Shang-Chi Actor Simu Liu Is Marvel’s Next Big Star
The Covid-19 Pandemic may have put a hold on most of the world for a year, which included pushing back Marvel’s enormous slate of projects, but everything is finally catching up. Over the past year, Disney Plus has launched three new series with WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki as well as finally releasing Black Widow in theaters and on the streaming platform. But Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel movie exclusive to theaters and proving that people are ready for Phase 4 to really kick-off.
The martial arts blockbuster has already broken records for the biggest box office haul since the pandemic started, beating out the 9th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast 9. It’s currently the highest-rated comic book movie on Rotten Tomatoes and has fans all over falling in love with the characters from heroes to villains.
But the big screen isn’t the only place Shang-Chi is making waves. Since the Thanos event a few years ago in Fortnite, heroes from both sides of the comic world, DC and Marvel, have been popping up in the popular battle royale game. Shang-Chi is the next in a long line of heroes making their debut.
Plus, actor Simu Liu who plays the title character of Shang-Chi is a hot commodity. He made a guest appearance at a recent baseball game between the Dodgers and Giants. It’s not unusual for guest celebrities to throw the first pitch at a professional baseball game, but Simu Liu did so with a lot more style than usual. Not only was he able to throw a strike right across the plate, but he punctuated his pitch with an impressive backflip on the pitchers’ mound.
The post-credits scene for Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings sets up some more epic adventures for the hero, so don’t expect him to go anywhere anytime soon. Simu Liu and Shang-Chi are set up to be major parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.
Photo by Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Disney