WARNING: There are unmarked spoilers on these sheets for all but the most recent comics.
Remember, this sheet is for characters and examples from the main Marvel Universe (referred to in-universe as 'Earth-616') only. Please do not list characters or examples from shows, movies or alternate universe versions here. If you have thought of a trope that fits an alternate version of these characters, please take that example to its respective sheet.
A note regarding Fu Manchu and other characters taken from the Sax Rohmer novels
When Shang-Chi was first introduced, Marvel Comics owned the rights to adapt Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu novels. Several key characters came from the novels (including Shang-Chi's father, Fu Manchu himself) and some new characters created and owned by Marvel were given backgrounds closely tied to Fu Manchu.
After Marvel lost the rights to Fu Manchu the characters directly taken from the books could no longer appear or be named in future stories.
To work around this, Marvel's version of Fu Manchu was renamed to Zheng Zu — this was initially positioned as a Real Name Reveal, but was followed by a Soft Reboot that made them distinctly different characters. As of July 2022, it's still unclear how this affects many of the pre-existing stories or characters.
All of that could potentially make this character sheet a little confusing. With that in mind:
- Descriptions and tropes for characters who haven't appeared since the rename and reboot (e.g. the supporting characters taken from the Rohmer books) may still refer to Fu Manchu, as they are specific to that version of the character.
- All other descriptions and tropes refer to Zheng Zu unless specifically discussing the Soft Reboot's impact.
For characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's adaptation of Shang-Chi, see here.
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Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi
Click here to see his original appearance
Alter Ego: Zheng Shang-Chi
Notable Aliases: Brother Hand, Deadly Hand, Master of Kung Fu
First Appearance: Special Marvel Edition #15 (December, 1973)
Lady Deathstrike: I've fought all kinds of people...ones whose bodies burned like fire...ones with superhuman healing and adamantium bones. What are you compared to them?
Shang-Chi: Well... just someone who's good with his hands.
— The Legend of Shang-Chi #1
Shang-Chi (which, literally translated into English, means "the rising of the spirit") is the son of Zheng Zu, a Long-Lived Chinese supervillain who was head of the Five Weapons Society.
(Originally, prior to the Soft Reboot, his father was Fu Manchu and the organisation of assassins was the Si-Fan. However, when Marvel lost the rights to the Sax Rohmer stories and characters, those names were changed)
Raised in his father's Hunan base, the House of the Deadly Hand, he was intended to become one of his father's most trusted lieutenants, but rebelled when he realised how corrupted his father had become.
Allying with the British intelligence service MI6, he opposed his father, his malevolent half-sister and many other villains. Eventually, he lost faith in MI6 and, along with many of his allies, quit to form his own independent team.
Later, after his father's defeat and death, Shang-Chi became much more involved with the world of superheroes, joining The Avengers and Heroes for Hire, and mentoring heroes such as Spider-Man and Domino when they needed martial arts training.
When his younger sister Shi-Hua (aka "Sister Hammer") reappeared and pronounced herself Zheng-Zu's true successor, Shang-Chi was pulled back towards his father's legacy, discovering more of his father's history, meeting a powerful extended family and uncovering the true scale of his father's centuries-old secret society.
- Always Someone Better: He's considered the best martial artist on Earth, but for most of his career he's only been human, with no powers or special weapons, and some superhumans who are both Strong and Skilled have been able to easily defeat him (such as the mutant Gorgon and a demon-possessed Daredevil).
- Aborted Arc: In the decades since Marvel lost the rights to Sax Rohmer's work, Shang-Chi's connection to his father has been downplayed. Eventually averted when the Soft Reboot replaced Fu Manchu with Zheng Zu and the 2020 series introduced the Five Weapons Society. Zheng Zu may be dead, but his legacy and conflict with Shang-Chi is back on center stage.
- The Ace: Considered to be the best martial artist/hand-to-hand fighter on Earth.
- Armed Females, Unarmed Males: Shang Chi usually fights unarmed and is capable of even besting superhuman foes without the use of weapons. His love interest Leiko Wu is more within the ballpark of what a normal human is capable of and uses guns in addition to hand-to-hand combat.
- Badass Normal: Despite being a baseline human for much of his career, Shang-Chi is one of the most dangerous hand-to-hand fighters in the Marvel Universe, and is capable of holding his own both alongside and against superhuman opponents.
- He's even been known to turn down offers of technological upgrades, on the basis that he doesn't really need anything else, and he's usually right. (He does use a pair of Stark Industries-brand power nunchaku at one point in Avengers, though.)
- During the Infinity crossover Shang-Chi is on the team of Avengers that goes into space to fight in an interstellar war, and he still holds his own, albeit mostly through a stubborn refusal to stay down and his new-found Ki Manipulation powers.
- Bash Brothers: With Lin Lie/Sword Master while both are at the Agents of Atlas. Also with his half-brother Takeshi/Brother Sabre.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Usually Shang-Chi is The Stoic; he says few words and is generally very mellow. But piss him off enough and you'll find out first-hand why he's the Master of Kung Fu. Lampshaded a little bit in the Shang-Chi (2020) series, when Leiko Wu points out that he's much chattier and less formal when speaking Chinese.
- Big Brother Mentor: Occasionally acts this way towards younger superheroes, including Sword Master, Crescent, Brawn and Ms. Marvel. Zig-zagged with his younger siblings, who either are already capable, have a contentious relationship with him or both, but are slowly learning how to overcome their father's evil influence over them from him.
- Boxing Lessons for Superman: He often provides these to other superheroes, including Sword Master, Domino, and Spider-Man.
- Bruce Lee Clone: These days, Depending on the Writer and Artist, he is sometimes a Bruce Lee Clone, something that began even at the time when it was illustrated by Paul Gulacy. During Warren Ellis' Secret Avengers stint, Shang-Chi even wore a black and red variant of Lee's iconic Game of Death tracksuit. When he was first created, though, he was largely based on Kwai-Chang Caine from Kung Fu (1972).
- But Not Too Foreign: Shang-Chi being half-white and half-Chinese was a requirement from Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas. It was largely ignored after his mother's first appearance and eventually averted when the Soft Reboot introduced Jiang Li as his mother.
- Celibate Hero: Downplayed, and Depending on the Writer. He was involved with Leiko Wu and Juliette during the Master of Kung Fu run, but Heroes For Hire seemed to suggest this was a factor in his training regime.
- Characterization Marches On: He was created as a Bruce Lee Clone in the 1970s and spoke exactly how you'd expect white writers in the '70s expected kung fu masters to talk. As time went on, much of this phased out and while loving nods to Bruce can still be seen here or there, Shang-Chi has since developed into a friendly Humble Hero who just so happens to be the Marvel Universe's greatest martial artist. Some of this can be attributed to his movie portraying him as a more down to earth Nice Guy.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Despite supposedly spending most of his career as a Badass Normal, Shang-Chi's abilities in later stories often drift into this territory. He's faster than any human ought to be, able to use Arrow Catch and Bullet Catch techniques (on one occasion, he even catches a small calibre bullet between his teeth), and can immobilise even opponents with Super-Toughness via nerve strikes.
- Exposed to the Elements: In an issue of Heroes for Hire, the team has to travel through the South Pole on the way to the Savage Land for a job. Shang Chi is shown standing shirtless in the cold while Misty and Colleen are noticeably shivering despite wearing warm clothing. Shang Chi claims that his exposure to the cold was helping him take his mind off his growing attraction to Tarantula.
- Formerly Friendly Family: Shang-Chi and his sister Shi-Hua were very close as children, but after many years separated, not only she has embraced their father's teachings, she's willing to kill Shang in order to be considered Zheng Zu's true successor, something Shang-Chi was completely unaware of and uninterested in.
- Good Is Not Soft: Shang is one of the genuinely nicest heroic sorts in the Marvel Universe, and generally prefers to avoid violence. If someone forces his hand, however, Shang rarely holds back."You do not brush a reed to the ground if you want it to stay out of your path. You snap it."
- Prefers Going Barefoot: He went barefoot everywhere in The '70s. Called out on this by a security guard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City ("Hey, kid! Why Don't you get some shoes?"), he replied, "Why do you fear to touch the ground? Does the concrete not separate you from it enough?".
