WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Shang Chi #1 by Gene Luen Yang, Dike Ruan, Triona Farrell, and VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
Shang Chi is about to take the Marvel Cinematic Universe by storm in Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but in the pages of his new titular Marvel Comics series he is already at the top of the criminal underworld as the recently appointed Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society. This centuries old cult-like criminal organization was Shang Chi's inheritance from his deceased father, and now that he is in charge of it, he has vowed to turn the Five Weapons Society around from its evil ways. That proves to be more complicated than expected when Shang Chi's allies get involved, and even more so after the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man himself is transformed into a very literal monster during the course of their most recent outing together.
Try as he might, Shang Chi just can't escape his duties to the Five Weapons Society for even a single date night. His evening is interrupted by his sister just before that same man strikes back at them with shard claws that seemingly came from nowhere. Surprisingly, this same assailant was also being tracked by Spider-Man, so the heroes decided to track the villain together -- though Shang Chi is concerned that his old ally will discover what he has become. Of course, the two quickly tracked down the source of the problem, a facility cultivating a Yeren root capable of turning men into monsters. The people behind it recognize Shang Chi's title of Supreme Commander, though before Spider-Man can put the pieces together, an old man he is helping smashes some of the root onto the Wall Crawler's face.
The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has gone through plenty of gruesome transformations in the past, from becoming a literal spider in 2004's Spectacular Spider-Man #17 to even now in the pages of Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow by Chip Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry the hero is undergoing a slow and terrifying downward spiral. Still, the times when Peter Parker has found himself to be something other than human have most typically been relatively arduous processes, and nothing like the almost instantaneous effects of the Yeren root. Seconds after having the root placed on his face, Spider-Man begins writhing as his body expands in every direction and an extra set of deep umber limbs protrude out from his back. This process doesn't just change Spidey's body, but his mind as well, sending him into a blind rage that Shang Chi and his sister Esme can only wait out while keeping Spider-Man subdued.
Once the dust has settled and Spider-Man has reverted to his old self, it becomes clear that the effects of the Yeren root are only temporary, at least when applied the way they were to Spidey himself. While the transformation didn't last nearly as long as any of the other wild changes that Peter Parker has gone through, it might just be the most important in recent memory by unveiling just what the Yeren root is capable of. If this is what Shang Chi is going to be up against, and his other allies among the Avengers or elsewhere should become exposed, it could foretell some seriously uphill battles for the Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society.
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