Marvel's upcoming MCU leading man Shang-Chi will headline a new one-shot this January titled The Legend of Shang-Chi, by writer Alyssa Wong and artist Andie Tong, as first announced through Polygon.
The one-shot will pit Shang-Chi against the villainous Lady Deathstrike as they vie to seize a magic sword that devours souls.
"I'm stoked to write Shang-Chi! My first introduction to the character was in War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas, written by Greg Pak and drawn by Gang Hyuk Lim," states Wong.
"I think Shang-Chi's super interesting: he's a guy who goes toe-to-toe with superpowered metahumans every day, and his special ability is that he's really, really good at martial arts," she continues. "That's it. But that's all he needs; he's fast, acrobatic, and literally the best at what he does. I feel like Shang-Chi radiates Good Older Brother energy. He'll protect you and buy you snacks afterward. What else do you really need?"
With Shang-Chi's new one-shot also comes a new foe, at least for him – Lady Deathstrike, the longtime X-Men villain with adamantium talons who has often gone toe-to-toe with Wolverine.
"For this adventure, I wanted to pit Shang-Chi against a villain with an equally agile, physical fighting style. Lady Deathstrike seemed like a natural choice," Wong explains. "She's got adamantium claws and an iron will. In the past, she's faced off against Wolverine (many times!) and even been a reluctant hero. She's a lot of fun. Lady Deathstrike is someone who can hold her own against Shang-Chi; if he wants to beat her, he'll have to get creative."
The Legend of Shang-Chi #1 goes on sale in January 2021. Look for Marvel Comics' full January 2021 solicitations later this week on Newsarama.
Those eager to read Shang-Chi on Marvel Unlimited will have less time to wait, as the streaming service recently cut its new release window in half.
