Even though Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is still one of the most notable Marvel films of the post-Endgame era, the character still has not received a sequel. Luckily fans will be able to once again see the master of martial arts in this year’s Avengers: Doomday, and although we still are not exactly sure of the role the character will play in the film, actor Simu Liu has confirmed that the gap in between appearances has given him enough time for the character to develop into a more focused and self-assured hero.

While promoting his new show The Coppenhagen Test in a new exclusive interview with Comicbook.com, Liu addressed Shang-Chi and how the character has changed before going into the next major Avengers team up. The last time we saw Shang-Chi, he was meeting with some of the core members of the Avengers in his own film’s post credit scene, both in person and in hologram form, so it’s safe to assume that since then the character has formed some sort of lasting alliance with them. The character has had years to develop his skills and confidence in his new found call to super-powered action, and Liu explained what we can expect to see from Shang-Chi in Doomsday:

“I think time. He’s older. I think I’m older, so getting to bring a little bit more of a quality of self-assurance is always great, especially because Shang was such a fish out of water… There’s a little bit of a jump in time, so I think we’ll meet him at a place where he’s feeling a little more lived in with who he is and his responsibilities.”

In his solo film, the character was well practiced in his own skills being raised by The Mandarin as a human weapon, but he never had the direction or the confidence to use those skills in a way that addresses his own personal responsibility of what to do with his powers. In Doomsday, it sounds like he will be more self-assured about what his own goals are and what he would like to do with the gifts he has been given. Not only has the character evolved, but according to Liu, he himself has also developed as an actor with a more careful approach to how he speaks and what he chooses to say (or even more importantly what not to say) when it comes to promoting Avengers: Doomsday:

“I never know when something I say is going to get picked up into a soundbite. I think I was freezing cold on the rooftop of the Empire State Building and they were like, ‘What about his costume?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, it’s new.’ It just became an unstoppable maelstrom of messed up lines. I am very reserved about what to say about it now.”

The “maelstrom” he is referring to is a recent “new “news” story (using that term very liberally here) that circulated around social media addressing Shang-Chi’s “new costume”, and uses a lot of lines that were taken out of content to justify the headline. As a result, the actor now has a much better idea of what to say and what not to say and how any little thing that comes out of his mouth can be used to form a narrative that may or may not be true based on how those reporting it choose to spin it to their readers. Just because the actor said the costume “is new” doesn’t mean the character will be sporting a new costume like some online outlets have made it seem, and as a result Liu seems to be much more aware of how his words can be presented incorrectly to create stories when there isn’t actually a story there (see: clickbait). I would imagine this is something all actors have to go through at some point, and learning when or when not to say things, or how to say them properly in a way that cannot be spun into a BS narrative (for a lack of more polite terminology), is an art that truly does take time to develop.

Liu finished the interview by comparing his work in Doomsday to his new show Peacock streaming series The Coppenhagen Test (where he was also a credited Executive Producer) and that while he wasn’t as ‘active’ on the set behind the scenes in Doomsday as compared to his new series, that wasn’t exactly a bad thing from his point of view:

“What I will say coming out of an experience where I was an executive producer, and so active in all of the elements of the filmmaking, it was really cool to be able to surrender to the process, knowing I was going to be part of this huge regime.”

It sounds as if because he knew that he was part of a larger ensemble while filming Doomsday, he was able to surrender some of that control and it was not necessarily the worst thing for him:

“As much ownership that I felt over the character, knowing that character was just a small part of this huge tapestry, it was really refreshing, especially coming off of a show like Copenhagen Test. Again, so happy and so privileged to have been a more active leader there. But it is great to be able to take a break and go on vacation from that.”

Liu’s new show The Coppenhagen Test is now streaming in Peacock and, as I’m sure everyone reading this is already aware, his next appearance in Doomsday premiers in theaters on December 18th, 2026. As for his own Shang-Chi sequel (rumored to be titled Shang-Chi and the Wreckage of Time), not much is known yet but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear more about that later this year when we enter the back half of 2026. Are you excited to see Shang-Chi return in Doomsday? Make sure to let us know your excitement down in the comments!

Source: Comicbook.com