There are a lot of hand-to-hand combat experts in Marvel Comics. Captain America, Black Widow, Moon Knight, Elektra, Iron Fist, Black Panther, and more have all proven themselves to have skills head and shoulders above virtually everyone else in the game. Except for Shang-Chi, of course.
The Master of Kung Fu, Shang-Chi has been focused on becoming the world's greatest fighter since he was a young boy – and it shows. There are few people who can take him in a fight, but Shang-Chi is also one of Marvel's foremost teachers, helping several heroes up their respective games.
7 Spider-Man Needed Shang-Chi's Help
There are a few qualities that make Spider-Man who he is, and that doesn't just mean the infamous Parker luck. Spider-Man has the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a spider, but he also has his trademarked Spider-Sense which warns him of any danger coming his way.
When Spider-Man lost that key ability, Madame Web stepped in and got him some help in the form of Shang-Chi. He trained the Web-Slinger in kung fu, which was likely the most formal fight training Spider-Man had ever received. This new skill set helped make up for his lost Spider-Sense. Once that ability returned, his kung fu training became even more potent.
6 Domino Needed To Sharpen Her Skills
Hanging around the same circles as Deadpool and Cable is no easy task and Domino is well suited to it. Domino's mutant ability to have everything fall into place has kept her alive in some pretty dire situations. At the same time, Domino's refined skills in armed and unarmed combat should never be underestimated. Anyone who has ends up paying a hefty price.
When she needed help against an enemy who could steal powers, Amadeus Cho sent Domino to Shang-Chi to get her hand-to-hand game taken up a few notches. It worked, too, but Shang-Chi really didn't appreciate her using his training to kill someone.
5 Preparing The New Agents Of Atlas
When the "War of the Realms" broke out, Shang-Chi found his group of Protectors working alongside Jimmy Woo's New Agents of Atlas. Their respective battles saw different members of the two groups heading out on separate missions. Shang-Chi, in particular, led a faction against Queen Sindr.
While his crew had their own power sets and abilities, Shang-Chi isn't usually one to rest on such luxuries. Before taking the fight to Sindr, Shang-Chi made a point of giving his team some fight training to make sure the battle went their way.
4 Shang-Chi Took Sword Master To Another Level
One of those trainees from the battle with Sindr was Sword Master. Lin Lie's father was an archaeologist who discovered an ancient sword while on a dig, buried in a 5000-year-old tomb. The mystical sword belonged to Fuxi and led Lin Lie to discover that he was the legendary figure's last descendent.
With the magical sword in his hand, Lin Lie became Sword Master and joined Jimmy Woo's New Agents of Atlas. After the battle of Sindr was done, Shang-Chi realized that Sword Master needed more formal training. Shang-Chi took the young hero on as a student, training him not only in kung, fu but also in what it takes to be a hero in a world of beings with unthinkable power.
3 Even Captain America Needs To Polish His Skills
When it comes to hand-to-hand combatants, Captain America is regarded by many as the gold standard. He received military training in World War II as well as the Super Soldier Serum than enhanced him to be better than peak human and once he got out of the ice, he continued his training with a variety of mentors in an incredible range of disciplines.
That includes Shang-Chi, someone who has reputedly become one of Cap's favorite sparring partners. They have shown each other a few new moves during different training sessions, but Cap would also be the first to admit that Shang-Chi is on another level.
2 Wolverine Isn't All Berserker Rage
During the course of Wolverine's long life, the man has had a lot of mentors, trainers, and senseis. How many of them he remembers is a completely different question. The number of people and organizations who have messed with Wolverine's memories is actually quite shocking.
Wolverine relies on a smash-mouth style of combat that sees him run headfirst into danger and letting his healing factor deal with the consequences and it works most of the time, but he also has extensive training in a variety of fighting styles. His mentors include the likes of Elektra and Shang-Chi, two of the most dangerous fighters in Marvel.
1 Kitty Pryde Was A Teacher And A Student
In the era of Battleworld, Shang-Chi was involved in the Secret Wars storyline. He was the exiled son of the Master of the Ten Rings, a school of martial arts based on the Mandarin's ten rings. Regardless, Shang-Chi was one of the best fighters in that reality.
Kitty Pryde, who was known as Kitten in this story, approached Shang-Chi and requested that he train her as well as the rest of her group of outcasts. He refused at first, but eventually relented and trained the entire crew. The interesting part was that working with Kitten actually resulted in Shang-Chi developing a new technique based on her mutant ability to turn intangible.