10 Most Feared Shang-Chi Villains of All Time
After months of speculation, Marvel finally, and officially announced that they are working on a Shang-Chi movie. While the character has been around for a very long time, very little about him is known to the masses. A little while back I wrote an article addressing his history and everything that led him to become who he now is. Hopefully, that cleared the air on who Shang-Chi is.
As good as the article was (I can use those words because I’m biased toward my own work), it didn’t reference any of the many Shang-Chi enemies. In fact, I felt a little incomplete as a result, So, to finish what I started, I created a list. Let’s take a look at the most feared Shang-Chi enemies of all time.
15. Li Ching-Lin
Li Ching-Lin was a double agent working for both MI6 and Fu Manchu. MI6 hired Shang-Chi and Denis Nayland Smith to eliminate him due to his brutal nature. After a confrontation with Shang-Chi at his residence, Lin fled and later returned to Fu Manchu, who transformed him into the ‘Death Dealer.’
The Death-Dealer attacked Shang-Chi and his allies at Leiko’s apartment but failed to kill anyone. After a duel with Shang-Chi, the Death-Dealer was disarmed and escaped by diving into the River Thames, leaving behind a deck of cards.
14. Mordillo
Mordillo, a former MI6 agent, became an assassin after losing his sanity. He established an island base and took on the identity of Mordillo, never revealing his true face. After failing to assassinate Carlton Velcro and losing out on a million-dollar payday, Mordillo sought revenge against Shang-Chi and stole the Solar Chute from MI-6 to gain control over it using information hidden within Leiko’s mind.
13. Nightwind
Nightwind, a skilled ninja with the mutant power to manipulate Darkforce into a sword, joined the Rising Sons alongside other members.
They were hired to protect a man named Noy, who possessed a sword wanted by Adrienne Frost. The Rising Sons clashed with the mercenary Paladin, leading to a confrontation with Generation X. Nightwind ambushed Chamber and nearly killed him, but Synch and Skin eventually subdued her using their powers. However, like many mutants, Nightwind lost her abilities during Scarlet Witch’s depowering of mutants on M-Day.
12. Red Dot
Red Dot was impressed by the view from the original House of the Deadly Hand and later encountered the Red Dot Collective. They found Iron Man’s Silver Centurion Armor and tried to sell it to the Five Weapons Society, but Shang-Chi refused and fought against Red Dot and his men.
Despite shooting Shang-Chi in the head, Shang-Chi retaliated and rendered Red Dot unconscious. Red Dot and his men were later revealed to have been part of a scheme to test Shang-Chi’s commitment to change and were recruited by Chieftain Xin to undermine Shang-Chi’s rule.
11. Si-Fan Cyber Ninjas
The Si-Fan Cyber Ninjas are a group of highly trained ninjas. As such, various high-profile villains often deploy them to do their bidding. In one such instance, Kingpin sent out the Ninjas to prevent the X-Men and Shang-Chi from acquiring Zheng Zu’s Elixir.
And which Elixir?The one that gives its user the ability and youth if someone is half their age. Of course, like most bands of ninjas, they failed, but that’s not the point. Not even close. What’s the point, you may ask? The point is that the Si Fan Ninjas are as deadly as they are many.
10. Mandarin
Even though he is mostly known as an enemy of Iron Man, Mandarin is a formidable foe to whoever dares face him. This includes Shang-Chi. Mandarin has in his possession ten rings that grant him immeasurable power. Each of the rings is worn on a different finger, and each allows him to do something different.
Just a few examples include the mental control of others, projection of lightning blasts, matter disintegration, and matter manipulation. But it isn’t just his power that makes him formidable. Mandarin also possesses a genius-level intellect, thereby making him one of the smartest characters in Marvel.
9. Ghost Maker
Ghost Maker was born in the Soviet Union. He was trained in martial arts by his father, who also happened to be a high-ranking officer in the K.G.B. Ghost Maker first encounters Shang-Chi during an attack on a Sussex Military camp. During one of their battles, Ghost Maker was exposed to raindrops that contained death dust.
