Lord Shen is the main antagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise.
He is the former master of the Soothsayer and the Boss Wolf. Because of his murder of Po's biological mother, along with much of the entire panda species, he serves as the arch-nemesis of Po, along with being the main reason for why his journey to become the Dragon Warrior even began in the first place.
He was voiced by Gary Oldman.
His Qualities[]
What Makes Him Entertaining?[]
- His design is unique to those of many other characters in the franchise, and therefore causes him to stand out (quite literally) as a result.
- Gary Oldman's performance is arguably one of the best in Dreamworks' entire catalogue when it comes to villainous characters.
- While he is no-doubt taken deathly seriously in the story, he still has his occasional moments of comedy that allow him to pass as Laughably Evil.
- The fact that he was responsible for the death of Po's mother, along with most of his entire species, makes him a much more personal enemy to Po than the other villains of the franchise. The trauma Po had carried with him into adulthood over Shen's actions also makes the film as a whole a character study for Po as he spends most of it coming to terms with the events of his past and learning to discover inner peace.
- He shows a few traits of honour such as letting the Soothsayer go free, accepting his death that he brought upon himself and years later showing respect to Po for saving him from the Chameleon.
- He also cares about the Soothsayer.
- Shen's character as a whole serves as a cautionary tale on the dangers of paranoia, as his fear over a supposed prophecy he had no proof was even legitimate led to him attempting genocide against the entire panda race, an action that caused his parents to disown him and anyone who could've ever shown him sympathy turning their backs on him, leaving him all alone.
- He maintains some level of dignity in his final moments in the second film, ultimately choosing to remain as a villain and facing off with Po for the last time, and later accepting his fate by closing his eyes and letting the cannon fall on top of him.
What Makes Him Detestable?[]
- He was responsible for the genocide of almost all the pandas, including Po's mother (who he killed when her son was only an infant).
- Him burning down Po's hometown and killing his mother when he was a baby, while making his opposition to Po much more personal when compared to Tai Lung or Kai (and therefore causing the film to have a bigger focus on Po himself and his psyche), caused immense trauma to Po that stuck with him for years.
- He had the Furious Five bonded to his ship and forced them to witness the destruction he will cause to take over China, beginning with a bridge filled with civilians crossing just for the sake of it being in the way of his fleet, witnessing it happen with a smile on his face.
Trivia[]
- Lord Shen serves as the current icon of the Deletion template.
External Links[]
- Lord Shen on the Villains Wiki
- Lord Shen on the Near Pure Evil Wiki
- Lord Shen on the Kung Fu Panda Wiki
- Lord Shen on the Ultimate Evil Wiki
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 Entertainingly Detestables
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