Simu Liu, star of upcoming Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, has said he nearly cried the first time he tried on his costume.
Speaking to Toronto Life, the actor recalled the experience of suiting up as Shang-Chi: “Marvel has never had an Asian lead, so that was such a rare and impactful moment, for me as an actor but also for people who look like me. I nearly cried. It was so emotional. And then of course by the fifth day, I was like, 'Oh my god, I hate this thing, why are there so many zippers?'"
He also commented on whether he got the part thanks to a tweet: “Well, I can see how it looks that way.” He explained that he posted to Twitter when news broke that Marvel were looking for their Shang-Chi. “I facetiously tweeted at them, 'Hey, are we going to talk or what?' I didn’t have any expectations. With these giant movies, the casting call goes out to hundreds if not thousands all over the world.”
As for how his powers stack up against the other MCU heroes, Liu has some serious faith in Shang-Chi's abilities. When asked who would win in a fight – Shang-Chi, Iron Man, the Hulk or Black Widow – Liu answered: “I win! Shang-Chi. I could debate this as a fan for hours, but now that I’ve got some skin in the game, I have to think I could take any of these guys on. Shang-Chi can definitely throw a punch. As for his other skills and powers, you’ll have to wait and see.”
A crossover showing off Shang-Chi’s powers would certainly be epic, so here’s hoping we get to see him fight alongside his fellow heroes sometime soon (maybe even in a potential future Avengers film).
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was originally slated for release this February, but was eventually delayed until July 9 2021. As Liu points out, it will be Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead. It’s part of Marvel Phase 4, which also includes Disney Plus series like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as movies like Eternals and Black Widow.
