WARNING! This article contains spoilers for Shang-Chi #6.
While a new introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi has been a staple in Marvel Comics for decades, though there was always a problem originating from his debut comic that kept the character from reaching his full potential, a problem that has since been fixed. Shang-Chi is a nearly peerless kung fu expert and Marvel branded him as such in his first standalone comic, titled The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. However, because of that pigeonhole, Shang-Chi often seemed painted into a corner in terms of which foes he could realistically take on. At least until now.
In the character's latest run from Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan, the titular character has put his Kung Fu mastery to the test while fighting against the entire Marvel Universe. After inheriting his father’s criminal organization, The Five Weapons Society, Shang-Chi began working to change the crew’s evil ways. However, he can't put behind him his family's past involvement in wrongdoings, leading to a confrontation with many of Marvel’s heroes, one which forced Shang-Chi to defend his family home.
During the fight with Marvel’s heroes in Shang-Chi #6, Shang-Chi uses a sword that had been passed down his family line and powered by the Cosmic Cube. With this weapon and his preexisting fighting skills that are near unparalleled, Shang-Chi holds his own against Thor himself, even drawing blood from the face of the God of Thunder. His usage of the weapon proved Shang-Chi knows a lot more than kung fu. The scene pushed the hero over the edge from skilled martial artist to a being worthy of wielding godly powers.
Shang-Chi using weapons isn’t only a recent development in the comic book world, but also in the MCU. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings updates the character right in the title, establishing that he will be wielding - and weaponizing - the Ten Rings in the film. While most of the film shows Shang-Chi deploying his kung fu skills using only his hands and feet, he is later able to take down a demonic force while fighting with the Ten Rings. Just like in the most recent comic, Shang-Chi proves he is worthy of wielding godlike power when fighting with the right weapon.
In his original comic, Shang-Chi is marketed as a hero who doesn’t use a weapon, relying only on his mastery of Kung Fu when fighting villains. Because of that initial characterization, Shang-Chi was very limited in the caliber of villain he would be able to fight. Now, Shang-Chi is going toe-to-toe with literal gods, all because Marvel ignored his original title and updated the character enough to show that he is truly a force to be reckoned with by arming him, which turned Shang-Chi into a full-on superhero worthy of fighting side-by-side with the Avengers.