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Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu Won’t Sign “Offensive” ‘Comics at Upcoming Comic-Con Appearance

Last year, the martial arts-themed film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrived under somewhat of a cloud. Industry experts were expecting a poor box office performance, social media was full of naysayers, and there was an air about the idea of an Asian hero being a kung fu fighter. Then people actually saw the movie and loved it!

Simu Liu and Awkwafina had great on-screen chemistry, with Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh delivering powerful portrayals. Shang-Chi was a big hit, a sequel was quickly announced, and most people agreed that Marvel avoided lazy clichés effectively. But the problem is not entirely resolved yet.

Liu will appear at this June’s Awesome Con along with Shang-Chi co-stars Meng’er Zhang, and Florian Munteanu. You can already book a photo op with them, though a note on the page says:

Simu Liu will not sign any Master of Kung Fu comics or other comics deemed offensive.

In the mid-seventies, with the martial arts trend at its peak, The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu made the hero a Marvel icon. Throughout the following years, many crucial tales featuring him were published in that magazine, and it has been resurrected ever since.

Even so, the original comics feature racist caricature Fu Manchu as Shang-Chi’s father. This was wisely removed for the MCU version, with Shang-Chi screenwriter Dave Callaham referring to him as “irrelevant” and said:

“No one had to think about whether we wanted to include Fu Manchu. It was obvious.”

All of which is to say, it’s no surprise that Liu doesn’t want to sit there all day signing comics with racist stereotypes that the film went out of its way to avoid. Some disappointed comic collectors may be hoping to boost the value of their back issues as a result, but Liu completely has the right to impose this condition.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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