first mission to stop
Sin from terrorizing
Rügen with her new powers; Shang-Chi and his team ultimately succeed. While later investigating a robbery that had been committed in Rügen during the fight against Sin, Shang-Chi is ambushed by the culprit
Tiger Snake of the
Serpent Society. The two fight to a standstill until Shang-Chi is forced to retreat when Tiger Snake poisons him. After recovering at
Avengers Mansion, Shang-Chi reports the encounter with Tiger Snake to Captain America. Realizing that the Serpent Society had been using the crises that the AVENG.E.R.S. had been dealing with as cover for several robberies, Shang-Chi joins Captain America's team to confront Tiger Snake and the Serpent Society while they are committing a heist at a mine close to
Latveria. They are too late to stop
Pit Viper from completing a mysterious substance called the Serpent's Tears. Pit Viper attempts to make Shang-Chi his first test subject with the Serpent's Tears but Captain America jumps in the way; the Tears transform him into a humanoid snake-like monster. Despite this, the AVENG.E.R.S. reunite and rally together to defeat the Serpent Society, destroy the Serpent's Tears and revert Captain America back to human while Shang-Chi defeats Tiger Snake in a rematch. ==Powers and abilities==