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Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Reading Order

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Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Reading Order

In the early 1970s, a “Kung Fu craze” swept across the United States, forever changing the landscape of pop culture. It was during this particular cultural time that Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, was born. Originally conceived by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, the character’s origin is a fascinating tale of creative ambition and corporate licensing.

The duo originally hoped to adapt the television series Kung Fu into a comic book. Because Warner Communications (DC’s parent company) owned the rights to the show, they first approached DC Comics with their proposition. The publisher passed on this opportunity, doubting the longevity of the martial arts trend. On the other hand, Marvel was all in this craze, having acquired the rights of the licensed pulp world of Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu. At the House of Ideas, Shang-Chi was reimagined as the villain’s rebellious son.

When Marvel eventually lost the rights to the Fu Manchu characters, Shang-Chi entered a period of relative obscurity, with fewer appearances. His father was also renamed Zheng Zu to distance the character from the expired license, and with time, the character simply transition as a Martial art hero more immersed in the world of superheroes, joining teams like the Heroes for Hire, The Avengers, and The New Agents of Atlas, and even mentoring heroes like Spider-Man. Today, Shang-Chi is even part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), played by Simu Liu. 

You can, right now, Trace the path of the Dragon, and explore the martial arts corner of Marvel  with our complete Shang-Chi comics reading guide.

Where to Start Reading Shang-Chi? 

  • Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Omnibus Vol. 1 – This is where begins the epic story of Shang-Chi! Discover the classic stories starring the Master of Kung-Fu from Steve Englehart, Doug Moench, Jim Starlin, Paul Gulacy, and more.
  • Shang-Chi by Gene Luen-Yang – A modern entry point for new readers and/or fans of the MCU movie coming from Gene Luen Yang that soft-reboots his mythology

The Path of the Dragon: Shang-Chi Comics Collection

The Classic Shang-Chi (1974-1990)

The Master of Kung Fu series enjoyed a solid run from 1974 to 1983 (and a total of 125 issues). Initially launched by Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, Doug Moench took the over at issue #20 and stayed until the series concluded.

During this period, Marvel also capitalized on the martial arts boom with The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, a black-and-white magazine that ran for 33 issues until 1977. While Shang-Chi was a recurring presence, it was more of an ensemble title, featuring a rotating cast including White Tiger, Iron Fist, the Sons of the Tiger, and the Daughters of the Dragon (Colleen Wing and Misty Knight).

Following the cancellation of both titles, Shang-Chi almost disappeared except for Marvel Comics Presents (1988) and the one-shot Master of Kung Fu: Bleeding Black #1 (1990).

Marvel Comics has started to collect this era in its famous Epic Collection, but only two volumes have been released, covering the four first years. A third volume was announced at some point, but cancelled due to rights issues. No new Epic volumes have been released since 2019. Both titles were previously reprinted in Omnibus editions, but these are now out of print and only available second-hand at a high price.

Wolverine LogoThough published in 2008, Wolverine: First Class #9 tells a story taking place in the early 80s where Wolverine takes on Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu!

Shang-Chi: Guest-Star (1992-1998)

Following the martial arts boom in pop culture of the 1970s, which faded until the resurgence of the 2000s with films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi kind of faded into obscurity. However, he did appear occasionally as a guest star or even the lead in a short arc in several titles.

Following the end of the 1970s martial arts boom in pop culture and until the resurgence in 2000 (with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Shang-Chi kind of faded into obscurity. During those years, he did appear occasionally as a guest star or as the lead in a short arc story.

Shang-Chi, Team Member Part I (2000-2011)

The noughties were a period of significant events and partnerships for Shang-Chi. First, he teamed up with the Marvel Knights, and then he joined Misty Knight and Colleen Wing as part of their Heroes for Hire team of investigators during the Civil War.

Following the events of Civil War and World War Hulk, Shang-Chi became one of the heroes fighting the Hand in Shadowland, then played a more significant role during the Spider-Island storyline. Between the two events, he joined the Secret Avengers in an effort to take down his father, now named Zheng Zu.

Out-of-Continuity Alert! Both author Doug Moench and illustrator Paul Gulacy are back on Shang-Chi for a six-part story, which was published as part of the MAX series in 2002–03. The comic served to reintroduce the Master of Kung Fu and offer a more modern take on the character.

Shang-Chi: Avenger in Marvel Now (2012-2015)

As Marvel entered a new era, Shang-Chi became an more important character. He was a member of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers as part of Avengers World and starred in his own miniseries, written by Mike Benson. For more information on the superhero team, take a look at our Complete guide to Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers.

Time Runs Out for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Illuminati in the last part of Jonathan Hickman’s run on The Avengers, leading us to Secret Wars and the end of a Marvel era. With the end of the Marvel Multiverse came the birth of a Battleworld, a patchwork world made from remnants of destroyed realities. One of them was an alternate version of K’un-Lun. This story is not part of main continuity. 

Shang-Chi, Team Member Part II (2015-2020)

The Marvel Universe was rebooted, but it didn’t had an impact on Shang-Chi who was still a few years away from his break on the big screen. After a few appearances in Secret Empire, the Master of Kung-Fu became a member of the Protectors, a group of Asian-American heroes consisting of Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Agent Jake Oh, Jimmy Woo, Ms. Marvel, and Silk. The team was reunited during War of the Realms were they formed The New Agents of Atlas. Shang-Chi has a minor role in the team.

Shang-Chi by Gene Luen-Yang… And Beyond (2020-)

With Shang-Chi making his grand debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Master of Kung-Fu Shang-Chi finally headlined his own limited series again. Created by Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan, it reintroduces him as the leader of the kung fu clan, the House of the Deadly Hand.

At the same time, writer Alyssa Wong also wrote a few optional Shang-Chi stories: 

Out-of-Continuity Alert! Coming from Scholastic is the all-age graphic novel Shang-Chi and the Quest for Immortality, featuring a twelve-year-old Shang-Chi living in the grand palace of the Five Weapons Society with his younger sister and ready to do anything to prove himself in his father’s eyes.

Whose side is Shang-Chi on? When he became leader of his family’s Five Weapons Society, he promised to use it for good – but friends and foes alike have been unsure of his true intentions. With a gang war raging in New York  City, Shang-Chi has no other choice but to act to protect Chinatown… and take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the Five Weapon Society’s biggest rivals!Following are Shang-Chi’s story during this Marvel event: 

After this event, Shang-chi was recruited  by Bucky Barnes into his new Thunderbolts team to permanently eliminate the Red Skull and his enterprises, but does nothing noteworthy during his time on the team. He then became one of several heroes recruited by Captain America to be part of the Avengers Emergency Response Squad: 

  • Avengers Assemble: The Serpent Scenario
    Collects Avengers Assemble (2024) #1-5.
  • Astonishing Avengers Infinity Comic #1-9
  • Astonishing Avengers Infinity Comic #24-27
  • Astonishing Avengers Infinity Comic #28-30

The story continues…

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