Shang-Chi's Childhood is Even Worse In Comics Than The MCU
Warning: contains spoilers for Shang-Chi #8!
Marvel'sShang-Chi historically has a very difficult childhood in every incarnation, but the films version pales in comparison to that of the comics. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Shang-Chi was trained as an assassin and a master of hand-to-hand combat by his villainous father in a bid for revenge against those who wronged him. But in Shang-Chi #8, a single incident defines the immense trauma that Shang-Chi went through long before he became an Avenger.
In the original comic continuity, Shang-Chi is the son of Fu-Manchu. Marvel eventually realized that the quite-racist Manchu character would obviously not stand the test of time (and perhaps from a more cynical point of view, the company realized it couldn't realistically hold on to the rights to the character), so Fu Manchu was replaced with Zheng Zhu. A powerful warrior, warlord and commander of the Five Weapons Society, he eventually fought against Shang-Chi and lost; Shang-Chi eventually became master of the Five Weapons Society and decided reform the criminal organization into a force for good.
Related: Fantastic Beasts 3 Has A Strange Link To Shang-Chi
InShang-Chi #8, a flashback sequence occurs in which Shang-Chi's father reveals his true deception to his mother. He's constructed a gate that will allow him to re-arm his criminal enterprise using weapons from the dimension of Ta Lo. When Jiang Li's father — Shang-Chi's grandfather — appeared to battle Zheng Zhu, both parties immediately asked for Shang-Chi to aid them in their fight. Shang-Chi was not even an adult at the time and the weight of the world was immediately placed upon his shoulders.
Jiang Li is thrown into the gateway during the fight, further
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