Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi is the son of notorious international criminal Fu Manchu. Known as the “Master of Kung Fu” due to his mastery of the martial arts, there are few people that can stand up to Shang-Chi in combat.

RELATED: 10 Things Fans Might Not Have Known About Shang-Chi

However, there have been a few characters that stand out among Shang-Chi’s opponents. Some, because they are allies and others just for the sheer “wow factor” that Shang-Chi stood toe to toe with these super powered individuals. As skilled as he is, Shang-Chi is just a mortal man.

10 Paladin

Paladin from Marvel Comics

Misty Knight told Tony Stark that no good would come of the Civil War that he was fighting with Captain America and that her Heroes for Hire would not hunt down friends on the Anti-Super Hero Registration side. In fact, Shang-Chi was adamant that he would not dishonor any former alliances. Misty managed to arrange a neutral meeting with Steve Rogers and a few of his people. The mercenary Paladin, another of his teammates, had different plans.

Paladin had prearranged with Stark to use knockout gas on the whole room and allow Stark to capture Rogers. However, Shang-Chi saw through Paladin’s plans, and held his breathe when the gas was set off. After quickly dispatching Paladin, Shang-Chi got Rogers and his companions to safety before Stark arrived.

9 Every Member of The Headmen Single-Handed

The strange team of brilliant but deranged scientists each have done something odd with their heads such as attaching them to a gorilla body or replacing it with malleable ruby computers among other things. It usually takes a whole team of Defenders to deal with them.

RELATED: Five Times Doctor Doom Swapped Minds With Other People!

They crossed paths with the Heroes for Hire when they stole one of Doctor Doom’s Doombots that the team had been hired to obtain from a little boy who had found and reprogrammed to be “nice”. Engaging the Headmen by himself, the reformed aquatic super villain Orka received a fatal shot through the chest. The normally reserved Shang-Chi beat each of the Headmen viciously and destroyed the Doombot.

8 Fu Manchu

Shang-Chi was shocked to find out that is father was the notorious international Fu Manchu. Shang-Chi believed his father was a benevolent humanitarian. Once the truth is revealed, he promised the villain that he would make it his life’s work to destroy his father’s empire. He spent decades keeping that promise.

Fu Manchu had died in an earlier attempt to capture and kill Shang-Chi. A group of villains called the Shadow Council were attempting to revive Fu Manchu. They only needed Shang’s blood to complete the ritual. With the assistance of his Secret Avengers teammates, the ritual was thwarted and the “zombie” Fu Manchu was re-killed by the Prince of Orphans.

7 Viper and the Silver Samurai

The Silver Samurai standing

Viper, her bodyguard Kenuichio Harada, the Silver Samurai and the mercenary Boomerang had plans to overtake the SHIELD Hellicarrier and crash it into the US Capitol Building when the President was giving his State of the Union address. This would kill or injure a significant number of the leaders of the United States Government.

Opposing these villains is Shang-Chi, Spider-Man, SHIELD Director Nick Fury and a semi amnesiac Black Widow. Shang first fought the over confident Boomerang alone on the Hellicarrier. Then, all of the heroes and villains converged after Viper and Samurai had hypnotized the Hellicarrier crew and directed it toward the Capitol. Shang-Chi battled the pair giving Black Widow the opportunity she needed to save the Capitol.

6 Fire Goblins

All Hel (one “L”) broke loose when Dark Elf Malekith seized the Black Bifrost Bridge and opened all the Realms onto the Earth dimension. The War of the Realms killed thousands of humans as trolls, elves, angels, Frost Giants, demons and more descend on the Earth.

Shang-Chi and the New Agents of Atlas were in South Korea battling Queen Sinder and her fire goblins. Nearly defeated. Queen Sinder tried to escape by teleporting to the Great Wall of China with a captured Brawn but Captain Marvel and her team were waiting there and Atlas followed, defeating the giant fire demon. Shang-Chi then fought the last of the Fire Goblins in the company of Wolverine, Hawkeye, and others before he oversaw their final deportation back to Muspelheim.

5 A Giant Dragon

Shang Chi followed Wolverine to the crime infested island nation of Madripoor. There, they encountered a sect of the ninja organization The Hand that was run by the mutant Gorgon. The Hand had just completed a ritual to awaken a dormant dragon from beneath the island. Shang opposed the dragon but failed.

RELATED: The Best Wolverine Villains Who Haven't Appeared on Film Yet

The dragon made its way to Hong Kong where it ran into resistance from the local superhero team, The Ascendants. Shang acquired Pym Particles that allowed him to grow to gigantic size and he engaged the dragon again and won. Before he returned to normal size, Shang Chi returned to Madripoor and ripped Gorgon’s base from the Earth and threw it several miles away.

4 Thanos

After having defeated the alien Builders, Shang Chi and the Avengers returned to Earth to find an even bigger problem in the machinations of the Mad Titan Thanos.

Shang Chi was sent along with Black Widow and Manifold to infiltrate the SWORD headquarters, The PEAK, and to shut down Thanos’ first line of defense. There, they encounter the Black Order’s powerhouse, The Black Dwarf and a compliment of guards. Manifold is sent away to get reinforcements and Shang Chi and Black Widow defeated all of the guards. However, the Black Dwarf is too much for the pair. Cosmically powered Galactic Council members Gladiator and Ronan engaged the Black Dwarf while Shang Chi and his team went on to complete their mission at the PEAK.

3 Kingpin

kingpin

In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Shang Chi was the son of a crime lord but his noble nature caused him to reject his father’s empire and emigrated to New York City. The people of Chinatown needed protectors, so Shang Chi and his friend Danny Rand stepped up and soon found themselves caught up in a fight between the Kingpin and Hammerhead, who was trying to get the Chinatown gangs on his side.

The young martial artists, joined by Spider-Man, Black Cat, Moon Knight and Elektra all converged on Hammerhead’s apartment and after the battle royale, all of Hammerhead’s gang were arrested. Shang then set out to get the Kingpin alone but was stopped by Daredevil and recruited to be part of his team. Once the Kingpin’s identity was revealed, Shang Chi returned to his simple life.

2 Namor

On the Battleworld (Earth 13116), Shang Chi is the son of Zheng Zu and Emperor of K’un Lun. Shang was raised from birth to be one of his fathers most promising students, having mastered nine of the ten techniques.

Exiled by his father to cover his own crimes, Shang Chi became a drunken outlaw. Eventually, Shang Chi demanded that his father allow him to enter the Ten Chambers tournament for the right to lead K’un Lun. Shang’s first opponent was that world’s version of Namor, who was a martial arts master who had learned to breathe underwater. Shang Chi used the Mortal Blade technique to turn his fist into a sword and stabbed Lord Namor in the lungs but did not kill him due to a promise.

1 Spider-Man

Shang Chi joined Spider-Man to defeat the Chinatown gang lord Mr. Negative and his gang, the Inner Demons, who were trying to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Shadowlands. During the fight, Mr. Negative catches Shang Chi and attempts to corrupt him.

However, Shang actually absorbs some of Mr. Negative’s power. It began to warp his mind and Shang plans on killing Mr. Negative, taking his gang and opposing Daredevil. Spider-Man saved Mr. Negative and Shang Chi attacked Spider-Man and the two fought until Peter lowered his hands. Shang might have killed him if he hadn’t regained control at the last moment. The two joined the other street level heroes in defeating Daredevil.

NEXT: 10 Most Heartbreaking Things To Happen In Marvel’s Ultimate Universe