- The Rival: Shen Kuei, the Cat, is a sometime-ally, sometime-enemy of Shang's. They have both loved the same woman more than once, and it's been repeatedly stated that neither really knows who is the better martial artist.
- Secret Legacy: Downplayed, as he's aware of much of his father's legacy. But he's not initially aware that he's the latest Brother Hand, and that others before him have held the Deadly Hand title over the centuries since his family founded the Five Weapons Society.
- Self-Duplication: Gains this ability in Avengers Volume 5, #38 due to exposure to Ex Nihilo's Origin Bomb in Kobe, Japan. He's eventually Brought Down to Badass again, losing the power.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: Overlaps with Belligerent Sexual Tension and Interplayof Sexand Violence; during his tenure as a Hero for Hire, he starts liking Tarantula (Maria Vasquez). In one arc, after a brief but big fight, the two start kissing. Shang-Chi is at first disgusted, but eventually gives in to both his hormones, and Maria and the two have sex.
- Took a Level in Badass: While Shang-Chi could always use his chi ala Iron Fist-style, it was never as flashy as Marvel's other kung fu guy. Come The Avengers (Jonathan Hickman), it's as flashy and arguably as powerful as an Iron Fist's.
- Tyke Bomb: Like most of his siblings, he was trained for combat from a very early age. In one Master of Kung Fu story he mentions that he began when he was three.
- World's Best Warrior: Usually considered to be Marvel's greatest martial artist by a considerable margin, with the exception of Iron Fist, who is usually considered his equal — though the Fist has supernatural abilities, meaning Shang-Chi (when not empowered) is definitely the greatest non-superpowered martial artist in the world.
The Five Weapons Society
In General
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The members of the Five Weapons Society are identified by a respective color; the Hand signature color is red, the Hammer is yellow, the Sabre is white, the Dagger is black, and the Staff is green.
Zheng Zu
Zheng Zu
Notable Aliases: Fu Manchu, Han, Devil Doctor, Doctor Fu Manchu, Comte de Saint Germain, The Ghost, Devil Doctor Daddy, Wang Yu-Seng
First Appearance: Special Marvel Edition #15 (December, 1973)
Shang-Chi's father and the former head of the Five Weapons Society (aka Si-Fan, Order of the Golden Dawn, Order of the Hai-Dai). He died a while back, and a partial resurrection in Secret Avengers was prevented, but he still shows up in flashbacks and as a spirit.
In the earlier Shang-Chi stories he was directly portrayed as Sax Rohmer's pulp villain Fu Manchu, but Marvel have since lost the adaptation rights to those books, so he's now referred to solely as Zheng Zu. This has also allowed him to develop in very different directions, avoiding some of the racism associated with the original character.
- Archnemesis Dad: Even after death, he continues to haunt his son and other children.
- Back for the Dead: In the Secret Avengers "Eyes of the Dragon" arc. He Came Back Wrong via partial resurrection (revealing his identity as Zheng Zu), only to be killed again at the end of the story.
- Beard of Evil: His signature goatee and mustache.
- Came Back Wrong: The Shadow Council tries to resurrect him using the 'Eyes of the Dragon', but he's left as a horrific undead figure until they can sacrifice Shang-Chi to complete the resurrection. That doesn't happen, as the Secret Avengers intervene.
- Continuity Snarl: When Shang-Chi first introduced in the 1970s, Marvel held the adaptation rights for the Fu Manchu stories and Shang-Chi's father was Fu Manchu. When they lost the rights, he was no longer named. Then Secret Avengers reintroduced him under the name of Zheng Zu in 2010. The Soft Reboot of subsequent series has developed Zheng Zu as a very different character, enabling Marvel to abandon the racist elements of Fu Manchu, and it's left unclear which elements of the original stories are still canon.
- Evil Me Scares Me: Part of his motivation for saving his brother at the cost of his own life, and he says as much when Zheng Yi derails it with a Take Me Instead. Given subsequent events, he was right.
- Face–Heel Turn: A slow one. After his brother's death he slid from heroism into a Well-Intentioned Extremist, then eventually became a supervillain. Flashbacks suggest that the villainy only really dominated after 1900.
- Fantastic Racism: Judging by Takeshi and Esme's comments after his death, Zheng Zu was prejudiced against mutants.
- Given Name Reveal: The reveal of his name Zheng Zu was originally treated this way, with the implication that he was still Fu Manchu (but couldn't be named as such for legal reasons). After the 2020 series this falls away in favour of a wider Soft Reboot, though.
- Long-Lived: Due to magic and the Eyes of the Dragon, he lived for centuries. In the 2020 series, Shang-Chi mentions that he believes Zheng Zu was born during the Qing dynasty (which started in 1644).
- Love Redeems: According to his wife Jiang Li, for a time it did, trying to become a better person for the sake of his family, only for his past actions to caught up to him and making him return to his villainous self.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: He has fathered and adopted many children during his long life, Shang-Chi merely being the most prominent.
- Morality Chain: His younger brother Zheng Yi holds this role for Zheng Zu.
- Offing the Offspring: He's killed at least one child and has repeatedly attempted to kill others.
- After Shang-Chi defeats Moving Shadow, Zheng Zu kills him with a thrown knife, telling Shang-Chi that a loyal son who fails is even worse than a traitor.
- He's attempted to kill Shang-Chi on many occasions.
- He had an extended Enemy Civil War with Shang-Chi's elder half-sister Zheng Bao Yu when she tried to launch a coup within his organization. There were several attempts to kill her as part of this.
- He seemed ready to kill his young daughter Shi-Hua when she struck him to defend Shang-Chi (and, for a long time afterwards, Shang-Chi was left to assume that Zheng-Zu had killed her).
- Ret-Canon: In the movie, Wenwu is a composite character of the Mandarin and Zheng Zu, in Shang-Chi (2021), Gene Luen Yang took some stuff from the movie, Zheng Zu met his wife Jiang Li after invading Ta-Lo, Jiang Li was a mortal born in Ta-Lo, Lo, both got married and had two children (although this had already been shown in the Shang-Chi (2020) miniseries), Jiang Li was banished from Ta-Lo and went to live with Zheng Zu on Earth, however, Yang also distances himself from the film when show that Jiang Li didn't die, she was just trapped in the Negative Zone and that Zheng Zu never took possession of the Ten Rings, which in this version, is Ta-Lo's weapon.
- Sacrificial Revival Spell: Via the "Eyes of the Dragon", which can save and empower the caster at the cost of a relative's life. This comes up a couple of times:
- Zheng Zu attempts to use it to save his brother Zheng Yi at the cost of his own life, which fails when Zheng Yi reverses its target, saving Zheng Zu with a Take Me Instead.
- The Shadow Council use it to resurrect Zheng Zu, but he's caught in a Came Back Wrong state and needs Shang-Chi's death to return him to true life. The Avengers save Shang-Chi (and the Prince of Orphans kills Zheng Zu) before that can happen.
Zheng Yi
Zheng Yi
First Appearance: Secret Avengers #6 (October, 2010)
Zheng Zu's brother and co-founder of the Five Weapons Society. He died in 1860, but still shows up in flashbacks and as a spirit.- Long-Lived: He led the Five Weapons society alongside Zheng Zu for at least a century, extending his life with longevity spells.
- Morality Chain: For his elder brother Zheng Zu.
- Remember the New Guy?: Shang-Chi and his father were introduced in the 1970s, but Zheng Yi was first mentioned in the 2010 Secret Avengers story and only named or seen in the 2020 Shang-Chi miniseries.
- Spirit Advisor: Occasionally appears to his nephew Shang-Chi as a spirit.
- Take Me Instead: Rejected Zheng Zu's attempt to save him from Baron Harkness and the Mindless Ones, redirecting the spell to save and empower Zheng Zu instead.
Brother Sabre
Takeshi
Alter Ego: Takeshi Zheng
Notable Aliases: Deadly Sabre
First Appearance: Shang-Chi #1 (September, 2020)
Shang-Chi's half-brother Takeshi was raised in Japan, becoming head of the House of the Deadly Sabre. Initially one of Shang-Chi's biggest supporters, his views shifted a little after he was granted a prophetic vision of a Bad Future that would be caused by Shang-Chi's leadership.- BFS: He wields a nine-ringed broadsword.
