We haven't seen or heard from Simu Liu's Shang-Chi since he made his MCU debut in his own solo movie, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, back in 2021, but we have repeatedly been assured that Marvel Studios does have big plans for the character.
There's been no official word on a sequel since it was announced shorty after the first movie's release, but Liu remains confident that it is "definitely" going to happen, and we now know that the Master of Kung Fu will play a role in Avengers: Doomsday.
During a new interview with The River, Liu spoke about what it's been like working with such a huge ensemble on the massive MCU event movie.
"Every day feels like a dream," he told the Japanese publication. "I get to go to work and work with people I respect and admire. Some of them are actors I watched when I was little, even before I wanted to be an actor. My emotions are a mix of great feelings and excitement, as well as fear and anxiety. I'm human, after all. I'm with some amazing people, so I do feel anxious at times. But everyone is so wonderful, and it doesn't really feel like work every day."
Liu specifically mentioned Robert Downey Jr., praising the Oscar-winner for being "such a kind, generous, and inspiring person" on set. The Shang-Chi star also believes that fans are going to be "blown away" by RDJ's take on Doctor Doom.
"He's been an integral part of Marvel's success and has been in so many films over the years, yet he still takes the time to meet and connect with so many people. Because he's played such a diverse range of roles, I think everyone will be blown away by the way he tackles this new character in this film."
According to a recent rumor, Shang-Chi was going to have a major role in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before Marvel pivoted to Doom. We're not sure if this is still the case, but we have heart that he will be important to the plot.
Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were recently hit with significant delays, with Doomsday now set to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2026, and Secret Wars positioned for December 17, 2027.
Both movies will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.
You can check out the full (for now) Doomsday cast list below.
• Paul Rudd as Ant-Man
• Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
• Tom Hiddleston as Loki
• Lewis Pullman as Sentry
• Florence Pugh as Yelena
• Danny Ramirez as Falcon
• Ian McKellen as Magneto
• Sebastian Stan as Bucky
• Winston Duke as M’Baku
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor
• Kelsey Grammer as Beast
• James Marsden as Cyclops
• Channing Tatum as Gambit
• Wyatt Russell as U.S. Agent
• Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm
• Rebecca Romijn as Mystique
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler
• Letitia Wright as Black Panther
• Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor
• Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards
• Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost
• Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm
• David Harbour as Red Guardian
• Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing
• Anthony Mackie as Captain America