Simu Liu in Abu Dhabi at MEFCC: Why his Shang-Chi is a 24-year-old who does karaoke

Abu Dhabi: Months before Avengers: Doomsday brings him back as Shang-Chi, Simu Liu told fans in Abu Dhabi how the character was reworked for the big screen, away from a comic-book version he said could feel like a caricature of Bruce Lee.

Liu spoke on the Beyond the Multiverse panel at Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) 2026 on Friday, 11 September, alongside Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis. The session took place on the Main Stage at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi, on what was Liu's only day at the festival.

He also opened up about the anxious wait before Marvel called, his pick of the ten rings and a morning spent on the padel court.

A down-to-earth hero

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released in 2021, and Liu said director Destin Daniel Cretton set the direction on how closely it would follow the comics.

"I really let our director Destin kind of take the lead on how much of the source material he wanted to reflect in his filmmaking decisions," Liu said. "His vision for Shang-Chi was very different from many iterations that existed of him."

"He was maybe a much more kind of down-to-earth guy than the Shang-Chi in the comics, which almost sometimes felt like it was like a caricature of Bruce Lee or something like that."

Instead, Cretton wanted a character audiences would recognise from their own lives.

"He really wanted Shang-Chi to be a 24-year-old kid, like the way that any of us know people who are 24. [He] wanted him to have friends and go to karaoke and stay out late, just like everyone else does. So we kind of led with that."

Reading the comics as a fan

Years after filming, Liu has gone back to the source material on his own terms.

"I've actually been discovering more of his comics lately, which has been nice, kind of just viewing it as a fan."

That knowledge came in handy when the host asked which of the ten rings he would keep if he could only have one.

"Well, I know about the 10 rings of the comics because they're like rings on your fingers, and they each control a different element of something," he said. "I think there's one that freezes time."

The host compared them to the Infinity Stones, and Liu agreed. "There's a lot of similarities, but I imagine that's probably why they changed it. But yeah, some of those rings do some pretty cool things."

Avengers: Doomsday is due in cinemas in December.

'Every moment is such agony'

The biggest moment of Liu's career began with a text. His manager told him to make sure his phone was on, just two days after his final screen test.

"It was less sexy for me. I was in my underwear. I'd just woken up from a nap," he said.

"It was the wildest thing because I had screen tested for that role two days prior. So in that moment, right after you do your last audition, right before you get the call, every moment is such agony. Every time the phone buzzes, you're like, 'Oh, is it?'"

"Honestly, it's the worst experience ever because you're waiting for something that might not come, and so it's very anxiety-inducing."

When the call came, he was in tears.

"I knew that my life would be different forever. And look at this incredible ride that has taken me on."

Klementieff described a similar message from her own manager while she was in Los Angeles, followed by the call that she said changed her life. "It was incredible. I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Shang-Chi's plans for Mantis

Asked what would happen if Shang-Chi and Mantis met in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both stars agreed their characters would get along, joking that together they could take over the universe.

Liu had a location in mind. "San Francisco would be nice. I don't think Mantis has ever been to San Francisco."

"I think maybe Shang-Chi could show me around San Francisco," Klementieff said.

His reply came quickly. "I'll take you out. Maybe we'll go to a Giants game or something."

Sand, sun and padel

Liu's trip to the capital had already included a spot of sandboarding.

"I went sandboarding yesterday. It's a bit warmer here than I'm used to, but it's so beautiful, and everyone has been so friendly today. So I'm super happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me."

The host pointed out that it is not usually this hot at MEFCC. The 2026 edition was originally scheduled for April before moving to September.

Friday started on court.

"I started the day playing padel with my friends. It's a great sport. I highly recommend you try it if you haven't yet," he said. "But other than that, yeah, I've just been meeting you guys."

Klementieff, back at MEFCC two years after her first appearance in 2024, has visited the city several times. She played the assassin Paris in Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning and its 2025 follow-up, The Final Reckoning.

"I've been here several times already. We shot Mission: Impossible at the airport and came for the premiere to do some promotion, and I really love it. I went to the Louvre Museum. I went to teamLab. I'm excited to discover this butterfly museum, and I love the culture here. And yeah, you guys are awesome."

On feeling what Mantis feels

Mantis is an alien empath who can sense and change the emotions of others, and Klementieff was asked whether those powers would be a blessing or a curse in real life.

"I'm sure it can be overwhelming, but I feel like an empath sometimes too. I feel things really strongly, and most of the time it's hard to hide my emotions or to hide how I feel," she said. "You would feel too much, you know."

Liu agreed. "That sounds very exhausting."

More at MEFCC

Klementieff, who this year took her first French-language lead role in Guillaume Nicloux's thriller Mi Amor, returns to the Main Stage on Saturday, 12 September. She joins John Cena, Charithra Chandran and Joonas Suotamo for a group panel from 4pm to 4.45pm.

MEFCC 2026 runs until Sunday, 13 September, at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi. Day tickets cost Dh190 on Saturday and Dh160 on Sunday.