Does Marvel Studios’ Master of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi, stay true to his comic book roots, or does the film make him and his world unique unto his own?
If you’ve already seen Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – as it seems most of you have according to the box office – you may have thought to yourself, “That was more like a martial-arts action flick than a comic book movie.” Then after being reassured by your more comic book literate friends that, yes, Shang-Chi is, in fact, a Marvel superhero, you might then by thinking, “Is he like that in the comics?” You might also be wondering if anything else in the movie also came from the comics, like that guy with the sword for a hand, or those crazy rings Shang-Chi’s dad has, or “Oh my gosh! Is that a dragon?!”
This is where your humble writer comes in. We’ll look at certain characters, places, and things from the movie and explain how similar – or different – they are in the original comics. (I also don’t need to tell you that there will be major SPOILERS from here on out). This is not meant to critique the movie, but to inform you, and to compare and contrast both mediums. Because we’ll just say right up front: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings deviated a lot from the comics. And the changes start with the titular character himself.
Shang-Chi
There are three aspects in which Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s version of the “Master of Kung Fu” which perfectly line-up with the comics. Shang-Chi’s father did train him to become an assassin since he was a small boy. He did renounce his father’s ways after his first mission. And he is one of the best, if not the best, martial artist on planet Earth. Other than these, everything about Shang-Chi has been completely changed.
For starters, Shang-Chi’s father in the comics is English pulp writer Sax Romer’s notorious criminal mastermind, Doctor Fu Manchu. This isn’t widely acknowledged in modern comics, but not just because Fu Manchu is regarded as an offensive “Yellow Peril” stereotype. Rather, it’s because Marvel lost the rights to use Fu Manchu as a character in 1980s, along with every other character featured in Romer’s novels. Hence, in order to get around potential copyright issues, it was retconned in the comics that Fu Manchu’s “real name” was actually Zheng Zu.
Another big difference is that Shang-Chi’s mother didn’t come from Ta-Lo; nor was she even of Chinese descent. Instead, Shang-Chi’s mother was a white New Yorker, specifically chosen by Fu Manchu to bear his child and successor. Nor did Shang-Chi kill the man who murdered his mother as shown in the film. Rather, Shang-Chi was duped into killing Fu Manchu’s long-time nemesis, Dr. Petit.
It was after he learned the truth from Dr. Petit’s friend, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, that Shang-Chi ends up working for MI-6. Later, he would team-up with Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing as one of the Heroes for Hire, and would even help train Spider-Man when the wall-crawler temporarily lost his spider-sense. And while he would also become an Avenger, he definitely didn’t moonlight as a valet parker in San Francisco. He moonlighted as a baker. And no, he doesn’t have a best friend named Katy Chen. That character was solely invented for the film (though don’t be surprised if Marvel adapts her for the comics later on).
Comic book Shang-Chi also doesn’t have a sister named Xialing, but a sister named Zheng Shi-Hua, an assassin who goes by the name “Sister Hammer.” He also has a few half-siblings and an adoptive brother named M’Nai. And, because this is comics, M’Nai was snatched from the timeline at the moment he died by Immortus (the possible future version of Kang the Conqueror), had his mind transplanted into a genetically-engineered body created by Kree scientists, and became a super-assassin known as the Midnight Sun.
In short, the Shang-Chi we see in the movie is a very, very different character than what we got from nearly fifty years worth of comics.
The Mandarin
When Stan Lee and Don Heck created the Mandarin for Tales of Suspense #50, they clearly intended him to be an ersatz version of Fu Manchu. So having Shang-Chi being the Mandarin’s son instead of Fu Manchu’s in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings isn’t that far of a stretch. It also makes Shang-Chi have a greater connection to the larger MCU. Moreover, when you look at the character of Wenwu, he’s actually a composite character made up of different Marvel villains, of which the Mandarian happens to be one of them.
For those of you who are only familiar with Trevor Slattery’s bogus portrayal of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 (2013) – and why so many Iron Man fans got very upset over that twist – the Mandarin is supposed to be the archenemy of Tony Stark. He’s also a direct descendant of Genghis Khan (or so he claims), half-British, and lost his family estate due to not being able to pay taxes to the Chinese communist government. Or he was a poor orphan working for said estate.
Either way, the man who would become the Mandarin came across a hidden place called the Valley of the Spirits, where he found the wreckage of an alien space craft. Inside, he found what would become his ten magic rings, and he would use them to make himself into an international crime lord and arms dealer. Like in the first Iron Man movie, it was his organization who kidnapped Tony Stark in the hopes he could build weapons for them. He was also the lover of Justin Hammer’s daughter, who gave birth to one Sasha Hammer, who would go on to date Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger’s son, Zeke. Currently the Mandarin in the comics is dead, having been killed by the Punisher.
Wenwu in the movie also says he’s been known by many names, including “Master Khan.” Master Khan is the name of yet another Fu Manchu-style supervillain, who’s also the enemy of Iron Fist, and who’s mastery over the Mystic Arts rivals that of Doctor Strange. He also had the misfortune of trying to brainwash Namor the Sub-Mariner, who ended up killing him instead.
The Ten Rings
Speaking of the Mandarian’s ten rings, the comic book versions are very different as well. For starters, they’re not ten iron rings worn on the wrists like the ones used in the Hung Ga style of Shaolin Kung Fu. Rather, they’re ten jeweled rings worn on the fingers and thumbs. Moreover, the rings don’t work in concert together, but have their own individual super power. They also have their own names, which are:
- Remaker – Has to power to alter and rearrange matter on the atomic level.