- Dating Catwoman: He used to be involved with Lady Iron Fan, an enemy of the Five Weapons Society.
- Death Faked for You: Arranged this for his half-sister Zheng Zhilan when he was sent to assassinate her. On the other hand, it seems he didn't really stop to explain that to her — when they next meet, she assumes he's back to finish the job.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: A Brother-Sister example with Esme, being at least two heads taller than her.
- Improvised Weapon: When faced with a Taotie and without his swords, he uses a food tray as a weapon.
- Manly Facial Hair: Characterized by his full beard and he's a huge and manly fighter.
- Self-Restraint: At the end of the 2021 series he willingly returns to jail, viewing it as the honorable option.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: His combat outfit has no sleeves.
Sister Dagger
Zheng Esme
Alter Ego: Zheng Esme
Notable Aliases: Deadly Dagger
First Appearance: Shang-Chi #1 (September, 2020)
The youngest of Shang-Chi's half-siblings, Esme was raised in France and swiftly became head of the House of the Deadly Dagger.- French Jerk: She's half-French and she's usually the least friendly of Shang-Chi's siblings who aren't his enemies.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: A Brother-Sister version with Takeshi, being the shortest of the siblings while Takeshi is the tallest.
- More Deadly Than the Male: She's the first one to argue about using deadly force while her brothers usually try to talk first.
- Smoke Out: One of her favourite ways to end a confrontation. Her throwing daggers can release smoke.
- Sour Supporter: She doesn't agree with some of Shang-Chi's decisions and is rather vocal about it but remains loyal to her half-brother.
Sister Hammer
Zheng Shi-Hua
Alter Ego: Zheng Shi-Hua
Notable Aliases: Commander Hammer, Deadly Hammer, Red Cannon.
First Appearance: Shang-Chi #1 (September, 2020)
Shang-Chi's little sister (and his only full sibling), Shi-Hua was separated from her brother and raised in Siberia to became head of the House of the Deadly Hammer. She tried to become the Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society by killing her brother Shang-Chi.- An Arm and a Leg: Xin uses a special arrow to cut off her right hand.
- Bald Head of Toughness: She shaved her head completely bald and is incredibly tough, plus using a war-hammer as a weapon.
- Big Little Sister: She's younger than Shang-Chi but has grown taller and more muscular when they meet again.
- Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: She wields a chuÃ
, a type of Chinese hammer used in combat. - Facial Markings: She has a prominent tattoo on her forehead.
- Formerly Friendly Family: She and Shang-Chi were very close as children, until he fled and she embraced their father's teachings.
- Inadequate Inheritor: Sister Hammer was initially convinced that Shang-Chi wasn't worthy of his father's empire. By the end of Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings she's reversed that view, and plans on using the Red Dot Collective to protect Shang-Chi and the Five Weapons Society.
- Power Fist: After losing her right hand to Chieftain Xin, she's outfitted with a high-tech hammer made of Solid Light that she can turn on and off at will.
- Retired Badass: Following her Battle in the Center of the Mind with Shang-Chi, she's dropped into a more mundane lifestyle, working as a lumberjack in Canada. It doesn't last, as she soon adopts the Red Cannon identity and takes control of the Red Dot Collective.
Brother Staff
Brother Staff
Alter Ego: Unknown
Notable Aliases: Deadly Staff
First Appearance: Shang-Chi #1 (September, 2020)
The head of the House of the Deadly Staff, he was based in England and was apparently another of Shang-Chi's half-siblings.- Defiant to the End: He exits with a Dying Smirk, noting that Shang-Chi, not the murderous Sister Hammer, has been chosen as their father's new successor.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Shi-Hua kills him before we even learn his name.
Sister Staff
Zheng Zhilan
Alter Ego: Zheng Zhilan
Notable Aliases: Deadly Staff, Lake Witch, Witch of Muckross Lake
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #3 (July, 2021)
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: Sort of. She's a mutant while her predecessor as Deadly Staff was a normal human.
- Alliterative Name: Zheng Zhilan.
- Braids of Action: Has her hair in a long braid and she takes being the new head of the House of Staff pretty well.
- Death Faked for You: Her half-brother Takeshi arranges this when their father sends him to assassinate Zheng Zhilan. It seems he didn't really stop to explain this first, though.
- Fake Defector: While at first she seemed to have betrayed her siblings to their enemies, it's all part of the plan. Eventually, with Esme's assistance, she reveals her true allegiance and leads them into an ambush.
Master Ling
Master Ling
First Appearance: Shang-Chi #3 (November, 2020)
- Court Mage: In the absence of Zheng Zu, he seems to hold this role for the leaders of the Five Weapons Society.
Ducharme
Ducharme
Notable Aliases: Agent D
First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #2 (April, 1974)
- Back for the Dead: She reappears, after a long absence, in the final Fu Manchu arc of the original Master of Kung Fu series. Fah Lo Suee seemingly shoots her dead.
- Double Agent: Nayland Smith believed that she was a Deep Cover Agent who'd been spying on Fu Manchu for him for decades, but she was actually loyal to Fu Manchu all along.
- Killed Off for Real: She hasn't reappeared since her death at the end of Master of Kung Fu.
- Long-Lived: Fu Manchu supplied her with Elixir Vitae to extend her life.
Relatives outside the Five Weapons Society
Chieftain Xin
Chieftain Xin
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #1 (May, 2021)
Shang-Chi and Shi-Hua's maternal grandfather. Leader of the Qilin Riders, one of the mortal peoples of the dimension known as Ta Lo, and sworn to defend the "Treasures of the Gods".- Beard of Evil: A notable white beard and he has turned evil for the sake of vengeance.
- Formerly Friendly Family: He used to be on good terms with his daughter, but she abandoned their people to run away with Zheng Zu, who was revealed as a would-be thief. He initially offered both Jiang Li and the young Shang-Chi his support, but his views have now hardened and he wants his daughter and grandchildren to suffer for Zheng Zu's sins.
- Gruesome Grandparent: While there was a time he was genuinely well-intentioned, now he wants to destroy Zheng Zu's legacy, even if it means killing his own grandchildren.
- Kirin: His people are Qilin riders, with a psychic link to them. He rides one into battle.
- Master Archer: One of the two gifts of his people. He's certainly a lethally effective archer, but this still borders on Informed Ability.
- Psychic Link: One of the gifts of his people is a link to the Qilin they ride.
- Revenge Before Reason: Even though Zu is long dead and his grandson Shang-Chi didn't want a feud, he wants to kill everyone who has Zu's blood in the name of revenge.
- Two-Faced: Half his face was burned by Shang-Chi when he was a child. He'd just offered his grandson sanctuary, but then Zheng Zu convinced Shang-Chi that Xin had just killed his mother.
Jiang Li
Jiang Li
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #4 (September, 2021)
Shang-Chi and Shi-Hua's mother, the daughter of Chieftain Xin. Like her father, she grew up in the dimension of Ta Lo, not on Earth, but she left her people after meeting her future husband Zheng Zu.- Adaptation Name Change: In the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings film, she's Ying Li. When she was subsequently introduced to the comics, she was named Jiang Li (which was used in some early pre-release publicity for the movie, but amended before the final version).
- Dating What Daddy Hates: She fell in love with her father's enemy Zheng Zu, and despite trying to help her husband become a better person, Zu eventually fell back into villainy.
- Canon Immigrant: First introduced in the Shang-Chi film, then introduced to the comics as part of the wider Soft Reboot started by the 2020 series. Subsequent stories revealed that she also has a similar background to her movie counterpart.
- Kirin: Her people are Qilin riders, with a psychic link to them. She was riding one when Zheng Zu first met her.
- Master Archer: One of the two gifts of her people.
- Psychic Link: One of the gifts of her people is a link to the Qilin they ride. During her time in the Negative Zone she was able to extend it to other creatures as well.
- Verbal Tic: At least initially, she chitters like the bugs she psionically connected while trapped within the Negative Zone.
