Warning: contains spoilers for Legend of Shang-Chi #1
One of Wolverine’s most notorious foes, Lady Deathstrike, almost plagiarized Katana’s defining aspect until Shang-Chi intervened. The martial arts master saved the day but may have forced some character innovation as well.
Known as the greatest living martial artist in the Marvel Universe, Shang-Chi is a force to reckon with, despite not having inherent superhuman abilities. His father, Zheng Zu, trained Shang-Chi to become a deadly assassin, but he rejected that path once aware of the evil nature of his father’s organization. Lady Deathstrike is Yuriko Oyama, daughter of the man who created the process that bonded adamantium to Wolverine’s skeleton. Deathstrike’s desire to retrieve Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton to continue her father’s work, caused her to augment her own body with the rare alloy and inspired vicious conflict with Logan for years, making her one of Wolverine's deadliest villains. Lady Deathstrike and Shang-Chi cross paths in Legend of Shang-Chi #1 by writer Alyssa Wong and artist Andie Tong when the Master of Kung-Fu is recruited by MI-6 to steal a dangerous weapon from the British Museum, to prevent it from potentially ending up in the wrong hands.
Shang-Chi’s mission is derailed by the appearance of Lady Deathstrike, who has already stolen the sword prior to his arrival. The weapon in question is the Equinox Sword, which allegedly possesses the ability to consume the soul of its victims. A dangerous femme fatale being in possession of a magical sword that takes souls will sound familiar to DC Comics readers. It’s basically the M.O. of Katana. Tatsu Yamashiro is one of DC’s most skilled fighters and, as Katana, wields the Soultaker Sword. Katana’s Soultaker holds the souls of many, including her husband, and she is able to communicate with the souls inside of it. Shang-Chi manages to disarm Lady Deathstrike and destroy the Equinox Sword, preventing not just the sword’s theft, but some minor identity theft aswell.
Lady Deathstrike never reveals her intent in seeking the sword’s power. One would think she’s dangerous enough without it, considering her cybernetic enhancements and adamantium claws. Unbeknownst to Shang-Chi, she manages to recover a sliver of the broken Equinox Sword. For someone with the knowledge to manipulate extraordinary metals like Adamantium, having even a small amount of the blade provides potential opportunities for Lady Deathstrike. She could seek to infuse those fierce metallic claws with the power of the sword, adding another frightening aspect to her deadly offerings. Instead of just possessing a soul-draining weapon, she may become one. In any case, Katana’s status as soul-sword wielder remains unique.
Katana and Lady Deathstrike have both made names for themselves as someone you don’t want to face off against, and that was before Deathstrike absconded with a sliver of the Equinox Blade. While Katana wields the Soultaker in her quest to dispense justice, it’s unlikely that Lady Deathstrike will do the same with the remaining piece of her sword. Shang-Chi’s oversight may cost the Marvel Universe in time.
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