Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Used to Be Spider-Man At Children's Birthday Parties

[Animous]

Once upon a time, Simu Liu used to dress up as Spider-Man at children's birthday parties for a living. Now, he's set to be the first Asian Marvel superhero in a solo film with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Chinese-born Canadian actor was on his way to becoming an accountant when he decided to pursue a career in Hollywood. Liu's earliest credits were small roles in TV series such as Nikita, Beauty and the Beast, and Taken. Liu's rise to stardom started when he nabbed the lead role in the award-winning CBC sitcom, Kim's Convenience.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be Liu's biggest role to date. He plays the titular superhero based on the Marvel comic books. In the film, Shang-Chi is forced to confront his dark past as he's drawn into the criminal group led by his father, The Mandarin. Liu stars alongside a predominantly Asian cast, which includes veteran actors Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh. Shang-Chi will hit theaters on Sept. 3.

RELATED: Shang-Chi's China Backlash Explained: Why Marvel Can't Release The Movie (Yet)

While Shang-Chi will officially launch Liu into the MCU, the actor's Marvel connection actually goes way back. During his recent guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 32-year-old actor shared a funny story of how he used to dress up as Spider-Man at children's birthday parties. Liu recounted that when he was just starting out as an actor, he held several part-time jobs to sustain himself. For one whole summer, he was an entertainer for kid events which he jokingly said was "terrible." 

"I was a dress-up Spider-Man for kids' birthday parties. I did that for one summer. I roll up to these six-year-old parties and I would basically get assaulted by them for one hour. Nobody ever believed that I was the real Spider-Man! I worked for a company that was a little stingy, and I feel like if you had gotten a movie-quality suit and you showed up, some kids may actually [be convinced]. But I had a less Marvel, more Walmart [suit]. You know like the 1960s Spider-Man meme when they were pointing at each other? And so I showed up like that, and none of the kids knew what that Spider-Man even was. It was terrible."

Liu can add his Spider-Man story to his anecdotes on how he landed the role of Shang-Chi. In 2014, he hilariously called out Marvel on Twitter for the successes of Captain America and Thor while asking for an Asian superhero. When the prospect of Shang-Chi was first announced in 2018, the Kim's Convenience star once again tweeted the studio to ask for the part. Years later, Liu is set to make history as the first Asian actor to lead a Marvel movie.

Such incidents of foreshadowing, as funny as they seem, could only mean that Liu was meant to play Shang-Chi from the start. While it's too early to tell how Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will fare at the box office, Marvel fans have given Liu a cheery welcome during the movie's premiere early this week. His early Spider-Man days couldn't have been the best job experience but they must have provided him with training in portraying a superhero. It's a role he's expected to play for a long time as the MCU's Phase 4 fully rolls out.

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