Simu Liu has a way of saying a lot with very little. When James Gunn announced Man of Tomorrow, set for July 9, 2027, Liu didn’t write a paragraph or even a sentence. He dropped a single blank stare emoji on X. That was it. Fans immediately noticed the subtle jab. Superman gets a sequel barely a few months after the 2025 reboot, which pulled in $611 million worldwide, while Shang-Chi 2 hasn’t even started filming or even been announced. The contrast is impossible to ignore.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings debuted in 2021 and earned $432 million worldwide. The movie starred Liu alongside Awkwafina, Benedict Wong, and Michelle Yeoh, telling the story of a martial artist confronting his past within the Ten Rings organization. Critics loved it (91% on Rotten Tomatoes). But despite its success, Shang-Chi 2 has been in limbo for years. Originally, Destin Daniel Cretton was attached to write and direct, but he has moved on to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, scheduled for July 31, 2026.
That move left fans wondering if Marvel had deprioritized Shang-Chi in favor of other projects. Liu has expressed frustration before, agreeing with fans who suggested Marvel had slowed down compared to DC. But he’s still committed. He recently said the delays haven’t changed his excitement for the role, and he’s ready whenever Marvel greenlights the sequel.
In the meantime, the Kim’s Convenience star will return to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18, 2026. Filming in the U.K. this year, Liu described working on the project as “like a dream,” especially sharing scenes with Robert Downey Jr., who is taking on a villainous role as Doctor Doom. Liu also teased that “everyone will be blown away” by Downey’s performance. Beyond that, he’s thrilled to work with OG X-Men actors Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, telling The Jennifer Hudson Show, “These are like two of the greatest actors to ever walk the face of the Earth, and that kind of blew my mind a little bit.”
Fans watching Liu’s emoji reaction didn’t just see a shrug. They saw the tension between the Marvel and DC machines. They saw a frustrated Marvel star who just wanted another chance to expand his character’s story.
As one commentator so kindly put it, “Bro, I went through like 4 toxic relationships since the last Shang Chi movie, what the hell.”
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