It’s official: Shang-Chi is coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The massive Avengers: Doomsday livestream revealed that Simu Liu would in fact be returning for the upcoming ensemble film — but because of how tight-lipped Marvel Studios is about potential spoilers, he was pretty quiet himself about the fact that his name was going to show up on the back of a chair alongside other MCU greats.
Last month's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal was heavy on veteran X-Men actors. Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden are all now set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, confirming the X-Men are in the film in a big way. Grammer famously played Beast in the Fox X-Men franchise before making his MCU debut via The Marvels' post-credits scene. Stewart played Charles Xavier/Professor X in the X-Men films before appearing briefly in the MCU via Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati. McKellen, who played Magneto, has yet to appear in the MCU. Neither has Cumming, who played Nightcrawler, Romijn, who played Mystique, nor Marsden, who played Cyclops. It begs the question: is Avengers: Doomsday secretly an Avengers vs. X-Men movie?
"I knew I was going to be involved in it to some capacity,” Liu explained of the film during a recent appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show. “But I didn't know who else they were announcing. They don't tell us anything. Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo ruined it for all of us. Now, they don't tell us.”
Liu is of course referring to the now infamous leaks from Holland regarding the MCU’s Spider-Man series over the years and Ruffalo’s penchant for giving away all manner of plot points surrounding the Avengers. In the years since these hilarious snafus have taken over the news cycle, the Marvel bosses have absolutely made it a point to keep spoilers away, not just from the noted blabbermouths of the MCU, but from all cast members new and old.
The actor, who also had a featured role as one of the Kens in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, was also shocked to see some of the names that were set to appear alongside him. “I saw when Sir Ian and Sir Patrick were announced,” he said during the interview. “These are two of the greatest actors to have ever walked the face of the Earth. That blew my mind a little bit.”
Liu first appeared as Shang-Chi in Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021, but has yet to see the character return to the big or small screen. Aside from the May 1, 2026 release date and the myriad of names we now have attached to the film, Avengers: Doomsday is something of a mystery at this point. But undoubtedly within the next year, more will be revealed — spoilers or otherwise.
Meanwhile, MCU fans have also turned their inquisitive gaze upon Robert Downey Jr’s hair after the Iron Man actor recently sent out a Doctor Doom-themed invitation for this 60th birthday party.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
