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Shang-Chi is still getting used to ruling the cult-like criminal empire he inherited from his father.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Shang-Chi #3 by Gene Luen Yang, Dike Ruan, Triona Farrell, and VC’s Travis Lanham, on sale now.
Before he makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi is adjusting to a very different lifestyle in the comics. Following the death of his father, Shang-Chi has inherited a cult-like criminal empire and all of the accoutrements that come with it. Breaking old habits is hard for the former Avenger, and even with the guidance of his family to help him along, Shang-Chi is out of his element in the company of supervillains. As luck would have it, he doesn’t actually have to get so used to that idea, as Madame Hydra has just revealed that her own friendly relationship with Shang-Chi’s father involved plenty of attempted murders.
Intel has recently come in regarding an auction being hosted by the Iron Eighty-Eight triad, and with the hot item of the night being a Cosmic Cube there is no way that Shang-Chi can let things go as planned. He is quick to suggest dropping in unannounced, but his brother Deadly Sabre reminds him that as Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society, Shang-Chi now has a whole new world of resources available to him. Instead of making an explosive entrance, the duo arrives in style as esteemed guests, immediately drawing the attention of Madame Hydra. Not everyone is sure why Shang-Chi of all people should be there, but Madame Hydra is quick to point out that they are in the presence of a colleague now, not an Avenger. In fact, her respect for Shang-Chi goes beyond his previous heroics and all the way to his station itself, as she idolized his father before Zhen Zu’s passing. That doesn’t mean their relationship was necessarily friendly, though for two supervillains it might have been as friendly as that kind of relationship can get.
It only makes sense that Madame Hydra’s relationship with Zheng Zu would be at least somewhat strained, as Shang-Chi has been fighting his own father ever since both of their introductions to the Marvel Universe in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition #15 by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. The only way for Zheng Zu to ever truly bring his son back into the fold came with his own death, and even now, Shang-Chi is trying to alter the course of the Five Weapons Society in ways that are anathema to their longstanding criminal traditions. No matter how much a part of his life the Five Weapons Society and his father’s machinations have always been, it was only in his youth that he experienced them as anything other than an outsider. Shang-Chi’s very first mission handed down by his father led to him rebuking the villain he discovered Zheng Zu had always been, proving that even his years spent training to be an assassin only took hold on the surface. Now that he has been thrust into the life of a villain, Shang-Chi is obviously anxious in his current surroundings. If it weren’t for his family, that same social awkwardness might have even gotten him killed.
Deadly Sabre reminds his brother that it is rude to turn down a drink at such a function, only to immediately remind Shang-Chi that the champagne on call is likely poisoned and that he is only to pretend to drink it. Going from shaking hands with the enemy to worrying about both being poisoned is far from the high flying style that the Master of Kung Fu is used to — although it could be just what he needs right now. Even in relatively good company, Shang-Chi has to maintain his edge at all times, a lesson that he has either forgotten or never really learned. There is no doubt that with a little coaching he will be just fine, assuming he is taught how to be evil by someone with his best interests at heart.
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