Kwai Far
Kwai Far
First Appearance:
Daughter of Zheng Zu and another of Shang-Chi's half-siblings. Their father offered Kwai Far's hand in marriage to T'Challa, the Black Panther, to seal a political alliance. Shang-Chi intervened, T'Challa politely declined — and Zheng Zu angrily disowned his daughter for failing to ensnare her groom.Kwai Far also makes it very clear that she wouldn't have been quite so willing to accept her father's arranged marriage plans if the groom hadn't been to her liking.
- I Have No Daughter!: Zheng Zu strikes Kwai Far — and promptly disowns her — as soon it's clear that T'Challa isn't going to marry her.
- Put on a Bus: She hasn't reappeared since her original Black Panther storyline, so hasn't been seen or mentioned since the Soft Reboot.
Zheng Bao Yu
Zheng Bao Yu
Notable Aliases: Fah Lo Suee, Cursed Lotus, Daughter of Darkness
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #26 (December, 1974)
Daughter of Zheng Zu and older half-sister of Shang-Chi. After feuding with her father for control of his criminal organization, she eventually acknowledged that she was losing and surrendered to MI6. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she moved from prisoner to employee and swiftly ended up as one of the agency's directors. Eventually she left MI6 again and reverted to villainy, running her own organisation after her father's death and also assuming the leadership of Hai-Dai.Zheng Bao Yu was originally introduced to the comics as Fah Lo Suee, a character from the original Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels. As Marvel have now lost the comic adaptation rights to that character, she has been renamed to Zheng Bao Yu in more recent appearances.
As of March 2022 she hasn't actually reappeared in Shang-Chi since the Soft Reboot, so it's unclear how much of her original background as "Fah Lo Suee" has been amended to reflect Zheng Zu's very different history.
- Archnemesis Dad: It's not just Shang-Chi who keeps feuding with Zheng Zu. In fact, in a flashback during her first appearance, she warns a very young Shang-Chi that he may have to pick a side when he grows up.
- Canon Welding: She is (or at least started as) Fah Lo Suee, a character from the Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu books who was later introduced to the Marvel Universe.
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Much like her half-brother, her martial arts skills are pretty much superhuman. She's good enough to hold off the Asgardian Valkyrie and Elsa Bloodstone simultaneously, at least for a while.
- Dark Action Girl: Evolved into this in later appearances. In the early Master of Kung Fu days she relied almost entirely on minions, mind-control and poison, and didn't physically confront her enemies.
- Dating Catwoman: She has romantic history with Sir Denis Nayland Smith (A Mayfly–December Romance when he was much younger). It didn't end amicably.
- Dragon Lady: If the green dresses and dragon tattoos weren't enough of an indicator.
- Drugged Lipstick: Has used this tactic to poison her enemies.
- Given Name Reveal: She gets one in Fearless Defenders, not long after Zheng Zu's name is revealed. As with her father, it's mostly there to detach her from the Sax Rohmer stories and associated licensing issues.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Making eye contact with her is a really bad idea. At one point she also boosts this ability with the ancient gems known as the 'ruby eyes'.
- Long-Lived: She's considerably older than Shang-Chi and, in her first appearance, Nayland Smith notes that she hasn't aged a day in the forty years since he last saw her.
Falo
Falo
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #9 (February, 2022)
A violent small-time crook in the Hawaiian town of Kailua-Kona. He's first seen mugging some tourists, but when Chieftain Xin's Taotie start hunting Zheng Zu's bloodline, he's chosen as one of their targets.Falo survives and Esme reveals that he must be related to Zheng Zu, the "greatest supervillain ever". Falo seems very happy to hear that — he now has something to aspire to.
- Secret Legacy: Until Esme revealed that Zheng Zhilan was one of Falo's relatives, he had no idea of his heritage.
- Villainous Legacy: He's a descendant from one of the many children of Zheng Zu.
- Unknown Relative: Until he was attacked by a Taotie, he had no idea he descended from Zheng Zu.
M'Nai
M'Nai
Notable Aliases: Midnight, Midnight Sun, Dark Destroyer
First Appearance: Special Marvel Edition #16 (November, 1973)
Shang-Chi's adopted African brother. M'Nai was the sole survivor of a British attack on a village of Zheng Zu's followers. Seeing the anger and rage in baby M'Nai's face, Zheng Zu adopted him. The child's face was badly scarred, so he wore a mask for most of his life. M'Nai and Shang-Chi grew up and trained together, becoming best friends.M'Nai eventually received superpowers from the Kree, subsequently changing his moniker from "Midnight" to "Midnight Sun".
Although he's appeared in other Marvel comics since the Soft Reboot, as of February 2022 he hasn't yet reappeared in Shang-Chi, so it's unclear how much of his original background has been amended.
- Cape Snag: In his first appearance he's killed when he falls from a crane, his cape snags on the hook and the sudden stop breaks his neck. Then again, it was a long drop and the alternative was probably fatal as well. And it's a temporary death anyway.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He's pretty dangerous before he gains powers. Afterwards he's capable of duelling the Silver Surfer…
- The Faceless: His face is scarred and he's always masked. Even as a child, he fought Shang-Chi (before they became friends) rather than show his face. Once he's resurrected by the Kree, he's still horribly scarred, but this time due to their scientists' modifications.
- Formerly Friendly Family: As Shang-Chi's adoptive brother, he's the first of his siblings to appear. And although they're good friends, he's still loyal to Zheng Zu, whereas Shang-Chi's betrayed him. So they're going to have to fight.
- Identity Amnesia: After his resurrection as Midnight Sun, he initially lacks all memory of his previous life. But he definitely retains his skills.
- Scars Are Forever: He was scarred as a baby, a victim of the attack that killed his parents. He hid his face beneath a mask for the rest of his life. When he's resurrected by the Kree, using a cloned body, he acquires a different set of horrible facial scars.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: He's stealthy enough to pull these on Shang-Chi.
- Tyke Bomb: Like most of Zheng Zu's other children, he was taught to fight from a very early age.
- Villain Episode: Gets a short solo story in an Iron Man annual, a flashback tale in which he's sent to Singapore during the Vietnam War to recruit supervillain Half-Face for Zheng Zu's cause.
- The Voiceless: When resurrected by the Kree, he's initially unable to speak.
Moving Shadow
Moving Shadow
First Appearance: Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu #1 (September, 2002)
Shang-Chi's younger half-brother, raised to be a perfectly loyal heir to Zheng Zu. He's an exceptionally talented assassin and, like, Shang-Chi, he's one of the world's finest martial artists.- Blood Knight: At the darker end of the scale. He talks about enjoying killing people in the same way he talks about enjoying fine wine and sex.
- The Hedonist: Downplayed, but when he tells his father that he doesn't believe in an afterlife, he adds that he's more interested in excellent wine, beautiful women and the chance to kill so many people.
- Killed Off for Real: He was killed by Zheng Zu and hasn't returned so far.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His actual name is unknown, he's only called Moving Shadow.
- You Have Failed Me: On the receiving end. Zheng Zu declares that a loyal son who fails is even more disappointing than a traitor, then promptly kills him.
Allies
Leiko Wu
Leiko Wu
Notable Aliases: Leiko Wu Reston
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #33 (October, 1975)
Shang-Chi's on-and-off-again love interest and a member of MI6.
- Action Girl: Very much so. She's a field agent for spy agency MI6 and seems equally comfortable with guns and hand-to-hand combat.
- An Arm and a Leg: Prior to her death and resurrection, Leiko lost a hand to the villain Argus and replaced it with a prosthetic.
- Armed Females, Unarmed Males: While no slouch in hand-to-hand combat, she is much more reliant on weapons than Shang Chi.
- Dating Catwoman: Leiko's been in relationships with both Cat and Skull-Crusher.
- Death Is Cheap: In 2014's Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, she's killed by Razor-Fist and then resurrected by Skull-Crusher's Thanatos Gambit towards the end of the same storyline.
- Eloquent in My Native Tongue: Leiko's a British woman with Chinese heritage and English is her first language. In the 2020 Shang-Chi series, Shang-Chi asks her to stick to English because her Chinese is 'You No Take Candle' levels of awful.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Leiko has a tendency of wearing purple outfits and she sure is a skilled and graceful MI6 Agent.
