Simu Liu Trolls Fellow MCU Star Kumail Nanjiani With Marvel Mixup

Simu Liu of Marvel’s Shang-Chi didn’t pull his punches when interviewing Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani as guest host of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Liu, who entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe in September’s Shang-Chi, introduced his guest with a clip of Nanjiani “kicking ass in Eternals.” Reacting to a clip of Liu in action as master martial artist Shang-Chi in Legend of the Ten Rings, Nanjiani deadpans, “It’s so surprising that the most badass clip from your movie just happened to play.” Feigning a mixup with “Windows Movie Maker,” Liu ultimately presents a scene of Nanjiani’s cosmic-powered Kingo battling a Deviant with the Eternal Makkari (Lauren Ridloff).

After screening both clips, Liu and Nanjiani examined their respective roles as Marvel’s first Asian and South Asian superheroes in Shang-Chi and Eternals. Nanjiani asked Liu, “In terms of representation, how does it feel to you when people say that they see themselves reflected on screen as a superhero because of you?” 

“It is an incredible feeling. I’ve said it like 4,000 times, but it does feel like every community deserves to see themselves in that way,” Liu said. “I’m sure you can appreciate, too, when you’re growing up watching Hollywood movies like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and Star Wars.” 

“I’ve seen so many movies where the bad guys are literally speaking my language,” said Nanjiani, who is Pakistani-American. “It’s awesome to finally have people who look like me who aren’t bad guys.” 

The actors previously joked about a Shang-Chi/Kingo crossover on Twitter and bonded over their shared aspirations to play Marvel superheroes. 

Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Marvel’s Eternals are now streaming on Disney+.

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