First Appearance of Shang-Chi: Special Marvel Edition #15

Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15, cover-dated December 1973, created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin (Wikipedia). There is no "Shang-Chi #1" from that era: the book kept the Special Marvel Edition title for two issues, and with #17 (April 1974) it was renamed The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. The series then ran until #125 in June 1983 (Wikipedia).

If you are searching boxes for the first appearance, look for the Special Marvel Edition logo, not a Master of Kung Fu logo.

The American Writers Museum ties his creation to the 1970s kung fu film craze: in May 1973, for the first time, three foreign kung fu films held the top three places at the U.S. box office. Marvel had been refused a license to the TV series Kung Fu and instead acquired the rights to Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu, so Shang-Chi was introduced as Fu Manchu's son who turns against him.

Englehart has explained that he built the name from words meaning what he wanted, taking the I Ching hexagram meaning "rising and advancing" and adding "chi" for life energy (American Writers Museum). Marvel's Fu Manchu license later lapsed, and the father was renamed Zheng Zu, an ancient Chinese sorcerer (Wikipedia). The museum notes that losing the license helped, since Fu Manchu had long been criticised as an evil East Asian stereotype.

In the comics, yes, he is an Avenger: Wikipedia says he joined in Avengers vol. 5 #1 (2013), written by Jonathan Hickman.

On the Eternals, the sources we checked show no link. The film's mid-credits scene connects the ten rings to Wong, Bruce Banner and Carol Danvers, who find that the rings are acting as a beacon to something; Wikipedia's article on the film does not mention the Eternals.

A hit. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released in the U.S. on September 3, 2021, grossed $432.2 million worldwide on a budget Wikipedia gives as $150 to 200 million, was the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2021 and set several box-office records. It received positive reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects (Wikipedia). The American Writers Museum notes it was Marvel's first film with an Asian director, Destin Daniel Cretton, and a mostly Asian cast. Wikipedia reports that Simu Liu returns in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

PriceCharting values retrieved September 25, 2026:

• Ungraded: $79.11 (about three sales a week)
• 4.0: $81.79
• 6.0: $124.32
• 8.0: $245.00
• 9.2: $399.99
• 9.8: $2,400.00 (about one sale a month)

From ungraded to 9.2 the price only climbs about fivefold; the 9.8 copy is worth six times a 9.2. PriceCharting figures are estimates built from recorded sales of CGC-graded copies; when a grade trades only about once a year, one sale can push it above the next grade up.

Photograph the front cover straight on, then the indicia (the small print on the first page or inside cover with the title, issue number and date). ComicLens reads the title, issue number and cover from the photo, matches the likely issue with a confidence indicator you can correct by hand, and shows a reference price range that moves with the grade you pick. For Special Marvel Edition #15, check that the logo reads Special Marvel Edition and the number is 15; later Master of Kung Fu issues and modern reprints use similar cover art. There are free scans every day; the range is a reference estimate, not an appraisal or an offer.

Research and drafting were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed on this page. Prices are the figures shown by the named source on the date given; they change with the market. Pages we tried to open but could not read (Key Collector Comics, Reddit, Facebook, eBay and Fandom returned errors) are not used as sources.