- Love Triangle: She's been in relationships with both Reston (who she eventually married) and Shang-Chi, sometimes causing some tension between the two men. She was also, briefly, in a relationship with Shang-Chi's rival Cat, which led to other complications.
- Naked First Impression: She meets Shang-Chi when MI5 arrange a London flat for him. When he and Reston first visit it, she's already soaking in the bath.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Downplayed, but as an attractive Asian Action Girl working for Nayland-Smith and MI5, she's initially pretty similar to Sandy Chen, a character who was teased as a love interest but killed off after her initial story. Shang-Chi even thinks "she reminds me of... Sandy..." on the first page of Leiko's introduction.
Black Jack Tarr
Black Jack Tarr
Notable Aliases: Blackjack Tarr, Black Jack Blue
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #17 (January, 1974)
Shang-Chi's brawny ally and a member of MI6. Often assists Sir Denis Nayland Smith.
- Dented Iron: Tarr's taken a lot of injuries over the years and his back has never quite recovered.
- The One That Got Away: Anna, who worked with Tarr in the British Foreign Service thirty years ago. She vanished without explanation. Unfortunately, when she returns in the present it's after a Face–Heel Turn and she's now part of the Black Demon Sect, working for the Chinese government.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: When he first meets Shang-Chi, he makes several racist remarks based on his experiences as an officer in British Hong Kong, and constantly refers to him as "Chinaman" rather than using his name. Eventually, Shang-Chi directly calls him out with a What the Hell, Hero? speech (in the 2002 series) and he drops it.
- Refugee from Time: As well as working in British Hong Kong, Tarr was established as a World War II veteran who had some "particularly nasty experiences" during that war.
Clive Reston
Sir Clive Reston
First Appearance: Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #3 (December, 1974)
Leiko Wu's ex-husband. Also a member of MI6.- Artistic Licence – Awards: When he reappears in Wisdom: Rudiments of Wisdom and Captain Britain and MI13, he's introduced as "Sir Clive Reston, KCBE". This doesn't exist as a British honour — it's likely that it was supposed to be KBE, which would justify the "Sir". KBE does stand for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, but when it's abbreviated the C is omitted.
- Bond One-Liner: Has been known to make these. Given the hints about his father, they may run in the family.
- Caring Gardener: Played with. He grows orchids, and treasures them, but his care for them represents his romances, not a broader care for all living things.
- Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: Smokes one in some early appearances.
- Love Triangle: Clive and Shang-Chi have both been in relationships with Leiko Wu, which has caused some stress between them.
- Poor Communication Kills: In Wisdom: Rudiments of Wisdom, Reston's unwillingness to share information between MI6 and MI13 leads to the death of MI13 agent Maureen Raven and an other-dimensional alien invasion of London, with heavy civilian casualties. Both Wisdom and MI13's leadership make their feelings on this extremely clear.
- Recovered Addict: He was The Alcoholic for a little while, but managed to stop drinking. He stopped smoking at the same time.
- Shout-Out: His father is said to be a British spy — the best ever enlisted — with "a licence to kill". His great-uncle was apparently a more intellectual fellow who spoke of "elementary" problems and played the violin at odd hours.
Sir Denis Nayland Smith
Sir Denis Nayland Smith
First Appearance: Special Marvel Edition #15 (September, 1973)
Fu Manchu's longtime nemesis and a member of MI6. Often gives Shang-Chi missions to put an end to Fu Manchu's plans.Sir Denis is the hero of some of the original Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels and Marvel have now lost the comic adaptation rights to the character. As of February 2022, he hasn't been renamed or replaced following the Soft Reboot, so specifically remains an adversary of Fu Manchu rather than Zheng Zu.
- Age Lift: He's considerably older than he was in the original books, as the comics are a sequel set decades later.
- Canon Welding: He's a character from the Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu books who was later introduced to the Marvel Universe.
- Comic-Book Time: Averted. He directly states that in 1911, when he was 28, he first saw Fu Manchu.
- Continuity Snarl: He's one of the characters from the original Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels and hasn't been seen in the comics since Marvel lost the rights to those stories. The subsequent Soft Reboot transformed Fu Manchu into Zheng Zu, but Sir Denis hasn't been seen since and as of Feb 2022 it's unclear how and if he still fits into canon.
- Dating Catwoman: He has romantic history with Fu Manchu's daughter Fah Lo Suee (a Mayfly–December Romance when Nayland Smith was much younger). It didn't end amicably and when they meet again forty years later, he states that she's irredeemable. Of course, that's before she pulls a Face–Heel Turn, joins MI6 and tells him she wishes they'd been able to age gracefully together.
- Demoted to Extra: Downplayed, but he's the hero of most of the original novels. Whereas Shang-Chi is the star of the comics and Sir Denis is just supporting cast.
- Disabled in the Adaptation: When first introduced in Special Marvel Edition he's a wheelchair user who can't stand; at some point after the last of the Rohmer novels, one of Fu Manchu's servants mangled his legs. He gets better.
- Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe: He's a pipe smoker in the early stories.
- Throwing Off the Disability: In a very early story, after a speech from Shang-Chi, he finds the Heroic Willpower to stand despite the injuries to his legs. After that he can walk, but still needs a cane for a while.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Gets a fairly epic one from Shang-Chi at the end of one Master of Kung Fu storyline, accusing him of prioritising his hate for Fu Manchu over right and wrong. And then Shang-Chi quits MI6, as do Leiko Wu, Reston and even Black Jack Tarr.
Doctor James Petrie
Doctor James Petrie
First Appearance: Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #3 (December, 1974)
A chemist and adventurer who aided Nayland Smith in his struggles against Fu Manchu throughout the 20th century. He was married to Karamenah, an Egyptian woman he met during those adventures, but is now a widower. Petrie's very aged and decrepit by the start of the first Master of Kung Fu stories, and is promptly killed in his own bed by Shang-Chi, who's acting on his father's orders. It's this mission that causes Shang-Chi to rebel against Fu Manchu.It's later revealed that the real Dr Petrie is still alive (and in much better health), but held prisoner by Fu Manchu. After he's rescued he joins Shang-Chi's allies, first in MI6 and later in Freelance Restorations.
Dr. Petrie is a Sax Rohmer character, the narrator of some of the original Fu Manchu novels, and Marvel have now lost the comic adaptation rights to the character. As of February 2022, he hasn't been renamed or replaced following the Soft Reboot, so specifically remains an adversary of Fu Manchu rather than Zheng Zu.
- Age Lift: He's considerably older than he was in the original books, as the comics are a sequel set decades later.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After he's rescued from Fu Manchu, he initially acts as The Mole within MI6, conspiring with Shock-Wave and attempting to kill Nayland Smith and Tarr.
- Canon Welding: He's a character from the Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu books who was later introduced to the Marvel Universe.
- Continuity Snarl: He's one of the characters from the original Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels and hasn't been seen in the comics since Marvel lost the rights to those stories. The subsequent Soft Reboot transformed Fu Manchu into Zheng Zu, but Petrie hasn't been seen since and as of Feb 2022 it's unclear how and if he still fits into canon.
- Death by Adaptation: Initially played straight, eventually averted. He dies at the start of the very first Shang-Chi story, and his murder is key to the plot. But it later turns out that Fu Manchu was holding him prisoner and the Petrie who died was Actually a Doombot.
- Death by Origin Story: Initially played straight, eventually averted. Shang-Chi's guilt over his murder of Dr Petrie helps to fuel his initial Heel–Face Turn and rebellion against his father. It's later revealed that Shang-Chi was fooled by an extremely realistic robot and Petrie's still alive.
- Demoted to Extra: He's the narrator and one of the recurring heroes of some of the original novels, essentially playing The Watson to Sir Denis. Whereas Shang-Chi is the star of the comics and here he's just supporting cast. After his Deprogramming he very rarely appears.
- Deprogram: Goes through this after his brainwashing is discovered. It initially leaves him quoting some of the deprogramming scripts verbatim, which is a little disturbing.
- Informed Ability: He's described as a brilliant chemist at least once in the comics, as well as in the original books, but never uses that skill in the comics. Even when he's Brainwashed and Crazy and using explosives, he's completely reliant on someone else to create the bombs.
- The Mole: After his rescue, he's still brainwashed and acts as Fu Manchu's mole within MI6.
