It's a well-documented fact that Simu Liu has lobbied for quite a long time to become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his years of pestering Marvel Studios finally paid off when he was cast as Shang-Chi in 2019 for the upcoming Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. However, the Canadian actor apparently wasn't thrilled when he was researching the character and he even criticized Marvel for the way Shang-Chi was presented in the comics.
Airing his past grievances in a feature on Men's Health, the Kim's Convenience star recalled feeling offended by the fact that Shang-Chi's only superpower is that he's an expert in martial arts. Liu explains: "I was almost disappointed. I was like, how many opportunities do we have for Asian superheroes, and this one guy is, like, just a kung fu master? It just felt kind of reductive and, you know, not true to life and not anything that I could relate to."
I gotta say, when I first learned that Shang-Chi will be coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I initially feared that the character will basically be a fish out of water due to the fact that he's not equipped with superhuman abilities like the majority of heroes in the franchise. Sure, the MCU has "regular" heroes like Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury who only rely on their skills but a titular hero like Shang-Chi should at least have one special ability.
My guess is that Marvel Studios will actually retcon the hero and will be giving him some surprise abilities in the film, something that I'm most looking forward to. And it's also safe to assume that it's the route they're going to take given Simu's history of frustration about the character.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will hit cinemas this September.
Also Read: People are Trying to Cancel Shang-Chi Star Simu Liu After an Old Nicki Minaj Joke Resurfaces
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