With the teaser trailer to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings breaking the internet a few weeks ago, I have decided to let my next few Showcases center around characters from the film. Last week I showcased Death Dealer and back in February of 2020, I showcased Razor-Fist. This week is a controversial showcase. You see, in the comics Shang-Chi's father is Zheng Zu, but in the upcoming film his father is Wenwu. Why the change? It is simple. The character of Fu Manchu can be seen as a negative stereo type and not a correct representation of the Chinese culture. That is why Marvel Studios went the route of Wenwu being Shang-Chi's father. Which is cool on another level because Wenwu is a Marvel villain that needs to be in the MCU. (not the Iron Man 3 version Jay) Since I see myself as a Comic Historian, I decided to showcase Shang-Chi's original father first so you can get a feel of Shang-Chi's true origin. Don't worry, I will showcase Wenwu one day as well.
BIO:
Born during the early Qing Dynasty, Zheng Zu gained his education at the Tibetan monastery of Rach where he learned martial arts, arcane knowledge, and every known discipline of science. Becoming highly regarded in his monastery.
Zu was a powerful sorcerer along with his younger brother Zheng Yi. The brothers and their five disciples, the Deadly Warriors, formed the Five Weapons Society to protect China. On one such mission, the Sorcerer Brothers and the Deadly Warriors protected the Tianjin Prefecture from Fin Fang Foom. The Ancient One, a fellow sorcerer and friend, provided the brothers the Eyes of the Dragon, a pair of stones that granted longevity and vigor while requiring the sacrifice of another. By 1860, the brothers had aged decades beyond their natural lifespans through the use of longevity spells and had grown weaker as a result.
During the Second Opium War, the Society fought against British forces, but were defeated by Dormammu and the Mindless Ones summoned by the British sorcerer Baron Harkness, resulting in the death of the Deadly Warriors. Zu attempted to use the Eyes of the Dragon to save the fatally wounded Yi at the cost of his own life, but not wanting to rule the Society alone, Yi reversed the spell, granting Zu immortality and restoring his youth, giving him the power to defeat the combined British forces.
Following the death of his brother and the Deadly Warriors, Zu led the Society alone, establishing five houses in their honor. Without his brother's guidance, Zu lost his way, becoming increasingly bitter and ruthless. After losing one of the houses during the Boxer Rebellion, Zu renounced his country and followers for their perceived weakness and lied about his brother's death, claiming he killed him for being weak as well and stole his spirit energy to augment his own.
Fu Manchu approached a "scientifically perfect" American woman to be the mother of his progeny. Enticed by his power, she agreed, resulting in the birth of a son, Shang-Chi and a daughter, Zheng Shi-Hua. During their childhood, Shang-Chi and Shi-Hua accidentally discovered one of their father's secret laboratories in his Hunan retreat. As punishment, their father told Shang-Chi that he gave Shi-Hua a merciful death, explaining that the luxury of human bonds was weakness. In truth, he secretly sent Shi-Hua to the House of the Deadly Hammer in Russia. Shang-Chi would continue to be raised in isolation in his father's Hunan retreat; unbeknownst to Shang-Chi, the Hunan retreat was the House of the Deadly Hand, with Shang-Chi chosen to be its champion. Like with Shang-Chi and Shi-Hua, their father selected several of his other children to be raised in the Society's other Houses as their respective champions, with an unnamed son at the House of the Deadly Staff in Britain, son Takeshi at the House of the Deadly Sabre in Japan and daughter Esme at the House of the Deadly Dagger in France.
Powers and Abilities:
- Fu Manchu is a genius in every field of knowledge. He is a skilled medical practitioner and surgeon, where he has cultivated various diseases and viruses to use against his enemies.
- Fu Manchu is a master of disguise and can pass for any member of the human race, while speaking in their languages without any discernable accent.
- Fu Manchu is a master of unarmed combat.
- He can hypnotize people with his eyes to the point where few men could gaze into his eyes without falling under his control.
- With the revelation of his true identity as the ancient sorcerer Zheng Zu, he is a master in the mystic arts and has discovered the means to immortality.
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