Mia Lessing
Mia Lessing
Notable Aliases: Dark Angel, The Dark Angel of Death
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #107
A Russian agent who defected to Britain and was assigned the new identity of 'Mia Lessing'. She rapidly ended up working for MI6 and dating Clive Reston.
- Action Girl: Previously a KGB assassin, and very capable of holding her own.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: Was bodyguard to Shang-Chi's half-sister Zheng Bao Yu for some of the time she was working with MI6.
- Offing the Offspring: On the receiving end of an attempt. Her father tried to sell her our when she defected (and was then Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves by the assassins chasing her).
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Hasn't been seen since the original Master of Kung Fu series ended.
Melissa Greville
Melissa Greville
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #43 (May, 1976)
An employee of MI6 and assistant to Nayland Smith. Melissa wasn't employed as a field agent, but found herself caught up in some of the action, especially after she started dating Reston. She quit MI6 along with the rest of the team, but was also the first to return to the agency, leaving Freelance Restorations after she broke up with Reston.- Continuity Snarl: A downplayed example. Her uncle Shan Greville, who connected her to the other characters via Nayland Smith, is one of the characters from the original Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels and Melissa, who's not directly taken from the books, hasn't been seen in the comics since Marvel lost the rights to those stories. It's unclear how and if she still fits into canon.
Enemies
Brynocki
Brynocki
Notable Aliases: Iron Boy
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #34 (August, 1975)
A diminutive robot created by the assassin Mordillo, Brynocki served as his assistant and best friend. After Mordillo's death, Brynocki was initially confiscated by MI6, but later regained control of Mordillo's island and its army of killer robots, using them to try to avenge his fallen master.- Beware the Silly Ones: After Mordillo's death he takes control of the island and the other robots, becoming a recurring threat.
- The Bus Came Back: In 1992, a decade after his last appearance in Master of Kung Fu, he returned to confront Shang-Chi and Moon Knight in a Marc Spector: Moon Knight story, in which he was seemingly destroyed. He came back again, rebuilt by supervillain Arcade, in 2005 — this time in The Thing.
- Dragon Ascendant: Not exactly, as he was always more of a sidekick than a dragon. But the rest of the trope is played straight. He's completely loyal to Mordillo until his master's death, then takes command and seeks vengeance on his behalf.
- Expy: Originally a very strange one for Hervé Villechaize's character Nick Nack in The Man with the Golden Gun. It's played for laughs when he returns in the 2000s with a brief gag making him an analogue for another Villechaize character, Tattoo from Fantasy Island.
- Robot Buddy: Mordillo's cute robot sidekick.
Carlton Velcro
Carlton Velcro
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #29 (March, 1975)
Initially introduced as one of the world's richest men, Velcro was an international drug dealer on a massive scale. He had ambitions beyond money, though — which is why he'd also assembled a private army and discreetly acquired nuclear missiles. Seriously injured at the end of his first clash with Shang-Chi, he loses much of his wealth and later returns as a cyborg.- Bad Boss:
- Orders his guards to shoot through his loyal enforcer Razor-Fist in the hope they'll hit Shang-Chi. Razor-Fist dies, Shang-Chi dodges.
- He shoots one of his replacement Razor-Fists in much the same way.
- The Bus Came Back: There's a lengthy gap between his first two appearances in Master of Kung Fu — and then a 40-year gap before he returns in 2022's Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings.
- Death Faked for You: It's not a secret to everyone, but his allies in MI6 ensure that Shang-Chi and his friends don't find out that Velcro survived their first confrontation.
- Love-Interest Traitor: When he was involved with Pavane, she was actually working for Mordillo — who was planning to assassinate Velcro.
- Murder, Inc.: Runs an assassination bureau after his original World Domination plans fall through.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Initially played straight. Subverted when he returns as a cyborg.
- Supervillain Lair: a huge Mediterranean estate, including underwater tunnels, a panther enclosure and a luxury mansion with a Paid Harem and retractable floors (in "each and every room") so that he can drop people into the panther pit. And a secret base underneath it all, containing a private army and nuclear missiles.
Cat
Cat
Real Name Shen Kuei
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #38 (December, 1975)
A martial artist from Hong Kong, Cat's occasionally been a spy for the Chinese government and sometimes just acted as an independent criminal. His loyalties tend to bring him into conflict with MI6 and Shang-Chi, with whom he's very evenly matched — but he's rarely an outright villain, there are always shades of grey, and he's sometimes joined forces with Shang-Chi for the greater good.- Animal Motifs: Cats, obviously. He has a stylised black cat tattoo on his chest.
- Chest Insignia: Has a large black cat tattooed onto his chest.
- Love-Interest Traitor: When he first appears, he's living in Hong Kong and in a relationship with a woman called Juliette, not realising that she's one of Nayland-Smith's agents.
- The Rival: To Shang-Chi. They're very evenly matched in terms of skill, they've had relationships with some of the same women and even their names are similar.
- Significant Name Overlap: It is mentioned in Shen Kuei's debut that his name and Shang-Chi's name are pronounced the same way.
- Strike Me Down: After Juliette stabs herself he turns his back on Shang-Chi, who has a knife within easy reach, and invites him to strike. Shang-Chi declines.
- Tyke Bomb: He started his martial arts training at the age of four.
Death-Dealer
Death-Dealer
Alter Ego: Li Ching-Lin
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #115 (May, 1982)
First introduced as a talented MI6 trainee who drew comparisons with Shang-Chi, it was noted that Li also seemed ambitious and unnecessarily brutal in his combat training. Additionally, he seemed very loyal — the KGB had attempted to recruit him without success.However, Nayland Smith and Fah Lo became suspicious, and Shang-Chi was instructed to detain him. Li fought back and then fled, revealing his true loyalty — Fu Manchu had placed him in MI6 as a mole.
With his cover blown, Li was given a new costumed identity as the assassin Death-Dealer, then sent to slay Shang-Chi and his allies.
For the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character, see here.
- Cool Mask: It's a very stylish skull mask.
- Death Dealer: Surprisingly averted. He uses the codename and the Playing Card Motifs, but he doesn't use the cards themselves as weapons.
- Genius Bruiser: When still at MI6, he excels across all subjects. Everything from paperwork and psychology to unarmed combat. To some degree, this is also an Informed Ability, as once he's exposed he doesn't get much opportunity to display the non-combat skills.
- The Dragon: To Fu Manchu during his final Master of King Fu arc.
- Impossibly Cool Weapon: His triple bladed swords. At one point Shang-Chi gets hold of one and finds it very awkward to use (although that's partly because he doesn't want to kill his opponent).
- Killed Off for Real: While fighting Shang-Chi in a burning building he finds that his costume is Made of Incendium. He's stayed dead and hasn't been resurrected in almost 40 years.
- The Mole: When first introduced he's a very promising MI6 recruit, but he's actually infiltrating the agency for Fu Manchu.
- Playing Card Motifs: He scatters cards over the scene of his attack and makes some card references when speaking.
- Small Role, Big Impact: The character's actually Killed Off for Real at the end of the same 1982 Master of Kung Fu arc that introduced him, and only appears in four issues, but decades later he was chosen as one of the villains for the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings film, bringing the character to a much wider audience.
- The Sneaky Guy: Sneaky enough to evade Shang-Chi when fleeing. Also stealthy enough to creep up behind Shang-Chi before he notices (although he does still spot Death-Dealer before the sword hits).
Doctor Gelsemium
Doctor Gelsemium
Alter Ego: Doctor Jessa Chen
- Combat Tentacles: They're actually prehensile vines and branches, but they work the same way in combat.
- Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Part of her standard outfit.
- Mad Scientist: Specifically, a biologist and botanist. She's very fond of transforming humans (and other animals) into plants.
- Partial Transformation: It varies, but she tends to transform one arm and grow a couple of vine-tentacles, but leave the rest of her body human.
- Plant Person: A borderline case, as she combines plant and animal aspects, but she's certainly not entirely human any more.
- Professor Guinea Pig: She experimented on herself at an early stage, granting herself plant-related powers.
- Psychic Link: She has some level of Telepathy with those she's transformed, although it seems to be for communication and Journey to the Center of the Mind purposes rather than mind control.
