It may have been five whole years since the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but Marvel fans are still asking themselves (and each other) why the studio fumbled the bag with Simu Liu’s superhero…
After binge-watching the actor in Peacock’s new thriller series The Copenhagen Test, one viewer took to Reddit to point out how “charismatic” Liu is in the show – and question why he hasn’t been seen again in MCU since his debut in 2021.
“He’s funny, grounded, and has real leading-man presence,” iF4RT3D continued. “What I don’t get is why Marvel never really followed through on Shang Chi stories? Was this a scheduling issue, internal strategy shift, or just Marvel overestimating how long they could keep characters on the shelf? Curious how others interpret this, because in it feels like a huge missed opportunity.”
“Yeah, Simu Liu fuck*n* rocks. Absolutely has what it takes to lead,” replied another user, while a third said: “Simu Liu probably could’ve been the next RDJ/Evans for MCU if they used him properly. He was young and pretty universally loved after Barbie. Such a waste.”
“The fighting and choreography is the most beautiful I’ve seen in the MCU. It’s great to have an eastern style of action in a franchise filled with western style action,” another said of the movie itself. “Plus I love that they delved into Asian and Chinese culture a bit. I saw a lot of my mom and dad in Shang Chi’s parents. I really resonated with the movie. I felt represented, and we rarely get a male Asian lead in Hollywood.”
In the comment section, many went on to cite the COVID-19 pandemic and writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton dropping out of the planned follow-up to helm the now-scrapped Avengers: The Kang Dynasty as reasons for the MCU’s lack of Shang-Chi.
“Marvel simply didn’t trust their new characters to perform as well, which is why so many characters who should’ve been the face of the next saga were sidelined and underutilized,” another suggested.
Fortunately, Liu is return as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to release on December 17. “I’m older, so getting to bring a little bit more of a quality of self-assurance is always great, especially because Shang was such a fish out of water,” he previously teased of the comeback in an interview with Comic Book. “There’s a little bit of a jump in time, so I think we’ll meet him at a place where he’s feeling a little more lived in with who he is and his responsibilities.”
The Copenhagen Test is streaming now on Peacock, while Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available on Disney Plus. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming superhero movies heading our way, or our breakdown on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
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