MCU and Shang-Chi star, Simu Liu, is calling for fans to cease their death threats to a small business following his surprise TV appearance. The MCU actor (who is still awaiting his return to the franchise) was a guest on CBC’s Dragon’s Den — the Canadian version of Shark Tank. During the show, Liu criticized an aspiring boba company for cultural appropriation. The clip went viral online, prompting overbearing fans to share their opinions directly with the company, which has included harrassment and even death threats.
After hearing of the death threats, Liu took to TikTok to address the controversy on the show, and the toxic reaction from select fans. “I think we hit on a really important discussion about cultural appropriation,” he began in the video. During the episode, Liu called out the two entrepreneurs for potential exploitative profiteering by remaking a product which is distinctly Asian in its origin and heritage. In his video, Liu continued standing by his comments during the show, saying:
“What it is, how is something exploitative rather kind of paying homage and paying respect, when is that line crossed, and in that conversation, by the way, I’ve experienced a massive wave of positivity and support from people from every community and I just think that’s really incredible, and I really appreciate that.”
‘It’s Never Okay To Make Threats. It’s Never Okay to Bully and Harass Online’
The 6-minute-long personal address then takes a darker route as Liu discussed the fans who took their support of his message way too far. The actor rounded out the video by addressing his initial intention when he called out the company on Dragon’s Den. Simu Liu said his concerns were raised to educate audiences, consumers, and businesses, not to directly attack the entrepreneurs who were pitching. He explained:
“On the flip side, I’ve been made aware that the business owners have received a lot of death threats and harassment and otherwise just kind of bullying and dogpiling, and I just want to say that, full stop, it’s never okay to make threats. It’s never okay to bully and harass online.”
“[I don’t] want the legacy of this segment to be pitchforks and people fearing for their safety. I think we’re starting to lose the plot of what, ultimately, the positive energy of what this is, which is let’s educate people, let’s make the world a better place, let’s make people aware that certain things aren’t okay from a cultural perspective.”
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Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu Has an Exciting Update on His Marvel Sequel
Finally, some good news about the sequel.
Simu Liu’s Shang-Chi has unfortunately become one of the most underutilized characters in the MCU. Fans were ecstatic when Kevin Feige announced the master martial artist would be getting his own movie, and were even more excited to witness it themselves, as the movie quickly became one of the best offerings in the MCU. However, Shang-Chi hasn’t been seen on the big screen since. While Simu Liu has been keeping the fan base updated, teasing the long-awaited sequel, a recent report dropped a devastating bombshell for the fan base.
In the now scrapped Avengers: Kang Dynasty, Shang Chi would have been one of the movie’s leading heroes. However, following the Jonathan Majors controversy, Kang Dynasty was officially scrapped and re-worked into Avengers: Doomsday — which will see Robert Downey Jr. make his MCU return. At present, it is unknown what the future holds for the Marvel character.
- Release Date
- September 3, 2021
- Runtime
- 2hr 12min