Shen's Wolves

Shen's Wolf Army are supporting antagonists in Kung Fu Panda 2. As their name suggests, they are a pack of wolves that serve in Lord Shen's army, and are led by Boss Wolf, the pack's military strategist and loyal servant of Shen.

BeginningsEdit
These wolves once served as the royal guard of Gongmen City. But the only member of the royal family ever to befriend the wolves was Shen, the heir to Gongmen City's throne. Shen fed them, played with them, and treated them like family. The pack and their leader eventually swore their allegiance to Shen.[1]

Shen then ordered them to attack the Panda Village to avert the prophecy that "a warrior of black and white" will defeat him. When Shen was banished by his parents for the heinous crime, the pack and their leader were banished alongside him. ===In Kung Fu Panda 2Edit=== Boss Wolf with some of his packAdded by Spottedstar

Once the wolves had completed Shen's cannon, they joined him in returning to Gongmen City. After a fight which ended with Master Thundering Rhino being killed by Shen's cannon, the wolves ended up imprisoning Masters Storming Ox and Croc.

Wolves harassing the citizensAdded by Spottedstar

When Po and the Furious Five arrived in Gongmen City after learning what happened to Master Thundering Rhino, they ended up running into the wolf army and fought them until their capture.

In the climax of the battle, Boss Wolf was killed when he tried to turn against Shen. Most of the wolves were killed when Shen's vessel exploded.

PersonalityEdit
A couple of the wolves in Gongmen CityAdded by Jamanstorm

The wolves of Shen's army are loyal, savage, and both fear and respect their two leaders: Boss Wolf and Shen. They are also bullies and have no qualms with picking on the citizens of Gongmen City, and they are ruthless as they willingly slaughtered an innocent farming village of pandas on Shen's orders.

Fighting StyleEdit
One of the wolves battling PoAdded by Spottedstar

The wolf army makes up the majority of Shen's military force. Supervising animator Rodolphe Guenoden noted how they use a non-academic fighting style, possessing the build to appear "hunched over and vicious-looking, and . . . attack more like brawlers, moving as a pack."[2] All this being, they primarily use weapons to fight their battles. Many of them wield swords similar to Shen's lance or a different kind with flame-like edges, and they have a faction of archers.

The wolves' skills in battle extend beyond just weapons and fighting stance. The wolves are also notable for being deceptive, strong, savage, and using numbers to overwhelm their foes. They use howling as a means of communication and signals, allowing them to organize and remain coordinated amongst a large pack. Some or all of the wolves also seem to serve as the "stealth force" of Shen's army, as they are swift, agile, and capable of leaping great heights and running across rooftops.

Wolf WeaponryEdit
Concept artwork of the wolves' weapons by Tang Heng, Bill Kaufmann, and Facundo RabaudiAdded by Spottedstar

The wolves are known to wield a wide variety of weapons, of such consist of mainly swords, spears, and bow-and-arrow sets. Art director Tang Kheng Heng noted how "the [weapon] designs were inspired by weapons we saw in Ping Yao, where the first bank in China was created and therefore needed solid protection."[3]

The wolves' entire armory is best notable for keeping with the film's flame motif, the curves and points of the metal reflecting the movements of fire. This was meant to serve as a constant visual reminder that the wolves were Shen's fiery force.[3]

RelationshipsEdit
===Boss WolfEdit=== Added by Spottedstar Coming soon! ===Lord ShenEdit=== Coming soon!

Clothing/OutfitEdit
Concept illustrations of the wolves' outfits and masks by Nicolas MarletAdded by Gargantuan224

All of the wolves keep a basic, consistent look in their protective wardrobe, with only some unique features on a few wolves. The basic look consists of leather wraps along their whole upper body, variously-styled leather elbow and shoulder pads, and from the waist down wear a kilt made out of leather and/or scaled armor. Molded onto some of this armor is Shen's fiery-red "peacock eye", symbolizing the wolves' allegiance to the evil prince.

Some wolves were given a few extra layers of clothing; among one of them were metallic masks, worn to protect their face but also add to their threatening and menacing appearance. Character designer Nicolas Marlet found it "fun to play up the threat factor with all kinds of one-eyed, mohawked, masked versions of the wolves," but was found challenging to the animators. This was because "[the masks] are crafted out of metal yet required rigging to allow expression to some extent," explained character technical direction supervisor Martin Costello. In the end, the animators were less rigid about implementing individual facial expressions because they wanted to maintain the "packness" of the army.[4]

Other unique additions made to the wolves' armor were strands of rope, which some had tied around their waist and/or arms presumably to help secure their armor.

Role in the series
The Wolf Army reprises its role to serve as warriors in the Villain League Unlimited.