Let’s Hear It for Shang-Chi’s Best Friend

Katy was a real delight. Unlike Pepper Potts, Jane Foster, and Christine Palmer, she doesn’t have a crush of any sort on the superhero. She’s loyal and aggressively dependable. And she’s funny! How often does the woman get to be funny? Certainly not Black Widow.

Katy most reminded me of a modern Doctor Who companion — funny, snarky, willing to tell the hero when he’s wrong and support him either way. Meanwhile, she provides the grounding for the hero who’s not only traveled to a far-off land but found the magic kingdom and powers within it. Her ordinary powers of cool driving end up being a huge asset in San Francisco and in the magical land. How often does the hero get a fun, completely trustworthy, genuine fun bestie who happens to be female? It’s rare. And she gets through the whole film without being objectified. Oh, and she saves the world and Shang-Chi too.

The intriguing moment comes at the end, after the delightful anticlimax where she and Shang-Chi have drinks with their friends. Wong (a delight in himself in this film) comes and insists Shang-Chi has to come with him and join their hero team. “Her too,” he adds and soon Katy is off to be a superhero too. This scene is certainly familiar to those who have seen so many companions whisked away by the Doctor, because they’ve saved the day or demonstrated exceptional skills. This is Katy’s real superpower — to be an amazing loyal brilliant friend who enhances the adventure as well as saving the day. She definitely improved the film with her presence. And she sings a mean karaoke duo.

Valerie Estelle Frankel is the author of Superheroines and the Epic Journey, Wonder Women and Bad Girls and many more superheroine books. https://www.amazon.com/Valerie-Estelle-Frankel/e/B004KMCLQK/