As U.S.Agent and Shang-Chi prepare to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, their comic book counterparts confront similar threats.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for U.S.Agent #1, by Christopher Priest, Georges Jeanty, Karl Story, Matt Milla and VC’s Joe Sabino and Shang-Chi #1, by Gene Luen Yang, Dike Ruan, Philip Tan, Sebastian Cheng and VC’s Travis Lanham, on sale now.
2021 is poised to see a whole host of iconic heroes and villains officially join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of the MCU’s Phase 4. Appearing on the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is the star-spangled antihero and heir apparent to the legacy of Captain America, John Walker, better known as U.S.Agent. Headlining the upcoming feature film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the Marvel Universe’s own Master of Kung Fu. And as both characters star in their own five-issue miniseries, the two figures find themselves facing the exact same problem: Their beloved sisters breaking bad and turning against them.
Shang-Chi was revealed to have a sister named Shi-Hua, who grew up with him under the tutelage of their evil father Zheng Zhu. The two children bonded over their love of crystal cakes, but when Zheng Zhu prepared to brutally punish Shang-Chi for entering a forbidden area of his villainous hideout, Shi-Hua came to his aid at the apparent expense of her own life in retribution. Decades later, Shang-Chi discovers that Shi-Hua survived all along and rose to take control of their father’s criminal syndicate after his death. Rather than have a happy family reunion, however, Shi-Hua has decided to solidify her control over her father’s legacy by killing her brother by dispatching assassins to carry out the deed while playing on their past relationship to lower his defenses.
Over in the latest U.S.Agent miniseries, John Walker is visibly haunted by his own memories of his life before pursuing the path of a patriotic superhero. No longer sponsored by the government or a member of the Avengers, Walker is relegated to carrying out corporate protection gigs. Walker investigates a small town that has apparently risen against the sinister firm that’s quietly been attempting to destroy their way of life. As Walker and his gruff new partner approach the town from the air, they’re forced to make a sudden landing, with Walker finding himself face-to-face with his sister, now an apparent supervillain ready to make life hell for her long-lost brother.