- Signature Headgear: There's a flower in her hair. It looks exactly the same as the ones she sprouted on her transformed arm, so whether it's worn in her hair or actually growing from her head is unclear.
- Would Hurt a Child: Deployed a bioweapon that transforms humans into plants in a Beijing school.
Ghost Maker
Ghost Maker
Alter Ego: Gregori Sovchenko
First appearance: Master of Kung Fu #110
- Back from the Dead: He dies at the end of his first clash with Shang-Chi, but the Snakeroot cult (part of the Hand) brings him back from the dead. They bring him back a second time after Elektra stabs him to death.
- Chest Insignia: His Ghost Maker costume has a skull symbol on its chest.
King Wild Man
King Wild Man
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #1 (May, 2021)
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: All of his abilities were developed from the corpse of a Yeren he found in China.
- Reforged into a Minion: Anyone he attaches a Yeren Root to will immediately undergo a monstrous transformation into one of his creatures. Thankfully, it's temporary.
- Shout-Out: He's based off the Bull Demon King from the Journey to the West.
Lady Iron Fan
Lady Iron Fan
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #2 (June, 2021)
- Cool Shades: Introduced wearing a pair of shades.
- Dating Catwoman: She used to be in a relationship with Takeshi of the Five Weapons Society.
- Master of the Levitating Blades: She mentally controls numerous flying iron fans.
- Secondary Color Nemesis: Dresses in purple and opposes Shang-Chi and his society.
- Shout-Out: She's based on Princess Iron Fan from the Journey to the West.
Mordillo
Mordillo
Notable Aliases: Mordillo, Mordillo the Majestic, Simon Bretnor, Death-Hand
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #33 (July, 1975)
- All in the Manual: When he reappears in Domino, the following issue's letter page explains that he's now a cyborg and shows the Death-Hand glove is now an artificial hand.
- Back from the Dead: He eventually reappears in Domino, despite his death in the first storyline. His revival isn't explained.
- Berserk Button: Mordillo flies into a rage when addressed as "Simon" after his infiltration ends, insisting that Bretnor was merely a cover identity.
- Complexity Addiction: He's a Wicked Toymaker who uses robot assassins and taunts his foes by leaving obscure clues, such as inscribing quotes and codes onto his bullets.
- Cyborg: Described this way after his revival in Domino.
- Expy: In his original appearances, he bears a very strong resemblance to the film version of James Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga from The Man with the Golden Gun, perhaps after a healthy dose of LSD. Like Scaramanga, Mordillo works from a tricked-out island, writes on his bullets, has a diminutive sidekick who serves as a major domo, and is out to steal a powerful solar energy device.
- Love-Interest Traitor: As Simon Bretnor, he's dating Leiko Wu when two the characters first appear.
- The Mole: He uses his Simon Bretnor identity to infiltrate MI6.
- Power Fist: The metal Death-Hand glove, which includes a flamethrower and a high-powered dart gun.
- Professional Killer: He's a famous hired assassin. According to MI6, he mostly works for the communists, but that's purely because the western powers can't afford him.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Very much so. Clues and toys and murder, plus a childish nature — especially when dealing with Brynocki or Leiko. As he says at one point, he can be sane, though, playing the part well when he has to.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: The situation when he makes his first appearance — he's well known to MI6 before he ever encounters Shang-Chi, but everyone believes he's already dead.
- Robot Buddy: His sidekick Brynocki.
- Shout-Out: He shares his name with a famous Argentine cartoonist.
- Supervillain Lair: He has a whole island, including a castle, and most of it's filled with traps and whimsical killer robots.
- Villainous Legacy: His island, traps and weapons live on long after he's gone and believed dead. First MI6 use them, then Brynocki uses them for revenge, and then Arcade decides to take control. Shang-Chi's narration also thinks back to his whimsical horrors several times when facing other threats. A 2018 story reveals that Daughters of the Dragon villain Rutherford Winner is apparently a fan as well, preferring Mordillo's doomsday weapons to a more mundane tactical nuclear bomb.Winner: Mordillo was one of the greats. A true mad genius.
Pavane
Pavane
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #31 (May, 1975)
- Berserk Button: Do not hurt her panthers.
- Dark Action Girl: Very much so. And the kind that usually shows little interest in seducing the heroes (although at one point a thought bubble reveals that she does find Shang-Chi "sexy").
- Dressed Like a Dominatrix: Initially fights dressed in high-heeled knee boots, bikini bottoms, and a crop top that shows a Navel-Deep Neckline. And uses a whip. At one point Leiko directly calls her "the kinky lady".
- Fluffy Tamer: She cares for her panthers, and her panthers seem to like her and obey her commands. Anyone else who gets too close to them is cat food, of course.
- Love-Interest Traitor: An example where both characters were villains. While seeing Carlton Velcro she was actually working for Mordillo, who'd been hired to kill him and was using Pavane to set up an assassination attempt.
- Melee Disarming: Has used her whip to disarm opponents with guns.
- Really Gets Around: Described in almost exactly those words by Leiko Wu. In Pavane's first appearance she was with Carlton Velcro (although it was later revealed that she was dating the mark). In her second appearance she was seeing Mordillo. And in her third appearance she was in a relationship with Cat.
- Retired Outlaw: Was openly living in a country house in Surrey for a while, and directly described herself as retired. Apparently she had committed no crimes in the UK, so was only under light surveillance. Naturally, there were at least three panthers roaming the grounds.
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: Although in Pavane's case it's an attack panther, initially named Mara.
- Stripperific: Initially dresses for combat in high-heeled boots, a Navel-Deep Neckline crop top, and a bikini bottom.
- Whip of Dominance: Fights with a whip, complimenting her Dominatrix motif and animal tamer abilities. In her first appearance it's cat o' nine tails, but it varies a bit later.
Razor-Fist
Razor-Fist I
Alter Ego: William Young
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #29 (March, 1975)
A costumed mercenary in the employ of drug lord Carlton Velcro. His hands and forearms have been replaced by razor-sharp blades.- Absurdly Sharp Blade: His introduction shows him cleanly slicing a life-size stone statue into pieces. Including a single horizontal cut to halve it at the waist.
- Actually a Doombot: The Razor-Fist who appears in "The Phoenix Gambit", some time after his apparent death, is actually a genuine Doombot, built by Doctor Doom himself.
- All in the Manual: His real name is only revealed in the New Avengers: Most Wanted Files data book, published thirty years after the character's first appearance.
- Back from the Dead: In Razor-Fist's first story, his Bad Boss Carlton Velcro has guards shoot both Razor-Fist and Shang-Chi while they're duelling, seemingly killing Razor-Fist. He was believed to be Killed Off for Real for many decades, with two Legacy Character successors using the codename, until a Razor-Fist reappeared in Domino Vol 3 #4, shortly after the death of the third Razor-Fist. A subsequent appearance in Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings had Shang-Chi refer back to their first fight, seemingly acknowledging him as the original Razor-Fist (without showing any surprise at his survival and return), but as of July 2022 it's still a little ambiguous.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: He's lost both hands and part of his forearms, which have been replaced with Absurdly Sharp Blades.
- Crippling Overspecialization: Both hands have been replaced by blades. Great for violent murder, poor choices for almost anything else.
- The Dragon: To Carlton Velcro. Possibly Razor-Fist and Pavane count as Co-Dragons, but they play very different roles in the organisation and never interact.
- Honor Among Thieves: A sincere believer in this, according to his last words. He's appalled that despite his loyalty, Velcro sees him as entirely expendable.
Razor-Fist II
Alter Ego: William Scott
Notable Aliases: Razor-Fist Three
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #105 (July, 1981)
One of two brothers working for Carlton Velcro, the employer of the original Razor-Fist. William lost his right hand in a car accident (whereas his brother lost his left hand) and Velcro arranged for him equipped as one of two new Razor-Fists.William was initially sent to Hong Kong to kill Pavane and Shang-Chi, but discovered they were both back in England. After returning to Velcro, he confronted Shang-Chi but was shot dead during the battle.
Although he's generally referred to as "Razor-Fist II" in reference material, Velcro always referred to William as "Razor-Fist Three"
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: As with his predecessor. He's seen slicing through wooden posts and the hulls of wooden junks with minimal effort.
