Simu Liu joked about his omission from the MCU's recent years by jumping on a hilarious TikTok trend. Five years on from his debut in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu is preparing for his second live-action appearance as the martial artist son of the Mandarin in this December's Avengers: Doomsday. The five-year wait for more of the Master of Kung Fu on Earth-616 has been slightly lessened by animated appearances in What If...? and Marvel Zombies. However, that hasn't stopped fans from growing frustrated with anticipation for Shang-Chi 2, which may finally be happening in the MCU's third saga.
Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu joined the viral Netflix documentary TikTok trend, in which the poster takes a seat, gets mic'd up, and jokingly prepares to film a streaming doc about a unique situation. For Liu's MCUified spin on the trend, he jested on TikTok, "Filming the Netflix documentary about what my character has been up to for the past five years," referring to Shang-Chi's half-decade absence between his 2021 solo outing and this year's Avengers: Doomsday.
After acknowledging Shang-Chi's omission from Doomsday's required viewing list, Liu indicated to ScreenRant that "we don't necessarily know what he's been up to" after the Phase 6 blockbuster, but speculated that the martial artist hero has been training and "maybe saving the day off in different places:"
"It's really incredible to step into this character again, and for it to have been a period of time that's passed, so that now I feel like he's gonna come into his own. We don't necessarily know what he's been up to, but presumably he hasn't just been sitting around. He's been training. He's been maybe saving the day off in different places. But he's ready."
How Shang-Chi's Five-Year Absence Could Benefit Its Sequel
Shang-Chi is finally returning with a redesigned costume in Doomsday, five years both in real life and in-universe since Wong, Bruce Banner, and Captain Marvel approached him about the Ten Rings and told him, "Welcome to the circus."
Most fans and rumors seem to concur that Shang-Chi will be part of the all-new Avengers roster that Anthony Mackie's Captain America is putting together. But it's unclear whether he already joined Marvel's premier superhero team, or if his first meeting with his new colleagues will be depicted on screen in Doomsday.
While many will be hoping for clarity on what Shang-Chi has been doing all these years, Simu Liu has indicated that fans may not necessarily get that. Instead, Doomsday will likely depict a refined Shang-Chi who has further mastered his martial arts and learned how best to integrate the powerful Ten Rings.
Shang-Chi may have some off-handed dialogue that hints at recent life events, his early heroic days, and the whereabouts of his bestie, Awkwafina's Katy. However, given the impending Multiversal chaos of Doomsday and Secret Wars (which he is expected to return for next year), most of those details may be saved for Shang-Chi 2, now that Marvel Studios finally has the chance to get the sequel moving.
In a way, the five-year wait could benefit Shang-Chi 2, as the 2021 original has only grown more popular over the years of streaming on Disney+, and the hero's inevitable popularity boost from two Avengers appearances may help a sequel's box office potential, especially as the MCU goes through a resurgence in interest.
