We still know next to nothing about Shang-Chi 2, but star Simu Liu said he would “crawl through a mile of broken glass on my bare hands” to make it happen.
The Marvel actor explained the lengths he’s willing to go to for a sequel to his 2021 superhero movie during an interview with Variety. As the Marvel Studios Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con came and went without any Shang-Chi 2 news, Liu took the opportunity to thank the fans who have been begging to see it made for the last five years.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said when asked about the status of a follow-up. “Look, I will say this: The only reason why people even ask about a sequel is because there are so many incredible fans that loved the first one so much, and I will never ever stop being the most grateful for all of those people.
Simu Liu. Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP via Getty Images.
“I was reminded of it, yet again, when we were at Hall H. It was just such an atmosphere of joy. I mean, we had people waiting over 30 hours in line just to be there with us. I wanted to reach out and touch every single one of them just to say, ‘Thank you.’ They’re the reason why I’m here and the reason why we’re even throwing words like ‘sequel’ around.”
Liu first appeared as Shaun/Shang-Chi when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings came to theaters in 2021. Despite teasing some interesting connections to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), we’ve seen little of his character – or characters like Katy (Awkwafina) and Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh) – since. Those wanting to see more from Liu in Marvel in the meantime would had to have caught him in animated projects like What If…? and Marvel Zombies.
The Shang-Chi drought in the MCU will at least change in a big way later this year. Liu’s character is confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday when it premieres this December, with last week’s trailer teasing that he’ll be included in at least a few action scenes. Exactly how prominent his role will be in the film remains to be seen.
Fans think Liu and Shang-Chi deserve more. The actor said he’d be willing to shed some blood if it meant Shang-Chi 2 could become a reality sooner rather than later.
“Whenever and wherever the call comes, I would crawl through a mile of broken glass on my bare hands to do it,” he added. “Because I know how much this movie means to me, but more importantly, I know how much it means to the fans that loved it.”
Liu admitted it would be “preferable” if he didn’t have to do the whole crawl-through-glass bit, but because Shang-Chi means so much to him, he’s leaving everything on the table.
“I was hoping that would be taken metaphorically, but if it had to be literal, I would be open,” he said.
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Original director Destin Daniel Cretton, who is currently wrapped up as the filmmaker in charge of this week’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day and released Marvel’s Wonder Man show earlier this year, has at least given fans some hope that a sequel will soon materialize. While the when, where, and how remain a mystery, the director said Shang-Chi 2 is something Marvel is “working on.”
“The first film’s reception was incredible, and we want to honor that,” Cretton said last month. “It’s evolving in a way we’re excited about.”
Liu said in 2023 that his sequel was originally set to show up after the upcoming Avengers projects, but as delays kept pushing Marvel’s plans back, plans for a follow-up for his standalone MCU had been impacted, too. The next year, he promised a sequel would arrive eventually, and in January of this year, he said that’s still the plan.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see how Liu will help take on Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom when Avengers: Doomsday premieres December 18, 2026. Until then, you can read about Ghost Rider, Black Panther 3, and all of the other announcements Marvel had to show off at its big Hall H SDCC panel this year.
Photo by Chris DELMAS / AFP via Getty Images.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).