- Influence – Shoots shockwaves and concussive force blasts. This also appears to be the main ability that the MCU version of the ten rings allow Wenwu to do in the movie. And they’re projected from the ring, not from the rings propelling themselves.
- Spin – Creates whirlwinds and miniature tornados, and also allows the Mandarin to fly.
- Spectral – Shoots a disintegration ray.
- Nightbringer – Creates an area of complete and total darkness.
- Diamonic – Manipulates the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity.
- Incandescence – Also for pyrokinesis, and shoots fire and flame.
- Lightning – Pretty self-explanatory, as it shoots lightning bolts. In the film, the rings do crackle with electrical energy, but mostly whenever Wenwu uses them like whips.
- The Liar – Gives the wearer telepathic powers, including mind control and casting illusions.
- Zero – Shoots ice beams and freezes people.
The rings do not grant immortality to the wearer. They are, however, extraterrestrial in origin as hinted in the movie’s mid-credits scene. More specifically, each ring contains the soul of a Makluan, which is what also gives the ring its power. What are Makluans, you might ask? They’re gigantic dragons from outer space! As a matter of fact, they are the dragons from various stories and legends throughout the world in the comics… most of them, anyway. They can also take the form of humans if they wish to be more indiscreet.
So why is it such a big deal that the rings are sending off some sort of signal into space? Well, if the Marvel Cinematic Universe stays true to the comics, this could be a precursor to introduce Marvel’s first major pre-superhero monster from their Timely Comics days: the Makluan dragon known as Fing Fan Foom. Then again, I suppose Marvel Studios can have the rings be signaling some other cosmic alien being like Galactus or The Beyonder or some such.
Razor-Fist
Yes, Razor-Fist in the comics was a recurring enemy of Shang-Chi’s. However, he was never employed by Fu Manchu, the Mandarin, or Master Khan, but by a British heroin dealer named Carlton Velcro. In addition, Razor-Fist had both of his hands chopped off and replaced with retractable swords. And finally, there were three different individuals who went by the name Razor-Fist.
The first Razor-Fist appeared in The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu #29 and lasted for only two more issues after being accidentally shot to death by Velcro’s own men. The second and third versions of Razor-Fist were a pair of identical twins who took turns pretending to be the same person. As each brother lost a hand in the very same car accident, they then had their remaining hand surgically removed and replaced with another retractable sword in order to complete the deception. As if this couldn’t get more ridiculous or ironic, one of the brothers ended up getting killed… after being accidentally shot to death by Velcro.
The surviving brother went on to have a somewhat longer career as a minor super-villain, battling various other heroes, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, Elektra, Captain America, and Bucky until he was also shot to death – not accidentally, but on purpose – by Deadpool.
Ta-Lo
The hidden magical kingdom that Shang-Chi, Katy, Xialing, Trevor, and “Morris” travel towards is a place within the Marvel Comics. And, like it shows in the movie, it contains all sorts of mythical creatures like phoenixes, dragons, giant lions, Qulin (the horse-like creatures), and DiJiangs (which is what Morris is). However, the comics take it a step further. Ta-Lo is also the equivalent of Heaven and the residence of the Xian, the name for the gods in Taoism. To put in more simple terms, Ta-Lo is basically the Xian’s Mount Olympus or Asgard.
However, the Ta-Lo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings appears to have also borrowed elements from another hidden magical kingdom in China, K’un-Lun, particularly with how it’s only accessible at certain times. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it is the name of the city in which Danny Rand became the “Immortal Iron Fist” as seen in the comics and on Netflix’s Iron Fist. Of course, you be forgiven if you forgot that particular show considering how awful it was. Certainly the folks at Marvel Studios would since it’s not on Disney+, along with the other (and better) of Netflix’s Marvel television series.
The Dweller-in-Darkness
One big surprise from the movie is that Wenwu isn’t the only villain, or even the main antagonist. Turns out he’s being duped by a malevolent, interdimensional entity into thinking he can bring back his dead wife, and that her soul is trapped in Ta-Lo. This entity, we learn from Shang-Chi’s aunt, Ying Nan, is only known as “The Dweller-In-Darkness.” And this should raise more than a few eyebrows among some long time Marvel Comics fans, because the Dweller-in-Darkness is a major Doctor Strange villain.
Yet just like much of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, there been some radical departures from the source material. Yes, the Dweller-In-Darkness is a creature inspired by the weird tales of H.P. Lovecraft with more than a nod towards Cthulhu. However, he looks a lot more humanoid with a cephalopod-like head in the comics as opposed to the gigantic winged beast we on the screen. Moreover, the Dweller-In-Darkness doesn’t feed on souls, but rather fear, which he does by instilling it in others. That’s key since, in the comics, he’s one of a group of demons known as the Fear Lords.
There’s perhaps several reasons why the movie made these changes. Some are more narrative driven such as raising the stakes, creating a reason for both Shang-Chi and his father to be at Ta-Lo, and have the Dweller-In-Darkness fight a Chinese Dragon, a.k.a. The Great Protector, in the climax.
But the Dweller-in-Darkness persuading Wenwu to destroy the barrier between world by pretending to be his departed wife should remind us of another Marvel Studios production. Remember the end-credits scene from the WandaVision finale, where Wanda heard the voices of her twin boys, Billy and Tommy? Seeing as how that was also a stinger for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it could very well be that we haven’t seen the last of these “Soul Eaters.”
As for Shang-Chi’s future? It sure looks as though we’ll be seeing more of him and the Ten Rings during Phase 4. Whether he appears in another solo film or a fifth Avengers movie – and how close either one of those might be to the comics – is another matter.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is currently playing in theaters, and will be released on Disney+ in October 2021.