With the release of his blockbuster film, Marvel Comics' Shang-Chi broke into the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and offered fans a chance to see the Master of Kung-Fu in action on the big screen. Despite the film being an exceptional addition to the MCU, there was still one plot hole that left fans feeling confused. While the film failed to answer the question as to how this certain event was possible, Marvel Comics filled in the gaps and fixed Shang-Chi’s biggest MCU plot hole.
In Shang-Chi #7 by Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan, Shang-Chi is reunited with his mother who tells him the secrets of her past as well as the hidden mysteries of her homeland of Ta Lo. One aspect of the otherworldly dimension is the powers offered to those who step foot onto that world by the mystical forces surrounding it. The two abilities granted to Ta Lo residents are the ability to psionically link with the Qilin, a creature native to the land, and the skills of a master archer.
In the MCU film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Shang-Chi and his friend Katy Chen travel to Ta Lo to stop Shang-Chi’s father, the Mandarin, from opening a demonic portal and releasing a soul-sucking demon. When they arrive, Shang-Chi and Katy are received by the residents of Ta Lo and train with them to prepare for the Mandarin's arrival. While Shang-Chi learned his mother’s martial arts techniques, Katy learned archery and quickly became so good at it that she was instrumental in taking down the Dweller-in-Darkness when it arrived by shooting it through the throat with an arrow. The shot Katy nailed would be enough to impress Hawkeye, making no sense that she would be able to do it after that short amount of time practicing. With the revelation made by Shang-Chi’s mother in the comics, however, fans now know how Katy’s life-saving shot was possible.
Now that fans are aware that Katy was influenced by the magic of Ta Lo, that epic scene in the film becomes so much more enjoyable. No longer are the lingering questions as to how Katy was able to fire an arrow through the neck of a demon dragon from so far away with such little practice. The magical properties of the land guided her arrow and allowed her to help Shang-Chi save the world.
With this act of clarity, Marvel Comics fixed a huge plot hole in an MCU film thereby proving the comics are more than just source material but the continued authority of Marvel lore. Even when the MCU makes alterations to comic book characters, Marvel Comics always remains in the background to fill in any gaps left open by the films. Movies can only contain so much lore before the runtime gets too long, but comics have the ability to take their time and flesh out every aspect of a character and their background. In this instance, Marvel Comics just fixed Shang-Chi’s biggest MCU plothole, and in the process made the movie much more enjoyable.