Since kicking off with Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man in 2008, the MCU has expanded drastically over the last 14 years to feature upwards of 19 separate franchises and series to date. Naturally, given the expansive scale of the MCU, the universe is packed with hundreds of actors and creators, who are among the greatest talent in Hollywood.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe now spanning both the big-screen and Disney+, the world is growing faster than ever with new stars entering the fold every month. Among 2021's many newcomers was Simu Liu in his portrayal of Shang-Chi, a highly-trained martial artist raised in the Ten Rings organization, who now wields the ancient powerful rings.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings certainly made its mark on the world as a box office success and critical hit that has already spawned production on a sequel and Disney+ spin-off. The martial arts flick currently sits among the highest rated in the MCU on Rotten Tomatoes with 91% of critics and 98% of audiences leaving a positive review.
But it seems fans and critics weren't the only ones to enjoy Simu Liu's Marvel debut, as one Marvel star has shared his extremely positive NSFW reaction to the film.
What Did Tom Holland Think of Shang-Chi?
During a recent appearance at the Havdalah & BBYO Honors ceremony, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu revealed Spider-Man star Tom Holland's NSFW reaction to his solo flick.
The Shang-Chi star briefly attempted to call Holland during the ceremony but after receiving no answer, decided to play a voicemail the British actor left from him after watching his Marvel debut for the first time.
In the voice recording, played out of Liu's phone into the microphone on stage, Holland told the MCU newcomer he had "just watched Shang-Chi" and called the film "so f***ing awesome:"
"Dude, I just watched Shang-Chi bro, that film is so f***ing awesome."
Simu Liu went on to jokingly reflect on the message, saying that the lesson is to "work really hard and follow your dreams" and "maybe one day Tom Holland will watch your movie and leave you a voice memo:"
"So I guess the lesson is: work really hard and follow your dreams and maybe one day Tom Holland will watch your movie and leave you a voice memo."
Tom Holland's voice memo to Simu Liu can be heard in full below:
Simu Liu revelou a mensagem de voz que Tom Holland lhe enviou logo após assistir ‘Shang-Chi’. “Cara, acabei de assistir Shang-Chi, esse filme é incrível pra caral#@.” pic.twitter.com/EGvThPSPEx
Tom Holland is a Hardcore Marvel Fan
Much like Simu Liu, Tom Holland has made clear ever since he took up the role of Spider-Man that he is a die-hard Marvel fan who appears to be just as enthusiastic about these films as those who flock to the theaters on opening night.
Holland is known to have a hilarious behind-the-scenes rapport with many of his co-stars in the past including Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Chris Hemsworth, and more. Simu Liu, a newcomer to the MCU, certainly looks to be the next in a long line of actors to join the list, demonstrating Holland's commitment to his Marvel family.
With Simu Liu's Shang-Chi now lining up to be the latest key member of the Avengers, perhaps the two may come into contact on-screen sooner rather than later. Since the two heroes have never met on-screen before, any interaction wouldn't even have to be hindered by all memory of Peter having been erased from the world in No Way Home.
One famous comic event, known as "Spider-Island," saw Peter Parker turn to Shang-Chi for martial arts training after losing his Spider-Sense. The two collectively created a completely original combat style called the Way of the Spider which integrated Peter's classic fighting style with Shang-Chi's martial arts expertise.
Perhaps this storyline may be adapted in some sense down the line, either in a future Avengers blockbuster or during Tom Holland's next Spider-Man trilogy. After all, every Marvel Studios wall-crawler outing to date has featured a key MCU player in a major role; Shang-Chi could be among those to tag along in the next batch of films.
For now, it remains unclear where Shang-Chi will pop up next in the MCU, but work has already begun on a sequel to the martial arts flick and a Disney+ spin-off. Meanwhile, Tom Holland's Spider-Man looks to be under a brief hiatus for the moment while contract negotiations take place, but a second trilogy is in some stage of development.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming now on Disney+.
