‘That’s my fear’ Simu Liu reveals ‘typecasting’ worries after Shang-Chi release

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released this summer and introduced the titular hero to the Marvel Universe. Liu was the rising star of the film, receiving critical acclaim for his performance as the legendary kung-fu master. But in a new interview, he has revealed he is worried for the future of his career. 

Speaking on the First We Feast YouTube channel, Liu ate hot wings with its host Sean Evans.

Evans brought up being “typecast” as “the wings guy” by his friends, sparking a debate with the Chinese-Canadian star on his recent success as an Asian superhero.

He said: “That’s so funny that you say that because my fear in this movie and its success – and of course it’s been very successful and I’m very happy about it – is that it will perpetuate this kind of narrative that Asian people can only lead martial arts movies. Which is not true, right?”

Liu stars as the MCU’s first-ever on-screen Asian superhero. However, the character was originally rooted in some culturally insensitive origins in the original comic books.

These origins were addressed in the film, with the return of Trevor (Ben Kingsley), who admitted his actions in Iron Man 3 were wrong.

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Liu went on: “Of course it’s something that, you know…” He then raised his hands in the style of a martial arts attack, adding: “I don’t want people to constantly come up to me and be like: ‘Hey! I bet I could kick your a*s!’ So, I get that, I feel that – wanting to be known for other things.” Liu has also been openly excited about becoming Marvel’s first-ever Asian superhero. He told Jimmy Fallon earlier this year: “It was a dream come true because growing up, I had been such a big fan of superheroes. I think I loved what superheroes represented, hope and unlimited possibility.”

Liu went on to add: “Everyone, regardless of the colour of their skin or where they come from deserving to see themselves represented in that way.

“What excited me most about this movie is that we were able to provide that for kids and I could be something that I never had.”

Although the star is keen to expand his filmography, he will surely be making a return to the Shang-Chi series.

Not only did the movie make more than $400 million at the box office, but it also cemented the character into the future of the series.

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The final moments of Shang-Chi showed the titular hero being welcomed into the Avengers by Wong.

Before that, he had a chat with Bruce Banner/The Hulk and Captain Marvel. This means he will certainly be involved in the future of the series.

For now, nothing has been announced about the next instalment in the Shang-Chi series, but fans are confident they will see him make a return shortly.

And with good reason, as there is lots to explore with the hero. Recently, deleted scenes from the movie were released alongside the Blu-ray and DVD, revealing some unexpected backstory for Shang-Chi’s family.

One clip revealed that Shang-Chi’s father, Wenwu (Tony Leung) adopted Razorfist as his son.

This meant Shang-Chi’s foe was actually his adopted brother all along.

However, as this was cut from the film, it may no longer be a canon fact.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available on Disney Plus now.