Avengers: The Kang Dynasty might be years away, but Shang-Chi's Simu Liu is already hyping up why the Avengers' next adventure will be "memorable" and "special" with MCU director Destin Daniel Cretton in the director's chair.
Cretton's hiring for Avengers 5's directing gig earned much praise from several Marvel stars including Liu and Captain Marvel actress Brie Larson. These initial reactions are a good sign for The Kang Dynasty, considering that this is Cretton's first time directing an Avengers flick.
Now, ahead of Cretton's preparation for Avengers 5, Liu appears to have further boosted the anticipation for the movie with his latest comments.
Avengers 5's Simu Liu Explains 'Special' Opportunity of Destin Cretton
In an interview with ComicBook.com at the BoxLunch Holiday Gala, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu shared his thoughts about the hiring of Shang-Chi and Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton as the guy to helm Avengers: The Kang Dynasty while also teasing his involvement in the movie.
Liu first admitted that he felt "incredible" upon learning the news, even pointing out that he sent Cretton "forty texts in a row, all exclamation marks:"
“It feels incredible. I obviously learned about the news a little bit before the rest of the world did, but I freaked out... I sent him like forty texts in a row, all exclamation marks. I’m just so incredibly happy for him, he’s so deserving of that spot."
The MCU newcomer then offered high praise to Cretton, with him saying that the director's ability to "maintain the humanity and the human stories" of Avengers 5 while still providing the vastness and grandness of it will make it more "memorable" and "special" for the audience:
"What makes him such a special filmmaker, and I’ve said this from the beginning even when we were premiering our movie, is his ability to make a $150 million movie really, really small, in the best possible way. I’m really looking forward to what he does on that even grander scale of The Avengers because I think it’s easy to maybe get lost in the spectacle of what those movies can be, the vastness and the grandness of it, but if you can maintain the humanity and the human stories, I think that’s what will make a movie memorable and special, and I think Destin’s got it."
In the end, Liu even teased that he's "excited to work for him again," indicating that he is set to return as the martial arts hero and Ten Rings wielder in The Kang Dynasty:
"I think he’s got it and I think he deserves this so much. I’m so excited to get to work for him again.”
Liu's latest comments are in line with Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors' earlier remarks on how Avengers 5's story will be "grounded:"
“I think that’s the most important part about it. We’re dealing with myths. What is a Kang? What is a movie? What is an MCU movie? What does that mean? What does that look like? Those are the questions we’re asking, but all of that works because it is grounded. And really, really, really tucked into the given circumstances, what’s going on between these people, and what we can illuminate for ourselves as a species.”
Will Liu's Shang-Chi Have a Major Role in Avengers 5?
Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu's high praise toward Destin Daniel Cretton is fitting, and this could even mean that he has an idea about Avengers 5's story. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the director's approach to humanizing Mandarin and telling an emotional story about family could be the blueprint for The Kang Dynasty.
Maintaining the humanity of an Avengers movie might be challenging at first, but Cretton's ability to strike the right balance between the grandness of it all and humanizing stories holds the key to pushing the sequel to the forefront.
Liu may also have accidentally let it slip that he is involved in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Still, this isn't surprising due to Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton's involvement as well as the popular fan theory that the Ten Rings are directly connected to Kang the Conqueror.
If Shang-Chi's Ten Rings will be a big part of the movie, then it seems that a direct clash between him and Kang will likely be in the cards. As a result, it's either the Avengers will need to protect Shang-Chi at all costs or he will be the anchor of the story.
Moreover, this isn't the first time that Liu is hyping up Avengers 5. In his previous tweet, the MCU actor shared a photo of a jacked Jonathan Majors from the set of Creed III, saying that "the Avengers are straight up effed."
Whatever the case, Simu Liu's Shang-Chi has a bright MCU future ahead.
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is set to premiere in theaters on May 2, 2025.
