In the latest edition of Avengers, Captain America made a decision about who to go with in order to gain the power of the Phoenix Force.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers # 42 by Jason Aaron, Luca Maresca, David Curiel, and VC’s Cory Petit, which are now on sale.
As several Avengers and some of the other most powerful heroes on earth battle the Phoenix Force, Captain America came to an important insight at the Enter the Phoenix event. He knows they have to defeat the phoenix because hosting the cosmic oneness doesn’t end well for anyone. However, he also knows that if they cannot prevent them from adopting a new avatar, they need someone they can trust to house the cosmic unit.
Avengers # 42 sees Captain America in his final battle for the power of the phoenix. In his first battle of the tournament, he fought Doctor Doom and refused to give up, knowing that Doom wasn’t the person who should come close to the kind of power the company offers. In this issue, however, he fought Shang-Chi and he felt that this warrior might be the perfect man to house the phoenix if they can’t stop him entirely.
Keep scrolling to read on
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
By the time the captain faced Shang-Chi, the martial artist had already defeated one of the most powerful heroes on earth by meditating peacefully while the phoenix tore Hyperion’s mind apart. In the case of Captain America, however, Shang-Chi knows that the star Spangled Avenger won’t stop fighting and is strong-willed enough to fend off the phoenix’s deadliest urge. During all of this, Shang-Chi did not want to fight Captain America and held back. When he admitted this, Cap explained his thoughts on their struggle.
While neither of the fighters really wanted to fight each other, the phoenix gave them no other option. The cosmic entity wants a host and is determined to choose someone as the next avatar. Heroes like Captain America and Shang-Chi must prove that they are worthy of this power over some other choices, such as the selfish Namor who wants it so bad that he is ready to kill anyone who gets in his way, to maintain the power. With that in mind, Captain America and the rest of the heroes know who they don’t want to be the phoenix, but they also need to figure out who they want to be, considering that there is most likely someone to take on the role.
Captain America believes Shang-Chi is the best candidate to host Phoenix in the event that a host needs to be selected. He called Shang-Chi one of the most talented fighters he has ever seen, and he believes he can help him control the power of the phoenix. The problem is that Shang-Chi doesn’t particularly want this.
Whether he wants to harbor the Force or not, Shang-Chi is likely one of the few people who could use his chi to effectively control the powerful creature. However, the master of kung fu is committed to never taking a life, a principle that is inconsistent with the ideals of the phoenix. The cosmic force responded to Shang-Chi’s engagement by immediately expelling him from the tournament, immediately declaring Captain America’s election null and void, and still leaving the tournament’s final result in the air.
About the author
Shawn S. Lealos
(1098 articles published)
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in Journalism with a minor in Film Studies. He worked as a journalist for 25 years, starting in newspapers and magazines before moving to online media when the world was changing. Shawn is a former member of the Society of Professional Journalists and is currently a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He has published work on sites such as The Huffington Post, Time Warner Cable, Yahoo Movies, The Movie Network, Chud, Renegade Cinema, 411mania, and Monsters & Critics. Shawn is also a published writer with a non-fiction book on the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers and has also started work on a new fiction series. Visit Shawn Lealos’ website to find out more about his novel writing and follow him on Twitter @sslealos.
More from Shawn S. Lealos
Comments are closed.