Zheng Esme

Zheng Esme is a martial arts operative introduced in Marvel's 2020 Shang-Chi series, moving within the same dangerous world of shadowy fighters and power players — including Shang-Chi and the enigmatic Zheng Zu — suggesting strong ties to that lineage of intrigue.

Bursting onto the scene in 2020 alongside the launch of Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan's celebrated Shang-Chi series, Zheng Esme is a Modern Age Marvel creation who arrives with serious pedigree from her very first page. She moves through a world populated by formidable figures — Shang-Chi himself, the enigmatic Zheng Zu, Sister Dagger, Brother Sabre, and Takeshi — which tells you immediately that her corner of the Marvel Universe is rich with martial arts intrigue and high stakes. Her appearances across Shang-Chi, Shang-Chi by Gene Luen Yang, and Marvel's Voices: Identity mark her as a character with genuine staying power in one of Marvel's most culturally resonant modern titles. For readers who want to be in on the ground floor of a character shaped by some genuinely talented hands, Zheng Esme is absolutely worth tracking down.