Marvel Comics' planned Legend of Shang Chi one-shot has been delayed for four weeks.
This 32-page special pits Shang-Chi against Daredevil/X-Men villain Lady Deathstrike, but fans looking for that match-up will have to wait until February 3. Writer Alyssa Wong and artist Andie Tong's one-shot was originally planned to go on sale January 6.
"Deadly hands vs. deadly blades! Someone has been stealing artifacts of WMD potential. It’s up to Shang-Chi to find this person and stop them," reads Marvel's solicitation for the issue. "But is he prepared to go toe-to-toe with Lady Deathstrike?!"
The particular artifact they'll be fighting over is some type of magic sword that devours souls - apparently not Magik's Soulsword or the Murasama Blade often associated with Wolverine. Speaking of Wolverine, however, Wong says she chose longtime Wolverine enemy Lady Deathstrike for this story as a viable foe for Shang-Chi.
"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 said when the book was announced. "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."
Wong first learned about Shang-Chi in 2019's War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas, and quickly came to be a fan due to his "Good Older Brother energy."
"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," Wong explained. "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?"
Legend of Shang-Chi #1 goes on sale on February 3. The movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens in theaters July 9.
Get up to speed on Marvel's deadly kung-fu expert with our profile on Shang-Chi.
