Shang-Chi Is the Secret Link Between the Marvel Universe & G.I. Joe
In comics, Shang-Chi is one of the deadliest fighters in the Marvel Universe, but one forgotten comic story reveals he’s also responsible for training G.I. Joe’s martial arts expert Quick Kick. Although the story has never been in official continuity, it remains the only time the worlds of Marvel and G.I. Joe have crossed streams.
Created in 1973 by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi starred in his own comic, Master of Kung Fu, for over a hundred issues. Languishing in back issue bins for years, the character has had a recent surge of popularity thanks to a stint in the Avengers and also getting his very own feature film installment in the MCU. Conversely, Quick Kick made his debut in a 1985 assortment of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series of action figures. According to his file card, he was born MacArthur S. Ito to a Japanese father and Korean mother. After mastering various martial arts disciplines, he began working as a stuntman in Hollywood, which soon caught the attention of the U.S. Army. After a stint in the Rangers, Ito was recruited into the elite G.I. Joe team and given the code-name “Quick Kick.” And, according to at least one version of his origins in the comics, the Joe team’s own martial arts master was trained by none other than Shang-Chi...
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When brought overseas, the classic G.I. Joe: ARAH toyline was rebranded as the more international-sounding Action Force, which soon got its own accompanying comic series from Marvel’s U.K. publishing arm. Action Force #17 features the five-page story entitled “Meditations in Red.” Written by a young Grant Morrison and with art by Steve Yeowell, the story details how member Quick Kick was
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