Why Was Wong Fighting Abomination in ‘Shang-Chi’? ‘She-Hulk’ Episode 3 Finally Ties Up That Loose End

Y’know what’s the best thing about the MCU, aside from seeing various Hollywood Chrises shirtless? It’s the interconnectivity. Just like the comics, the movies — and now TV shows — all inform each other in surprising ways. For example, you normally wouldn’t think that a comedy like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law would intersect with the martial arts movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but everything connects in the MCU.

Take, for instance, the cliffhanger from last week’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law episode. Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) has been hired to represent Emil Blonsky (a.k.a. Abomination, a.k.a. Tim Roth) in his parole hearing. Jen’s surprised to learn that Blonsky has, in fact, reformed and that his abominable rage was kinda the fault of the United States government. Open and shut case, right? It was until footage surfaced of Blonsky fighting a sorcerer in a cage match in Macau. Oops!

This reveal tied She-Hulk to Shang-Chi, wherein we actually saw that cage fight go down. It was pretty inexplicable at the time. It wasn’t a stretch to think that Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, could go toe-to-toe with heavy-hitters, but why would he do so in an underground fight club? And why would he fight Abomination of all people? Episode 3 finally answers those questions. Mild SPOILERS ahead — unless you’re incredibly invested in Wong’s journey, in which case MAJOR spoilers ahead.

In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Episode 4, Jen confronts Blonsky about his little trip outside his cell. Blonsky tells her that he didn’t have a choice, really, and that Wong — the Sorcerer Supreme! — broke him out of and returned him to his cell. It’s all Wong’s fault, TBH. After tracking down Wong (Benedict Wong), he confirms Blonsky’s story and reveals to Jen, and later the parole board, what that fight was all about: it was a kumite!

This is not, in fact, a direct reference to the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Bloodsport, wherein JCVD competes in a deadly tournament called The Kumite (although I fully expect fans to edit Wong vs. Abomination to Stan Bush’s “Fight to Survive”). Kumite is actually a form of karate training wherein a person squares off against an opponent in order to hone their skills. That’s what Wong was doing: honing his Sorcerer Supreme skills by going up against a hulking monster. And here’s a fun Easter egg: When Wong opens up a portal to Emil Blonsky’s cell, it looks just like the one we see in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. That’s attention to detail!

Still, this answer just raises a few more questions. In Shang-Chi, why does Wong say to Blonsky, “Maybe you’ll start controlling those punches like we practiced?” Isn’t this kumite for Wong? And why is Wong giving Blonsky fighting lessons? Is it to make Blonsky even more of a dangerous opponent? And of all the villains in captivity, why did Wong pick Abomination? It’s confusing, sure, but it’s nothing that some good ol’ fashioned No Prize-ing can’t solve. Go on! Fill in those plot holes yourself while you wait for a future Marvel something or other to officially pave over this bumpy continuity!

New episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law premiere on Disney+ on Thursdays.