Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were just introduced to the latest member of the Avengers in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which brought the hero to the big screen for the first time. However, while the movie explored Shang-Chi‘s origins it never showed him officially joining the team despite Marvel Studios welcoming him as the newest member.
Shang-Chi in the comics might be better known as a solo hero, though he joined quite a few teams over the years. A great place to start when getting to know this new addition is to take a deep dive into the sometimes confusing history of the character & a closer look at the teams he’s joined since he first appeared in 1973’s Special Marvel Edition #15.
10 Shang-Chi Was Unknowingly Raised In The Celestial Order Of The Si-Fan
A lot of Shang-Chi’s origins have been retconned over the years due to the original inclusion of the problematic character Fu Manchu as his father in his earliest appearances. Fu Manchu ran a secret criminal organization that was known as the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan.
Shang-Chi was raised as a warrior under his father, though it was only as an adult that he learned the truth about his father’s criminal ties and his own membership in the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan. Shang-Chi rebelled after his father sent him on an assassination for the Celestial Order and he left the group so he could bring it down.
9 Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service MI-6 Helped Shang-Chi With Si-Fan
Shang-Chi found a few allies after he turned on his father’s criminal empire, which eventually saw him allied with the British Secret Intelligence Service. He worked with both branches known as MI-5 and MI-6 in his quest to bring down Fu Manchu and the Celestial Order.
Shang-Chi worked as an espionage agent for years before he retired, though he returned to help MI-6 when they encountered the deadly assassins of Si-Fan in the “Crossing Lines” storyline from Marvel Comics Presents.
8 Shang-Chi Worked With Two Different Rosters Of Marvel’s Heroes For Hire
Luke Cage and Iron Fist were Marvel’s first Heroes For Hire, though they expanded the team in the 90s. Namor’s Oracle Corporation funded the new team following the loss of heroes like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four during the Onslaught incident.
Shang-Chi helped this version of the Heroes for Hire on a few occasions as it had a rotating roster. Shang-Chi returned to the team in a more official capacity after Civil War when it was reorganized by Misty Knight, and he worked with other heroes like Colleen Wing, Black Cat, Tarantula, Humbug, and Orka.
7 He Briefly Worked With Daredevil’s Unnamed Superhero Team In Marvel Knights
The Marvel Knights banner helped relaunch a few Marvel characters with gritty new stories, though the actual series saw Daredevil put together his own team of street-level heroes. They were tasked with stopping the Punisher from turning New York into a warzone with his war on crime.
Shang-Chi joined characters like Black Widow, Dagger, Luke Cage, and Moon Knight in the unnamed superhero team, though they eventually disbanded after failing to take down the Punisher led to a series of setbacks and injuries.
6 Captain America’s Secret Avengers Helped Shang-Chi With The Shadow Council
Shang-Chi’s original father Fu Manchu was incredibly controversial due to the character’s racist design, so his origins were retconned and the new character Zheng Zu was created. Zheng Zu was an ancient sorcerer who adopted the guise of Fu Manchu in the modern era before his death.
Shang-Chi began working with Captain America’s Secret Avengers team when the villainous Shadow Council attempted to resurrect Zheng Zu. He joined other characters like Black Widow, Moon Knight, Beast, Ant-Man, War Machine, Valkyrie, and even cosmic hero Nova.
5 Shang-Chi Joined The Avengers When The Team Expanded During Marvel NOW!
When Jonathan Hickman took over the Avengers during the Marvel NOW! era, he expanded the team’s roster as they planned to go bigger in order to save the world. This was referred to as the Avengers Machine which was a new idea from Tony Stark about assembling the right heroes for the right job.
Shang-Chi’s work with the Secret Avengers led to his inclusion on the team with one of its largest and most powerful rosters. Shang-Chi briefly gained a new superpower that allowed him to create duplicates of himself while working to create an Avengers World, and he would later work with Sunspot’s Avengers Idea Mechanics during the “Time Runs Out” storyline.
4 He Worked With The Protectors During Amadeus Cho’s Time As The Hulk
The team that would become known as the Protectors first assembled together for a charity event for Asian-American bone marrow donors. Shang-Chi joined Champions members like Ms. Marvel and Amadeus Cho during his brief tenure as the Totally Awesome Hulk before he took on his new Brawn form.
Other heroes like Silk, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jake Oh and the head of Atlas Jimmy Woo also helped form the Protectors when they were pulled into a battle with the alien Imperial Guard of Seknarf Seven that further united the team.
3 Shang-Chi Joined The Avengers Underground During The Secret Empire Event
While fans were surprised by Captain America’s “Hail Hydra” reveal ahead of the Secret Empire event, the superhuman community was equally shocked when the evil Steve Rogers corrupted his own team of Avengers to help extend Hydra’s rule across the country.
Hawkeye began to assemble a resistance known as the Underground that fought against Hydra and its Avengers. Shang-Chi had first been captured and tortured by Hydra before he was rescued by the Underground, and he then joined the fight against the evil Captain America and his Hydra army.
2 He Joined Jimmy Woo’s New Agents of Atlas Team During War Of The Realms
The Agents of Atlas were originally assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo in the 50s, which ultimately led to his youthful rejuvenation in the modern age thanks to the original Marvel Boy. The newly youthful Jimmy Woo reformed the Agents of Atlas for a brief period of time before they again disbanded.
Woo later reformed the Agents of Atlas during The War of the Realms using members from the Protectors and other new AAPI heroes like Io, Sword Master, Wave, White Fox, Aero, Luna Snow, and the new Giant-Man. Shang-Chi eventually left the team due to disagreements with Woo over his questionable choices that endangered team members.
1 Shang-Chi Recently Became The Leader Of The Secret Five Weapons Society
Shang-Chi first learned about the existence of previously unknown siblings who protected him from assassins sent by his evil father’s criminal organization. While it was originally known as the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan, Shang-Chi learned the real group was secretly known as the Five Weapons Society.
He had been chosen to be the new leader and maneuvered into battle against his sister. Shang-Chi also learned he was one of the House Champions of the Five Weapons Society with other warriors named Brother Sabre, Sister Dagger, and Sister Staff. He took over as Supreme Commander and used his father’s criminal organization for good in his new role as Brother Hand.
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