Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is right around the corner. With the release of the film, the world will get to know Simu Liu's Shang-Chi—and the brand-new world that he brings with him.
The movie has been met with high praise across the board, with critics praising Liu's performance while teasing that the film brings some of the best action sequences of the entire MCU. It would seem that the Master of Kung Fu's debut is yet another successful entry in the MCU's fourth phase.
Simu Liu did create some fervor within the fanbase in a recent interview where the actor claimed that Shang-Chi could take on both Hulk and Iron Man in a fight. These comments didn't go over all well with some.
Now, Liu has chosen to speak out on the matter, defending what he said about his character.
SHANG-CHI VS. THE HULK
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Shang-Chi star Simu Liu commented on previous statements he made about his character's strength.
Liu exclaimed that "[he] know[s] that" Hulk would crush Shang-Chi in a fight and that his comments were meant as a joke:
"A while back, I said, 'I could beat up The Hulk,' like as a joke... And I got the most amount of backlash I'd ever witnessed in my life, of people being like, 'Are you joking me? The Hulk would freaking crush you!' I was like, 'Yeah, I know that.' Like, what do you want me to say? It's called trying to put your best foot forward and really, if you can't believe in yourself, who's going to believe in you, right?"
SHANG-CHI STEPS BACK
Going back and looking at Liu's previous comments, they certainly don't seem like a joke. He seemed confident of his hero's abilities when he was saying those things, but clearly, the backlash from fans caused him to take a few steps back.
If there's anything that can cause fan frustration and arguments, it's the discussion of character power levels.
It is likely that most are underestimating Shang-Chi's power. Yes, the Hulk would likely crush him, but Shang-Chi is far from the weakest in the MCU. He may not seemingly have any outright superpowers in the trailers, but even if he doesn't, neither did Black Widow—and she's even taking on Disney.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings comes out on September 3, 2021, exclusively in theaters.
