Avengers: Doomsday will bring together characters fans never expected to cross paths on screen. That's the fun of the Multiverse, of course, and with the "original" big screen X-Men also in play, the whole thing gets even more exciting.
During a recent Q&A, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu talked about finally assembling alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
Filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton was once lined up to helm Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time, a sequel that would've closely tied into the story being told about Kang the Conqueror. It was seemingly put on hold when he was briefly on board to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Cretton has since focused on Wonder Man and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
While Liu is still patiently waiting for his sequel, it sounds like he's loved being part of the Avengers: Doomsday cast.
"I mean, what an incredible call to get. I experienced kind of many waves of excitement," the actor said. "I think first getting that call and then learning who else was gonna be there, some of whom I had had the pleasure of meeting and some I had not yet met. But each and every one of them...just iconic, iconic people."
The Barbie star elaborated on that by talking about working with the stars of 20th Century Fox's X-Men movies. "I think this is public now, but like Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart, just people who I grew up watching and idolizing," Liu teased. "And then having gotten maybe, maybe having gotten the opportunity to do scenes with them at some point."
"That may or may not have been even better – would be something that I maybe would say if I was in the movie," he concluded, making sure not to give anything away. Of course, we know from various leaks that the Avengers and Fantastic Four will fight, and likely battle alongside, the X-Men.
In a separate conversation with El CAPI Pérez, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Tenoch Huerta reflected on meeting Robert Downey Jr. on the Avengers: Doomsday set the former Iron Man was filming scenes as Doctor Doom.
"He’s really handsome, dude. The guy looks really young, too," the Namor actor enthused. "The thing is, I wasn’t in the scene. I went to see the directors, I wanted to talk to them about a few lines and meet them face to face."
"When I was there, [he] comes up to look at the monitors and I said, 'Ah, no way!' I really said, 'Damn, I left my knee pads back at the hotel, man!'" Huerta added. Given their comic book history, we'd be shocked if Doom and Namor don't share the screen at some point.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.