SHANG-CHI Star Sam Lui Says His Marvel Character Can Beat Iron Man, Hulk, and Black Widow in a Fight
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a Marvel film that I’m incredibly excited about seeing because we’re finally going to get to see a martial arts Marvel movie! Not many people really know who Shang-Chi is, but he is the son of China-based globalist who raised and educated his progeny in his secluded compound in China, closed off to the outside world. Shang-Chi trained in the martial arts and developed unsurpassed skills.
What kind of skills are we talking about? Well, according to Shang-Chi star Sam Lui, he can beat lots of other Marvel characters in a fight. During a recent interview with Toronto Life, the actor was asked, "In a Marvel smackdown between Shang-Chi, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and the Black Widow, who wins?” This was his reply:
"I win! Shang-Chi. I could debate this as a fan for hours, but now that I’ve got some skin in the game, I have to think I could take any of these guys on. Shang-Chi can definitely throw a punch. As for his other skills and powers, you’ll have to wait and see."
When it comes to his skills an abilities from the comic books here’s a breakdown:
Shang's mastery of chi allows him to disperse physical trauma across his entire body (as opposed to accumulating at any single point) and strike with enough force to break through reinforced steel. On many occasions, he has also demonstrated the ability to dodge and deflect bullets from automatic weapons after they've been fired, and he is quick and agile enough to keep up with the likes of Spider-Man.
While possessing no superhuman senses, Shang-Chi is highly attuned to his surroundings thanks to his training and having spent most of his life thwarting his father's assassins. He is able to pinpoint the breath sounds and heart beats of silent aggressors, as well as the distant loading of firearms by gunmen. He has also demonstrated the ability to sense small changes in the environment that would be unnoticed by most.
Due to his training, Shang-Chi is also less susceptible to mental attacks than most humans,
Lui also shares that one of his most memorable moments since landing the role of Shang-Chi is when he first tried on his costume:
“The first time I tried on Shang-Chi’s superhero suit. Marvel has never had an Asian lead, so that was such a rare and impactful moment, for me as an actor but also for people who look like me. I nearly cried. It was so emotional. And then of course by the fifth day, I was like, Oh my god, I hate this thing, why are there so many zippers?”
Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle) is set to direct the film from a script written by Dave Callaham (Wonder Woman 1984, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2).
Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973 and was created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin. The character is described as a spy, a romantic, a philosopher, and an Avenger and is one of the best martial artists in the Marvel universe.
The film is also said to “modernize the hero to avoid stereotypes that many comic characters of that era were saddled with. The comic launched around the time that Enter the Dragon became a global sensation and martial arts films raged.”
Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings will be released on July 9th.