Shang-Chi is Being Manipulated By Everyone In The Marvel Universe
Warning: contains spoilers for Shang-Chi #8!
Marvel's Shang-Chi is seen as a simple pawn by everyone in the Marvel Universe, and is used by his friends, family, and even his fellow Avengers in every situation. The Master of Kung-Fu is one of the most, if not the most, formidable hand-to-hand combatants on Earth, and uses his skills to fight everyone from lowly criminals to world-threatening supervillains. But Shang-Chi #8 depicts what readers have perhaps already known: Shang-Chi is used.
Shang-Chi's origin in the comics is quite similar to his Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation, but with several major differences. Initially, Shang-Chi was the son of Fu Manchu, but Marvel realized the very racist nature of the character (and perhaps more cynically, it didn't own the rights to the character as well). Thus, the father was changed to Zheng Zhu, a powerful warrior, warlord, and Supreme Commander of the Five Weapons Society, a criminal organization.
When Shang-Chi recently defeats his father, he becomes the new Supreme Commander and seeks to reform the organization to become a force for good - but his family is heavily resistant. Traditionalists first, they demand Shang-Chi not acquiesce to his fellow Avengers' demands, but in the Shang-Chi vs the Marvel Universe arc in 2021, Spider-Man, Captain America and the Fantastic Four all hope Shang-Chi will do their bidding instead. This usage of Shang-Chi is escalated in Shang-Chi #8, when both Zhang Zhu and his father, Shang-Chi's grandfather, force the superhero into an uncomfortable decision.
Both men appeal to Shang-Chi to aid them in a fight - and at this point, Shang-Chi is not even 10 years old. Caught between two family members, Shang-Chi abides by his father's wishes, throwing a chemical into his grandfather's eye and blinding him. It's clear that for his entire life, Shang-Chi has been used by those around him - either for his martial arts skills or simply as a method to turn the tide in a one-on-one fight. When Shang-Chi finally decides to act for himself and turn in his brother at the end of Shang-Chi vs the Marvel Universe arc for betraying him, he is truly hated - not for making the wrong decision, but for making any decision that wasn't already decided for him.
Perhaps the only character in Shang-Chi's life who doesn't attempt to manipulate him is his mother, but everyone else sees Shang-Chi as a weapon to be wielded and not a person with his own allegiances and feelings. Even in the MCU, Wenwu (Zheng Zhu's film counterpart) tries to manipulate his son's emotions toward his mother and his greater destiny as his father's son. Shang-Chi has finally realized that, to many of his friend, he is only a pawn.