As a result of the exposure, Ghost Maker was left as nothing but a skeleton. Though dead, he was brought back to life by a cult known as Snakeroot. His resurrection, however, didn’t matter as he was once again brought down by Shang-Chi. Although not initially considered to have any special powers, it is now thought that Ghost Maker is incapable of dying.
8. Darkstrider
When he first appeared, Darkstrider was the leader of a clan of ninjas known as the Warlords of the Web. His men, the Warlords of the Web, sought to assassinate Moon Sun, the leader of a circus. Moon Sun enlisted the help of Shang-Chi and together they were able to defeat Darkstrider.
Although tales were told of Darkstrider’s origin, no two tales were the same. Some told a tale of a man hired to destroy Moon Sun’s circus, while others told of a man whose wife died as a result of seeing the creatures in the circus. No matter which story was true, one thing remained the same…he was a fierce ninja with a vendetta against the circus.
7. Shadow Slasher
As a villain obsessed with proving himself better than our hero, Shadow Slasher is one of the most feared Shang-Chi enemies of all time. Their initial encounter, saw Shadow Slasher offer up a battle challenge to Shang-Chi. Sensing danger for everyone else involved and around, Shang accepts and the two begin brawling in a park.
The battle is long and filled with Shang-Chi gaining the upper hand, Shadow Slasher fleeing and returning, only to see Shang-Chi once again gain the upper hand. At its conclusion, Shadow Slasher was defeated and handed over to the authorities. Like Shang-Chi, Shadow Slasher is a skilled martial artist whose use and understanding of weaponry are rivaled by few.
6. Razor-Fist
Although there have been multiple incarnations of Razor-Fist, each has one thing in common…each
The first Razor-Fist was an assassin who, after being beaten in battle by Shang, was inadvertently shot to death by a guard. The following two were created by Dr. Doom. Although they were independent of one another, they put on a charade that saw them claim to be one.
No matter which version we look at, each received its name from its lightning-fast punches. The speed in their punches came as a by-product of their extensive martial arts training. Each also possesses peak-level human conditioning. Finally, their hands have been replaced by a
5. Moving Shadow
After Shang-Chi failed to live up to his expectations, Zheng Zu conceived another child. That child turned out to be Moving Shadow.
Moving Shadow has not only embraced everything his father has taught, but he is also loyal to a fault. As such, when he was ordered to kill Shang-Chi, he left to do so without question. Unfortunately, he lost to him in battle and at its conclusion, was ironically killed by the man who had sent him to kill in the first place, Zheng Zu.
4. Midnight Sun
First appearing in Marvel Special Edition #16, back in 1974, Midnight Sun has gone on to become one of the most important Shang-Chi enemies.
Different from his other children, Midnight Sun is not the biological child of Zheng Zu. Instead, he was a child from a small African village that Zheng Zu used as his headquarters. When
3. Cursed Lotus
Fah Lo Suee is the daughter of Zheng Zu and half-sister to Shang-Chi. She is the leader of the criminal organization, Oriental Expeditors, which has flooded the market with drugs and other narcotics, and most importantly, her endeavors have put her in constant battle with her brother.
As the daughter of Zheng Zu, Fah Lo Suee has access to the Elixir of Life. With it, she has the youth and abilities of a woman half her age. But that’s not all. Through her actions and words, she can
2. Zheng Zu
The most famous of all Shang-Chi enemies, Zheng Zu is also the most controversial. Before he became Zheng Zu, he was known as Fu Manchu. Sadly, Fu Manchu, as important to Shang-Chi’s history as he is, is a racial blemish on the character.
Zheng Zu is Shang’s father. He is ruthless, violent, and the controller of unimaginable wealth and power. More than that, he conceived Shang-Chi only to train him to become the world’s foremost assassin. In the world of Shang-Chi, none are as dangerous or important as Zheng Zu.
1. Dweller In Darkness
The Dweller in Darkness, one of the Fear Lords, originated from the dimension Everinnye and represented humanity’s collective fear. He chose to exist in physical form by disembodying his head and following the Way of the Shamblu, turning his back on his people.
While he considered Nightmare his cousin, Nightmare rejected this notion and distanced himself from the Dweller, who fed on fear to enhance his powers and sustain his existence.
Who would make it to your list of best Shang-Chi enemies? Let us know in the comments!
