How Strong Is Shang-Chi? Compared To Other Marvel Superheroes

Shang-Chi is one of the more interesting superheroes in the world of Marvel Comics and is also on the newer side of the MCU as well. Due to how new he is, he isn’t the most well-known character in Marvel, and that could be a good thing so that fans would have someone they could get to learn more about as his story in the comics and the MCU progresses. However, it has become clear that Shang-Chi is actually a pretty capable character due to his strength. But just how strong is Shang-Chi?

Shang-Chi is one of the greatest martial artists

One of the things that we know about Shang-Chi is that he is fairly new to the world of the MCU, as he was only introduced in the post-Thanos storyline. He has been around for a while in the comics, but it has only been recently that he has been given more attention. As such, even though he isn’t the newest comic book character, he isn’t as prominent as the other Marvel superheroes. That means that not a lot of Marvel fans are aware of how strong he is.

The first thing that stands out about Shang-Chi is his martial arts abilities. He is one of the most skilled fighters in the entire world and is likely right at the top of the list of the greatest martial artists in Marvel. This extends to the world of the MCU, where it is clear that he is a lot more skilled than most of the different fighters we’ve seen despite the fact that he doesn’t have the superhuman or peak-human abilities of the other prominent characters.

Shang-Chi was trained in many different forms of martial arts ever since he was a child, as he was likely groomed to become the ultimate warrior. In the MCU, he seems like an unassuming guy living a normal life as a valet despite having a university degree. However, the truth is that he was always a great warrior, having enough skills to take out an entire group of skilled assassins all on his own.

He grew up training in different disciplines, including Wing Chun and Bajiquan. This allowed him to have the skills of a true assassin, even though he opted not to use his skills for such purposes. But while he may seem like an ordinary person with no superpowers whatsoever, he inherited his mother’s vital energy and has a few mystical abilities that give him an advantage over skilled martial artists who don’t have his mystical powers.

During the events of the MCU ‘Shang-Chi’ movie, his mystical abilities allowed him to connect with the Great Protector, who gave him a boost in his physical prowess. This allowed him to become stronger and faster. Eventually, he inherited the Ten Rings from his father, becoming powerful enough to handle enemies that could potentially become great threats to the entire world.

In the comics, the Ten Rings not only boost Shang-Chi’s physical abilities but also grant him a wide variety of different powers. This includes the ability to manipulate the Rings at will, firing them at his opponents like powerful projectiles. The Rings can also be used as a mode of transportation and can even be used to bind his opponents whenever Shang-Chi alters their size.

It was suggested in the MCU that the Ten Rings weren’t mystical in nature but were cosmic in terms of their origin. As such, Shang-Chi possesses weapons that have cosmic abilities on par with some of the greatest cosmic weapons we’ve seen.

How Shang-Chi compares to other Marvel superheroes

The OG Avengers

The thing about Shang-Chi is that his martial arts skills alone are already more than enough for him to give the greatest fighters of the original Avengers a hard time. We are talking about Black Widow and Hawkeye, who have always been established assassins with martial arts skills that turned them into some of the most prominent operatives in the world. There’s also Captain America, who is one of the most combat-oriented Avengers.

However, Shang-Chi’s martial arts skills are already more than capable of allowing him to defeat the likes of Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America because he has always been portrayed as a more skilled martial artist. With the Ten Rings in his arsenal, he obtains mystical and cosmic powers that are strong enough to allow him to possibly give the Hulk and Thor a good fight, although it is likely that the two powerhouses are still stronger than him. Still, the fact that he has cosmic weapons should make him stronger than most of the OG Avengers.

Doctor Strange

When it comes to the mystical side of things, Shang-Chi is similar to Doctor Strange because he also has mystical powers inherited from his mother. While he doesn’t have Strange’s training and knowledge, the proper mystical training would allow Shang-Chi to have mystical powers that could rival the strongest sorcerers on Earth, including Strange himself.

The difference here is that Shang-Chi is a much better fighter than Doctor Strange and has the Ten Rings on his side. So, while Strange is by far better than Shang-Chi in terms of his mystical prowess, Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings and fighting abilities could give him the advantage against someone as powerful in the mystic arts as Doctor Strange is.

Captain Marvel

In terms of cosmic power, the Marvel hero who usually stands out is Captain Marvel because she possesses awesome abilities that allow her to match the power of the sun itself. Her cosmic powers are almost at another level, making her one of the strongest superheroes in the world of Marvel Comics and the MCU.

It goes without saying that Shang-Chi’s own cosmic abilities are not on par with Captain Marvel’s cosmic powers because Carol Danvers is strong enough to threaten entire planets. But we do know that we haven’t seen the full power of the Ten Rings in Shang-Chi’s possession, especially now that we know that these weapons are actually cosmic. So, coupled with his martial arts prowess, he could still give Captain Marvel a good fight that would still be in favor of Danvers.

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