Superhero movies take a lot of hits these days, but Simu Liu is not letting that chatter dampen his excitement for Avengers: Doomsday.
The Shang Chi star recently opened up about returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and why the genre still means so much to him.
Fans have been waiting for Liu to suit up again ever since Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrived in 2021. The actor kept busy with standout roles in Barbie, Arthur the King, and Last Breath, but his Marvel character has remained on the sidelines.
Even though the planned Shang Chi and the Wreckage of Time never moved forward, Liu is officially back as the Master of Martial Arts in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, set to reunite him with a massive roster of heroes that includes the Avengers, the X Men, and the Fantastic Four.
Talking to Variety, Liu made it clear that stepping onto that set felt like everything he used to daydream about as a kid.
“It was really awesome, exciting. So many actors that I grew up watching, and to get to kind of play in that sandbox with them…it’s a dream come true.
“I grew up watching superhero movies and wanting to believe that the outcasts and the nerds and the weirdos could find it in themselves to have superpowers and save the day.”
He went on to explain the emotional pull those stories still have for him.
“That’s what 12 year old me clung on to,” Liu continued. “I still believe, for better or for worse, in the power of what those movies stand for today.”
Even with his occasional frustration over Shang Chi’s long absence in live action, Liu is still one of the most vocal supporters of the genre. He is very aware of the current online climate and the idea that superhero films are somehow past their prime, and he did not shy away from addressing that shift in attitude.
“It’s kind of fashionable now to hate on it. I think there are valid critiques of the way that movies are made, the way that production budgets are handled, I think that there are a lot of valid things to say, but this idea of shitting on superhero movies as a genre, I don’t know. I don’t know I because I am speaking as somebody who just absolutely loved watching them as a kid.”
Plenty of voices love to shout superhero fatigue, but Liu still sees what these films can offer and why they inspire so many fans.
While Liu has not appeared in live action Marvel projects since 2021, he has continued to voice Shang Chi in What If…? and Marvel Zombies. With Destin Daniel Cretton currently working on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a Shang Chi sequel is still possible in the next Saga. Given how much the first movie resonated with audiences, there’s still and interesting story arc for this character to explore.
For now, the next big step is Avengers: Doomsday, arriving December 18, 2026. The epic conclusion Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027.
