10 Shang Chi Comic Stories The MCU Should Use for a Sequel

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had no shortage of criticism from fans about Phase 4, with its multiple storylines, inconsistencies, low quality, and more. Despite this, Phase 4 had some projects that were highly praised, one of which was Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings. The Master of Kung-Fu’s MCU debut was tied to the greater Marvel narrative but stood alone as a refreshing, well-needed origin story, with its intriguing story, exhilarating fight scenes, great acting, and good character development.

Although there is no release date for Shang-Chi 2, it can be exciting to begin thinking about where the sequel could take Shang-Chi next, especially since the end-credit scene teased him becoming an Avenger. Marvel Comics heavily inspires and influences MCU projects, and Shang-Chi 2 will likely follow suit. With that being said, there is a huge catalog of great Shang-Chi stories throughout Marvel Comics, which could be the perfect inspiration for the highly anticipated sequel.

10 Shang-Chi Vs. The Marvel Universe

In Marvel Comics, when Shang-Chi finally took over his father’s criminal empire, the Five Weapons Society, he attempted to turn the organization into a force for good – but the heroes of the world found this difficult to accept. As the likes of Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, and more questioned Shang-Chi’s motives, readers discover that Shang-Chi feels responsible for his father’s legacy and for keeping his family together, which could translate nicely into an MCU story.

At this point in the comics, Shang-Chi is much more reserved and mature than his MCU counterpart, proven through his first-person monologs – but the MCU’s Shang-Chi is sure to become more composed over time. Furthermore, although the Five Weapons Society does not exist in the MCU (as far as we know), the Ten Rings organization has a striking resemblance and was also ruled by Shang-Chi’s father. With Shang’s sister Xialing becoming the Ten Rings’ new leader and lying to her brother about it, it seems inevitable that Shang-Chi will have to face reality and take over the family business.

9 Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings

This six-issue series follows Shang-Chi after he has gained possession of the ten rings, and it becomes public knowledge, with villains and competitors across the Marvel Universe trying to claim the rings as their own by taking them from him. The series reveals the true comic book origins of the ten rings while Shang-Chi battles to keep them as his own, pairing to create a thrilling modern-day Shang-Chi storyline that would work well following the first movie’s ending.

When Tony Stark revealed to the world that he was Iron Man, villains worldwide saw the opportunity to take him on, and the same could happen now that Shang-Chi has the rings after his father sacrificed himself and gave them to him. As the movie’s post-credit scene teases, the rings are calling out to something (most likely not the Makluans from their dark comic origin), so this story would be perfect—the true origins of the rings are revealed while Shang starts to properly utilize their power.

8 The Legend of Shang-Chi One Shot: The Equinox Blade

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Shang-Chi is summoned to London on a mission led by MI-6 agent and long-time friend Leiko Wu after a museum has discovered a dangerous item – the Equinox Blade. As explained by Leiko, the weapon consumes the souls of those it comes into contact with, and after taking the soul of a security guard, the sword has been put up for sale – and a buyer is interested. Before Shang-Chi can get to the sword, Wolverine’s deadliest adversary, Lady Deathstrike, steals it and consumes the souls of almost everyone in the building.

While Shang-Chi proves his worth and defeats the vicious Lady Deathstrike, he accidentally lets her go, along with shards of the sword. The Equinox Blade’s story is unfinished the comics, but it would be a perfect plot point in the much-anticipated sequel to help introduce a new item of power to the MCU.

7 Master of Kung-Fu: Battleworld

When the multiverse was destroyed in Marvel Comics, Dr. Doom salvaged parts of different realities and dimensions into one planet, Battleworld. One of these dimensions was K’un Lun, the mystical lost city, a haven for martial arts. In this dark story, a drunk Shang-Chi is hunted by Iron Fist and other notable Marvel characters and battles through K’un Lun’s Thirteen Chambers competition to face his father. This story explores Kung-Fu’s place in the Marvel Universe and reveals more about K’un Lun.

With the MCU’s multiverse broken and its destruction imminent, it seems likely that fans will see Battleworld on the big screen, especially with the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars. Shang Chi 2 has yet to receive a release date, so it could fit in alongside Secret Wars, making this Battleworld story likely. Furthermore, a deep exploration of K’un Lun and Kung-Fu would be perfect for the sequel, especially since Iron Fist has been rumored to appear.

6 Master of Kung-Fu: Fight Without Pity

A collection of brilliant Shang-Chi stories, Master of Kung-Fu: Fight Without Pity has lots of material the MCU could draw upon, helping to further establish Shang-Chi’s position as a Marvel superhero. With iconic storylines like ‘Crystal Connection’,‘Oriental Expediters’, and more, the collection covers Shang-Chi’s espionage missions with the MI-6, introduces iconic characters like Razor Fist and Leiko Wu, and covers some of his best fights.

