Lord Shen



Lord Shen was a leucistic peacock, who was disturbed and desperate to regain happiness by conquering all of China. He is the main antagonist of Kung Fu Panda 2.

Before the start of Kung Fu Panda 2, Shen was the prince of Gongmen City. Shen became interested in the power of gunpowder, wondering if it and the technology behind fireworks could be used for warfare. His loving parents grew worried and asked the Soothsayer what his future held. She proclaimed that if he continued with this path, he would be halted by "a warrior of black-and-white". Shen assumed that the warrior would be a giant panda and decided to destroy all obstacles against them. Thus, he leads his wolf guards to massacre the pandas. Upon becoming satisfied that he achieved his objective, he returned to his family palace filled with pride. However, he was confronted by his parents, who were horrified by his atrocity and they immediately exiled him as punishment. Feeling profoundly wronged for this treatment, Shen angrily vowed he would return one day to conquer China. Unknown to him, the seeds of his destruction were laid as the apparent sole survivor, Po, was inadvertently transported to the Valley of Peace where he became the Dragon Warrior. Over the next thirty years, Shen and his wolf minions built a whole arsenal, raiding villages to supply the required refined metal. When satisfied that he was ready for war, Lord Shen marched upon Gongmen City and challenged the current regents, the Masters' Councillors (Masters Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox and Croc). Swiftly defeating Ox and Croc and killing Rhino with a cannon shot, Shen imprisoned the demoralized remaining masters and seized control of the city, keeping only the Soothsayer in his court for her skills.

Shortly afterward, Shen's wolf army captured the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five trying to break into the city to stop him. Any alarm upon learning that a Giant Panda survived is assuaged by the fact that he seemed a simpleton, and doesn't know about his past. However, when he tried to kill the warriors with his cannon, they broke free as arranged and they destroyed the cannon, mistakenly thinking it was the only one. Taking advantage of Po's sudden flashback upon seeing his red feather markings, Shen managed to escape to a foundry where he ordered a team of cannoneers to bring down the palace to kill the warriors. However, the warriors escaped and later attempted to destroy the cannon foundry to stop production. Unfortunately, the Dragon Warrior unintentionally interfered with the attempt when he broke in on his own to confront the peacock about his suspicions concerning his involvement with his parents. At that, Shen falsely claimed Po's parents never loved him, abandoning him to save themselves. With Po distraught, Shen arms a large cannon and seemingly kills the panda by blasting him into the river.

With that, Shen eventually captured the Furious Five and planned to kill them once his fleet reaches open water as a demonstration of his power. However, the Dragon Warrior reappeared to confront him again, having survived the blast and being nursed back to health by the Soothsayer, gaining his inner peace. Now even more formidable, Po freed his comrades and were joined by his fellow masters including Master Shifu in a furious melee to stop the fleet's departure. Shen's increasing rage drove him to fire on his own troops to kill the masters. Eventually, Shen still managed to blast his opposition with the head cannon and exit the harbor.

As it looked like all is lost, Po, using a piece of wreckage as an island, catches the cannon-balls fired at him and redirects them at the fleet. Frustrated, Shen ordered that the barrage be maintained. Finally, the Panda was able to destroy his own ship's cannon. Po boards Shen's damaged flagship and confronts the worn-out Shen, who is flabbergasted as to how Po could attain such a controlled peace despite his atrocities against him, which he expected would merit revenge. Po tells him that he rejects letting his past dominate his present and pleads with the peacock to let go of his past resentments, saying that the only thing that matters now is the path he chooses. Even though Shen agrees of choosing his own path, he refuses to let go of the past (saying "You're right. Then I choose THIS!"). Shen attacks the Dragon Warrior until the melee topples the wreckage of the cannon, crushing the peacock.

Despite his reliance of cannons, Shen is also a deadly fighter with blades, several of which are of different sizes he hides in his feathers. He also wears steel gauntlets with sharpened talons over his real feet and claws. Shen's fighting style shares similar qualities with "Cai Li Fo", a Chinese martial art that uses a metal fan for defensive and distraction purposes. These qualities are represented in the movie by Shen's use of his tail feathers and his agile, circular movements.