Marvel Comics' September solicitations are rewriting the history of Shang-Chi ahead of his upcoming Marvel movie. Marvel's premiere martial artist, Shang-Chi was the son of Fu Manchu. His father was a criminal mastermind, responsible for a series of Machiavellian plots of world domination. He was also, unfortunately, very much a racist stereotype. Shang-Chi may be a Marvel superhero, but Marvel don't actually own the rights to Fu Manchu at all, even if they ever intended to use him at all.
It was always only a matter of time before Shang-Chi got a new series of his own. Marvel Studios has announced an upcoming Shang-Chi movie, currently scheduled for May 7, 2021. In the MCU, his history appears to have been rewritten, making him the son of the Mandarin and potentially heir of the terrorist organization known as the Ten Rings. Now, it looks as though Marvel Comics is adjusting Shang-Chi's status quo so it matches up, in a brand new series.
Marvel Comics has released their September 2020 solicitations, and they include a new Shang-Chi series that rewrites the history of the Master of Kung Fu. Here's the solicitation:
- Shang-Chi #1
- Written by Gene Luen Yang
- Art by Dike Ruan with Philip Tan
- Cover by Jim Cheung
- THE MASTER RETURNS!
- An ancient and evil secret society has stayed in hiding since the death of their leader, Zheng Zhu. But now his successor has been chosen to shift the balance of power in the world…Zheng Zhu’s son, Shang-Chi! Witness the Marvel Universe’s greatest fighter return to a world of death and destruction he thought he left behind long ago…and discover the secrets to Shang-Chi’s past that will change his world forever. Don’t miss out on this epic tale of family, betrayal and justice as the incredible team of Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Dike Ruan (SPIDER-VERSE, BLACK CAT) and Philip Tan (UNCANNY X-MEN) launch a new chapter in the legend of Shang-Chi!
Yang's Shang-Chi series is clearly going to continue building on previous retcons, which revealed Fu Manchu was in fact the alias of a powerful and immortal sorcerer named Zheng Zhu. He was finally killed by an old enemy, the Prince of Orphans, in Secret Avengers #7-10, when his body was transformed into stone and then shattered. It seems Shang-Chi will pick up from those events, with the Master of Kung Fu chosen to succeed his father as head of a vast criminal empire. The basic concept will be very familiar to readers; it's similar to Jimmy Woo, a Marvel spy who became head of another ancient secret society called the Atlas Foundation. There's been some speculation this idea would be incorporated into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a concept that fits thematically with Marvel's Phase 4 plans.
Marvel's solicit refers to "secrets to Shang-Chi’s past that will change his world forever." This suggests further retcons are on their way as well, potentially to align the character with his upcoming MCU version. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was appointed Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment in an organization restructure last year, and as a result it's likely there will be more synergy between the films and the comics going forward. Shang-Chi will clearly be one book to watch, if only to give insight into the future of the MCU as well.