- All There in the Manual: As with his predecessor, his real name isn't confirmed until long after his first appearance.
- Co-Dragons: The brothers act as elite enforcers for Carlton Velcro.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: His right hand's been replaced by a permanent blade. The metal guard goes up to his elbow, but it's unclear how much of his arm remains.
- Collective Identity: Downplayed, as anyone who encounters them will notice that they're two different people — they're not twins, and William and Douglas have different hands missing, but the brothers both use the Razor-Fist codename.
- Killed Off for Real: As with his predecessor, Bad Boss Carlton Velcro accidentially shoots him while trying to kill Shang-Chi.
- Legacy Character: William and his brother Douglas replace the original Razor-Fist, William Young. Pavane speculates that Velcro arranged the brothers' "accident" so that he could use them as replacements for the original Razor-Fist, but this is never confirmed.
Razor-Fist III
Alter Ego: Douglas Scott
Notable Aliases: Razor-Fist Two
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #105 (July, 1981)
- An Arm and a Leg: He's initially missing his left hand, which has been replaced with an Absurdly Sharp Blade. A later battle costs him his right hand as well, which is also replaced by a blade.
- Awesome, but Impractical: His appearance in Toxin in particular emphasizes this part of the character. Having both his forearms removed and replaced with blades helps make him incredibly skilled and deadly in combat, but also means that if something happens to the blades, he's helpless. He also needs personal servants to attend to basic hygiene and whenever he gets arrested, the blades are taken away and replaced with prosthetic hands to which he's never been able to adjust.
- Cumbersome Claws: Toxin accuses him of replacing his arms with blades to invoke this trope; by giving up the ability to feed, clothe, or clean himself, he forces that responsibility onto others.
- Killed Off for Real: Ends up getting thrown underneath a moving trolley while fighting Deadpool. It's implied, but (as of July 2022) not directly stated, that the Razor-Fist who appears in subsequent stories after that is the original, William Young, somehow Back from the Dead, not Douglas.
- Legacy Character: Douglas and his brother William replace the original Razor-Fist, William Young, after he's killed in battle. At one point Pavane speculates that their original employer, Carlton Velcro, actually arranged the two brothers' "accident" so that he could replace the original Razor-Fist, but this is never confirmed.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Of all the antagonists from the original Master of Kung Fu series, Razor-Fist is probably the Breakout Villain in terms of appearances in other Marvel comics. He's fought Wolverine, Deadpool, Spider-Man, Elektra, Hawkeye, and others.
Red Dot
Red Dot
First Appearance: Shang-Chi (Vol. 2) #5 (October, 2021)
Representative, and seemingly leader, of the cyborg gangsters of the Red Dot Collective. After his initial encounter with Shang-Chi and Iron Man ends badly, Chieftain Xin recruits him To help destroy the Five Weapons Society.- Cyborg: As are the rest of the Red Dot Collective.
- Electronic Eye: His cyborg eye also includes a gun.
- Shout-Out: He's based on Red Boy from the Journey to the West.
Shadow-Stalker
Shadow-Stalker
First Appearance: Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #3 (December, 1974)
An elite assassin who was originally in the service of Shang-Chi's father, Zheng Zu. When Shang-Chi's half-sister Zheng Bao Yu launched an Enemy Civil War to depose her father, he initially sided with her faction instead but soon decided to leave entirely, becoming an independent warrior for hire.- The Bus Came Back: Wasn't seen in a story for 30 years after his appearances in Master of Kung Fu, but then reappeared in Heroes for Hire.
- Epic Flail: His preferred weapons are ball-and-chain flails, although in early appearances he relies on unarmed martial arts more than the flails themselves.
- Weaponized Headgear: There are two long ball-and-chain flails connected to his hood. In early appearances this was a much shorter double-ended flail with its wooden handle attached directly to his topknot.
- We Can Rule Together: Sided with Shang-Chi against Zheng Bao Yu's warriors and subsequently suggested that the two of them could take advantage of the Enemy Civil War chaos to take over the whole organisation. Shang-Chi wasn't interested, but they still parted on peaceful (if not friendly) terms.
Shockwave
Shockwave
Alter Ego: Lancaster Sneed
Notable Aliases: Dieter Wilhelm
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #42 (April, 1976)
Sneed idolised his uncle, British spy Nayland Smith, and joined MI6 to follow in his footsteps. However, he was seriously injured and horribly scarred when his first mission went wrong. Sneed used metal plates to rebuild himself, MI6 deemed him mentally unfit to continue his duties, and he was cast out of the agency. He built an armored exoskeleton for himself and became Shockwave, first as a circus act and then as a mercenary.- Actually a Doombot: The design of his armor means that it's pretty easy to create an android decoy of him. One such decoy was actually controlled by Doctor Doom himself.
- Ax-Crazy: Results in him getting sacked by MI6.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: His contortion skills create a unique fighting style.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: He wasn't terribly stable in the first place, but after Shang-Chi captured him after their first clash, MI6 tried to brainwash him to serve as an assassin, which really didn't help.
- Cyborg: Shockwave's body has been rebuilt using metal plates, granting him enhanced strength.
- Evil Brit: Downplayed. He is villainous, and British. But in Master of Kung Fu he was just one more British character in a series frequently set there, with a mostly British cast. Later stories don't often mention his nationality at all.
- Evil Nephew: To Nayland-Smith.
- Power Creep, Power Seep: Sometimes his exoskeleton's electricity will hurt a normal human opponent, but won't be immediately life-threatening. And at other times it'll be powerful enough to burn out Iron Man's armor.
- Powered Armor: It triples his strength and enables him to fire electrical projectiles.
- Psycho for Hire: What he became after he stopped trying to go after his uncle.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Although he's originally a Shang-Chi villain, he's appeared much more widely since the original Master of Kung Fu series ended.
- Shock and Awe: His armor allows him to shoot electric blasts.
- We Can Rebuild Him: Thanks to being a cyborg.
Skull-Crusher
Skull-Crusher
Alter Ego: Chao Sima
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #61 (November, 1977)
- Epic Flail: Fights with a ball-and-chain flail in each hand. He takes his codename from the way he uses them for strikes to the head.
- Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed, as he remains a criminal, but he's sincerely trying to be a better person when he reappears in the Deadly Hands of King Fu series.
- Punch-Clock Villain: In his first appearance he makes it very clear that it's nothing personal, he's just been paid to visit London and kill Shang-Chi. Purely business.
- Thanatos Gambit: Uses his death to resurrect Leiko Wu.
Zaran
Zaran
Alter Ego: Maximillian Zaran
Notable Aliases: The Weapon Master, Supreme Hunter
First Appearance: Master of Kung Fu #77 (March, 1979)
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: It's certainly not his only motivation, but when he first goes up against foes such as Captain America and Hawkeye, the challenge of proving he's better is a big factor.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: From Zheng Zu's henchman Maru, when Zheng Bao Yu first presents Zaran to her father. He's effortlessly disarmed and then beaten with the haft of his own weapon. But Zheng Zu acknowledges his potential, so Maru's then assigned to train him.
- Evil Brit: Downplayed in his battles with Shang-Chi. He is villainous, and British. But in Master of Kung Fu he was just one more British character in a series frequently set there, with a mostly British cast. It's more noticeable when he's facing Captain America, or when he's working with French supervillain Batroc.
- Legacy Character: He trained a disciple named Zhou Man She, who also uses the alias Zaran.
- Love Makes You Evil: Played with. He was initially a villain, but also in a relationship with Shang-Chi's half-sister Zheng Bao Yu, which came to an abrupt end a little while after they made a nominal Heel–Face Turn. His reaction to being dumped (and, when he angrily confronted her, drugged) was to try to kill her new MI6 allies.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Wears a black and red outfit and is a villain.
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: After the original Master of Kung Fu series ended, he's mostly appeared as part of the Quirky Miniboss Squad Batroc's Brigade, so has mostly faced Captain America.
- Unholy Matrimony: When he first appeared, he was in a relationship with Shang-Chi's older half-sister Zheng Bao Yu, which came to an abrupt end when she prioritised her new MI6 career. It's fair to say that Zaran didn't handle the break-up well.
