Who Is Simu Liu? Meet Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ Star

Marvel Studios introduced the world at large to Simu Liu at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing the Chinese-Canadian actor as the lead in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” As one of the first Asian superheroes on the big screen, Liu’s star is set to rise at a rapid pace, but though he may be unknown to some, he didn’t come out of nowhere.

Liu’s most prominent role to date has been on “Kim’s Convenience,” a Canadian sitcom about a Korean-Canadian family running a store in Toronto. On the show, Liu plays Jung Kim, the family’s 24-year-old who is overcoming a rough past of teenage rebellion and a stint in juvenile hall. The series has run for three seasons on CBC Television in Canada and on Netflix in the U.S. and has been renewed for a fourth. It is unclear how Liu’s big new Marvel gig will affect his role.

Other than that, Liu has had a number of minor roles on series like “Orphan Black,” “Taken,” “Slasher,” “The Expanse” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” Aside from “Shang-Chi,” Liu only other upcoming role is in “Women Is Losers,” a smaller comedy directed by Lissette Feliciano.

Liu was born in Harbin, China, in 1989 and immigrated to Mississauga, Ontario, with his family at age 5. He began pursuing acting after a year of working in accounting. Liu has extensive training in stunt work and martial arts, which should come in handy in his role as the “Master of Kung Fu.”

Marvel Studios will release “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” on Feb. 12, 2021. Alongside Liu, the film will star Tony Leung as the villainous Mandarin and Awkwafina in an undisclosed role.