All of Shang-Chi’s efforts to bring his family back together have finally paid off, and they might be leading him to his biggest defeat yet.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Shang-Chi #10, available now from Marvel.
Shang-Chi has come a long way in his mission to reform the Five Weapons Society ever since inheriting his father’s criminal empire. Not only has the Master of Kung Fu largely kept the organization in line with his own benevolent ideals, he has even managed to finally bring his extraordinary siblings together under the same roof. Now the only thing left for the champions of the Five Weapons Society to do is journey to the mystic land of Ta Lo and put an end to the threat it currently poses to them all. Unfortunately, it is Shang-Chi’s own brother and sisters who could be his undoing, although they may not have much of a choice in the matter to begin with.
The Five Weapons Society barely survived the onslaught of the Qilin Riders led by Chieftain Xin, Shang-Chi’s own grandfather, only to be left racing against the mystic Taotie. While Shang-Chi #10 (by Gene Luen Yang, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, and VC’s Travis Lanham) sees the titular hero narrowly overcome a Taotie attack, the last of his siblings isn’t so lucky when the Qilin Riders finally catch up to her. Shi-Hua, better known as Sister Hammer, survives the onslaught long enough for her siblings to come to her rescue. Despite the violent nature of their reunion, the Five Weapons Society is finally back together in full for what might be the very first time. This also puts them in a position to take the fight to Ta Lo, both to rescue Shang-Chi’s mother and to put a stop to Chieftain Xin’s plot. From the looks of things, however, it could very well be Shang-Chi that his siblings choose to bring down.
Shang-Chi has worked tirelessly to bring his family together under one roof. Along the way, he has also let go of almost every old grudge and riff that existed between them. Guiding Esme away from the ultraviolent lifestyle she had grown accustomed to, giving Zhilan the choice to leave for Krakoa, and giving Shi Hua a second chance have made it clear where Shang-Chi stands. Even Takeshi, who Shang-Chi held accountable for stealing a Cosmic Cube from the Avengers, appears at ease with his brother’s steadfast moral compass. Of course, it doesn’t dissuade Takeshi’s concerns about what awaits them in Ta Lo, or what they will look like once they have returned.
Shang-Chi is about as far from his father’s legacy as possible, yet the worry that Zheng Zu’s inherent influence may drive him down a similar path is very real. Especially for Takeshi, who has struggled more than anyone else with coming to terms with Shang-Chi’s vision, the thought that the worst of their father could exist in the best of them all is particularly unsettling. Should the endless possibilities that await them in Ta Lo prove to be more than Shang-Chi can resist, Takeshi and the others will be faced with reining in the man who has given all of them a new lease on life.
No matter how unsettling the prospect of having to combat a power-hungry Shang-Chi is, doing so might be just what galvanizes the Five Weapons Society in a meaningful, permanent way. If the rest of the Five Weapons Society chose to stand against their brother in such a manner, they would effectively be taking up Shang-Chi’s own personal mission without him. If nothing else, this would confirm that everything the Master of Kung Fu has done over the past year wasn’t in vain. With any luck, Shang-Chi will be able to see that truth come to fruition without becoming the worst version of himself in the process.
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