By any measure, Shang-Chi may very well be the most dangerous man in the Marvel Universe. Although he was once merely known as the “Master of Kung Fu,” he’s an almost peerless expert in numerous different martial arts disciplines, and he's used that knowledge to train several Marvel heroes. Although he has no superpowers to speak of, Shang-Chi regularly defeats superhuman opponents with enough skill to impress some of Marvel’s gods.
As revealed in a story by Grant Morrison, Steve Yeowell, Richard Starkings and Steve White in 1987’s Action Force #17, Shang-Chi is also one of the most dangerous heroes in the wider world of the G.I. Joe multiverse, according to the heroic Quick Kick.
Like Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, Quick Kick is one of several martial arts experts from the ‘80s pop-cultural juggernaut G.I. Joe: A Real America Hero. Outside of the United States, this G.I. Joe was rebranded as the less jingoistic Action Force. Even though G.I. Joe and Action Force were ostensibly about the same characters, there were several meaningful, tangible differences between the two continuities.
In the United Kingdom’s Action Force comic book, reprints of American G.I. Joe stories were supplemented by original stories and reprints of other Marvel Comics, including Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. Shortly before reprints of Shang-Chi’s adventures joined the comic, Action Force‘s Quick Kick reminisced about Shang-Chi in a story that introduces and hypes up Marvel’s martial arts master.
As he mentally prepares to punch through six solid inches of oak wood, Quick Kick thinks back to Shang-Chi’s advice about pushing through his mental limits. He recounts Shang-Chi’s origin as the heroic son of a villainous mastermind and names a few key members of his supporting cast, namely crimefighter Denis Naylan Smith, mercenary Black Jack Tarr and the spy Clive Reston. Finally. Quick Kick follows Shang-Chi’s advice and shattering the wood in front of him with a single strike.
In his monologue, Quick Kick says that Shang-Chi is a better martial artist than other Marvel heavyweights like Iron Fist, Elektra, and Batroc the Leaper.
While both G.I. Joe and Action Force were published by Marvel throughout the ‘80s, this story marks a rare intersection between their two worlds. Spider-Man and the other New Avengers have both teamed up with the frequent G.I. Joe crossover partners of The Transformers, but Marvel’s characters have never really had any meaningful direct interactions with the Joes themselves
Even if this story is exclusive to the Action Force continuity, it still stands as the strongest direct bridge between the worlds of G.I. Joe and the Marvel Universe. While this story may just be a footnote in the history of Action Force and a lesser one for G.I. Joe, it’s still a testament to the commercial appeal of Shang-Chi, long before his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. Even if he doesn’t have powers, Shang-Chi was strong enough to break down the walls of reality and bring two worlds together with his bare hands.