With multiple celebrated stories available for inspiration, it would be a shame for the MCU to miss out on Fight Without Pity. Just like with other heroes, Shang-Chi needs to build up a representation for the audience to care deeply about the character beyond just the Ten Rings and his family, and a few comic adaptations could achieve this. Giving Shang-Chi deep connections and interactions with the MI-6 and other important characters worldwide could help validate the character’s hero status in the MCU.

5 Iron Fist #7

Although not a Shang-Chi story, Iron First #7 heavily involves him, as the two long-time friends clash. After Shang-Chi is mind-controlled by the Seer and turned into a member of the Sight, he is given a new objective – kill Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist and K’un Lun’s protector. It has long been discussed among fans who would win in a fight between Shang-Chi and Iron Fist, and this clash of martial arts proved both could hold out against the other without pulling their punches.

Danny Rand is rumored to play a major role in the predicted sequel, and it would come as no surprise if the two masters of kung-fu dueled. This short storyline could explain why the two fight in the first place or act as a blueprint to follow to ensure an epic cinematic transition, starting their awesome alliance with something fans would remember. This would be one of the MCU’s most iconic battles, alongside Captain America’s duel with Iron Man, and would be incredible to witness.

4 Master of Kung-Fu Annual #1

Shang-Chi’s long-lasting alliance with Iron Fist begins in Master of Kung-Fu Annual #1, when a desperate Danny Rand approaches Shang-Chi for help locating his ally Colleen Wing after she previously went missing in Marvel Premier #25. Unlike most superhero meetings, the duo were civilized and mature – with Shang-Chi revealing he knew all about the Iron Fist’s legacy and Rand’s duties within the role.

As previously mentioned, Iron Fist is rumored to play some sort of role in Shang-Chi’s highly-anticipated sequel, and this story could be among those that inspire how he debuts. With Shang-Chi revealing his extensive knowledge of Iron Fist’s legacy, the sequel could improve Netflix’s Iron Fist show’s connections with the MCU. It could also further explore K’un Lun and its mysteries, expanding Marvel’s world of Kung-Fu.

3 Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu: Out of the Past

Another celebrated Shang-Chi story involving the MI-6, “Out of the Past,” combines Kung-Fu with espionage in a thrilling mission that takes Shang-Chi to London to investigate the murder of a former associate. As Shang-Chi battles masters of Kung-Fu and discovers dark secrets about his past, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing help him, both characters already established within the MCU through the Netflix Marvel shows.

As seen with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, great spy stories make exciting MCU movies, so Out of the Past could work very well as a movie. Not only would it further expand the lore of Shang-Chi by involving him with the MI-6 and other street-level Marvel characters, but it would also further explore his intriguing history and grace our screens with exhilarating Kung-Fu battles, elevating the tension of the first movie.

2 Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung-Fu MAX – The Hellfire Apocalypse

In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics printed a collection of dark comic series under the imprint ‘MAX,’ Shang-Chi was one of the characters chosen for a MAX series. The Hellfire Apocalypse dived into the darker side of Shang-Chi and featured explicit violence, blood, adult themes, and more. When Shang-Chi’s former lover is held captive by a villain known as the Saint Germain, he gears up to save her and the world with the help of Clive Reston and Jack Tarr.

With the MCU beginning to delve into darker, more adult-themed projects, like its first horror, Multiverse of Madness, and its first R-rated movie, Deadpool and Wolverine, the doors are wide open for stories like this one. The Hellfire Apocalypse delivers world-ending stakes while also tackling Shang-Chi’s love life and deep-rooted family issues, making it perfect for the Shang-Chi sequel. It allows viewers a glimpse of what Shang-Chi is truly capable of while also taking down big bads.

1 Shang-Chi: Brothers and Sisters

Similarly to other Shang-Chi stories, Brothers and Sisters sees Shang-Chi taking over his father’s empire and dealing with a problematic family reunion, where he is forced into a battle for leadership he wants no part in. This story reveals family secrets, including how Shang-Chi’s father divided his empire into five houses – each of which one of Shang-Chi’s siblings rules.

This storyline would be perfect for the Shang-Chi sequel – with his father now gone (as far as we are aware) and his empire lacking a permanent leader; this would be a fantastic opportunity to explore Shang-Chi’s family while they battle for the throne. The second post-credit scene of the first movie teased something similar to this, in that Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing is trying to take control of her father’s empire after lying to her brother about her motives, so the sequel is bound to dive deeper into their complex family affairs and devious criminal organization.