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Old 11-16-2013, 07:10 PM   #1
protector2814
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Shang-Chi, Master of Kung-Fu vs. Steve Rogers, Captain America

Here's a "What-If" I've pondered for a while now. Shang-Chi, Son of Chinese Master Criminal & Mystic, Fu Manchu, was raised by his father to eventually take over his empire upon his retirement. Fu Manchu, having access to the absolute best martial arts trainers, had his son taught by the very best this deadly & powerful villain could recruit. Trained to be his father's number one assassin, Shang-Chi can be compared to Bruce Wayne in terms of martial training from a young age to ongoing. Back in the 70's, when the character was 1st introduced & soon in his own book, The Hands of Kung Fu, Master of Kung Fu, I feel he was presented as Marvel's #1 hand-to-hand combatant. He rebelled against his father and in doing so was pitted against an unbelievable array of martial arts masters ... defeating them all with the help of daily training & mystic meditation. Sure & unfortunately, he's been downplayed in the latter decades, but ... he was the tops back in the day when Moench was writing him.

vs.

Captain America. I know I don't need to go into as much detail with this guy. Steve Rogers possesses strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, durability & a master's level knowledge of martial tactics. Although not as versed in traditional, Kung-Fu & Asian martial arts techniques, Cap more than makes up for it with experience and daily training too ... with a more-than-healthy dose of American street fighting knowledge.

Let's call this fight "friendly" both men meet in a S.H.I.E.L.D. gym, both w/o weapons (that means no shield for Cap), 2 throw-downs out of 3.

Who ya got?



I'm going with Shang-Chi, but it would be one heck of a fight.
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Old 11-16-2013, 08:32 PM   #2
hulksmashph
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It would be close but, Shang-Chi beats Cap. He's called the Master of Kung Fu and The Deadly Hands for a very good reason.
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Old 11-16-2013, 10:44 PM   #3
Tetragrammaton
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I think the longer the fight continues the better the chances for a Cap win become.

He's stronger and has greater endurance than Shang-Chi.

If I had to bet, I'd put my money down on Rogers.
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Old 11-17-2013, 05:09 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tetragrammaton View Post
I think the longer the fight continues the better the chances for a Cap win become.

He's stronger and has greater endurance than Shang-Chi.

If I had to bet, I'd put my money down on Rogers.
Same, and Cap defeated Iron Fist in hand to hand combat in this issue, below. Isn't Iron Fist also a Master of Kung Fu on par with Shang-Chi?


Last edited by wktf; 11-17-2013 at 05:31 PM.
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Old 11-17-2013, 05:49 PM   #5
protector2814
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Originally Posted by wktf View Post
Same, and Cap defeated Iron Fist in hand to hand combat in this issue, below. Isn't Iron Fist also a Master of Kung Fu on par with Shang-Chi?
I always kinda thought that Shang-Chi was even better than Danny. I'll have to pull long boxes, but I believe Shang beat him in this old book - (not sure though)

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Old 11-18-2013, 01:00 PM   #6
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Cap takes this. I've always been a firm believer that Cap is the best fighter in the 616, and the fact that he never tires gives him a fantastic edge in any tussle.

Cap wins, shakes hands with Shang-Chi, and the offers to buy him a slice of apple pie at the diner around the corner if Shang will show him how he blocked that one attack...
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Old 11-18-2013, 01:24 PM   #7
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I forgot what issue it was but a recent issue of Secret Avengers had them sparring together and the way it was written seemed to show Shang-Chi taking it easy on Cap but still having the upper hand.
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Old 11-19-2013, 12:37 PM   #8
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Shang-Chi may have a training advantage in some areas, but there's no way he can hang with Cap, physically. Steve Rogers wins, IMO.
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Old 01-22-2021, 08:23 PM   #9
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These debates of someone defeating Cap are deeply flawed and often stem from a complete lack of understanding what Captain America can do.
The logic usually goes like this.
- Characters like Shang-chi, Wolverine, Mister X, Taskmaster etc have honed their skills to perfection and have adopted the widest array of fighting styles (In some cases like Wolverine - mastered every form of martial combat known) and therefore can beat Cap because he hasn't mastered every form of combat. The latter part being true.... he has not, because he doesn't need to.

Captain America relies on the most basic combat styles - boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and Judo. He doesn't need Karate, Jui-Jitsu, tae-kwan-do, ninjitsu, or any of the 100's of other combat styles because the entire point of Caps style is based on the absolute perfect offensive or defensive response in any combat situation.
Ex. - you attack Cap with a myriad of 100 styles of combat. Cap instinctively knows the 1 single offensive or defensive response to EVERYTHING. This is like a superhuamn instinct of combat perfection. There is no flaw in his attack or defense. He instinctively filters out what is not required and this combined with a completely unique fighting style which cannot be learned (this is important to understand) - his style is not something that another fighter can learn... they can imitate or copy what he does physically, but not instinctively. Even when he fights an opponent who does imitate his style, Captain America will instinctively counter his own style. Even if someone adapts to that adaption, Cap will instinctively adapt to the adaption. It's an endless loop. Characters like Shang-chi, Wolverine, Mr. X, Taskmaster etc might have a greater degree of pedigree... but it cannot counter Caps instinctive, unique and utterly unlearn-able fighting style.
There is really only one character who can be problematic for Captain America... Wolverine in his unpredictable, chaotic and random BERSERKER mode is so un-instinctive it becomes difficult to counter. That's not to say Wolverine can beat Cap (it doesn't by the way) because when Wolverine is in that mode it's animalistic and feral... which means Cap can counter this through his instinctive ability to analyze and strategize every combat situation. In other words he will instinctively find the pattern in the chaos.
Cap is the literal concept of absolute combat and strategic perfection. This is why he is often the last man standing in every combat situation.
In the right circumstances with his ability to counter every fighting style and without the factor of absolute overwhelming power... he simply finds a way.
Cap is the only character who (again under the right circumstances) could defeat anyone, because the possibility of defeat always exists and through that logic he is the only being who has the ability to find the path to that victory through instinctive strategic perfection.
... as long as he also has the means to do so.

SO... Cap defeats Shang-chi.
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Old 03-01-2021, 09:08 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moon_knight1971 View Post
I forgot what issue it was but a recent issue of Secret Avengers had them sparring together and the way it was written seemed to show Shang-Chi taking it easy on Cap but still having the upper hand.
Yeah, almost this exact scenario happened two years before this thread was started in Secret Avengers #9--both men met in a gym with no weapons for a friendly sparring match.



If you want to see a live action version of these two fighting then watch the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
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