- Simu Liu was cast as Shang-Chi in 2019, and was unveiled to fans at that year’s San Diego Comic Con.
- Liu said that he was welcomed into the MCU by Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
- The actor said Cumberbatch was very supportive and told Liu how happy he was for him.
The MCU is basically one massive family and their newest member, “Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings” star Simu Liu, said he was welcomed with open arms.
Liu was cast as Shang-Chi in 2019 and was introduced to hordes of fans at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, where he met a bunch of his new MCU costars and colleagues, including Doctor Strange actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
While doing a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Liu was asked by a user, “What is one thing you could not have foreseen or prepared for since the news broke of your casting that is less obvious to fans of the franchise at large?”
Liu responded by writing about meeting Cumberbatch for the very first time.
“The warm and comforting feeling of Benedict Cumberbatch’s hand on my shoulder at Comic-Con. Like a supportive but also sexy father,” the actor replied.
It’s not the first time Liu has spoked about meeting Cumberbatch.
While being appearing on SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight with Jessica Shaw, the actor recalled that “we all got ushered onstage to take this group photo and I feel this hand on my shoulder. It’s Benedict Cumberbatch. Doctor Strange has his arm around me.”
According to Liu, Cumberbatch said, “‘Welcome, welcome, I’m so happy for you,’ and literally that picture was taken in that second. It’s immortalized forever somewhere.”
“Shang-Chi” director Destin Daniel Cretton recently revealed that he wanted Doctor Strange to appear in his movie, but wasn’t able to include the Master of the Mystic Arts for very specific reasons after a conversation with MCU producer Kevin Feige.
“There are clear reasons why Doctor Strange is not there. I wish we could’ve put Doctor Strange in our movie,” Cretton told men’s blog BroBible.
“But there are very clear reasons why the characters who showed up could show up very briefly. There’s also a very clear reason why they’re not physically in the room,” he continued. “But all of that is a big conversation with Kevin [Feige] and the producers and directors who are working on other things.”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” which has been met with very positive reviews including an A+ review from Insider, is out on September 3.