The following contains major spoilers for Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4, available now from Marvel Comics.
When Shang-Chi inherited his father's sprawling criminal empire, it kicked off a whole new era of action and adventure for the Master of Kung Fu. Not only has Shang-Chi gone on to reunite with his estranged siblings under the banner of the Five Weapons Society, he has staked a rightful claim to one of the greatest powers the Marvel Universe has to offer. Unfortunately, these achievements have alienated Shang-Chi from his closest allies, while his oldest rival may have just become the key to helping him save his empire along with the rest of the world.
Only shortly after the titular hero took back the Ten Rings which were stolen away from him by his former friends at MI-6, Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4 (by Gene Luen Yang, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, and VC's Travis Lanham) finds yet another unexpected adversary attempting to take away his newly acquired assets. Alongside nine other competitors, Shang-Chi is forced to compete in a potentially lethal tournament. After being given one Ring each, the various combatants are tasked with battling their way up the levels of a towering pagoda, claiming the ordinance of the opponents they fell along the way. As unexpected as this turn of events might be, even more surprising is the fact that not every competitor is an enemy of the Five Weapons Society, especially when it comes to Shen Kuei.
Who Is Marvel's Other Cat - And What Does He Want With Shang-Chi?
First seen in 1975's Master of Kung Fu #38 (by Dough Moench and Paul Gulacy), the freelance spy and mercenary Shen Kuei (also known as the Cat) has long been one of Shang-Chi's most unlikely allies. During his time working with MI-6, Shang-Chi was tasked with investigating the Cat, a mission which inadvertently led to the near fatal stabbing of the latter's lover, Juliette. Surprisingly, Shen didn't lash out at Shang-Chi over this incident, and it instead kicked off what became one of Marvel's greatest crime fighting duos.
Over the years, Shen and Shang-Chi would run into one another during the course of their respective endeavors, yet no matter which side of the fight they started out on, they almost always ended it with a team-up. Even now, when each of them are vying for control of the Ten Rings that could reshape the world, Shen is more willing to fight alongside Shang-Chi than stab him in the back. There is obviously the concern of what happens if and when it is just the two of them left in the competition, but Shen is happy to work together until that time comes with no false pretenses about what awaits them at the end.
The Cat is Still One of Shang-Chi's Most Trusted Allies
That Shen is willing to work with Shang-Chi to try and overcome the challenge at hand speaks to how much of an asset he is in the field. Additionally, his honesty about where their latest partnership is headed is an even greater sign of how trustworthy the Cat really is. It is also a clear indicator that there is no ill will between Shen and Shang-Chi. If anything, Shen has proven that he is only interested in seeing this tournament through without making any new enemies, which is fortunate for Shang-Chi.
When Shang-Chi joined Leiko Wu only to be betrayed by MI-6, he never stopped to ask any of the obvious questions that may have given away their scheme. Thanks to Shen being plucked out of thin air for the tournament at hand, there isn't any real chance that he is also planning to stab Shang-Chi in the back. With any luck, Shen will both see Shang-Chi emerge victorious from their shared predicament and prove his worth as a true ally of the Master of Kung Fu.