Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu will not be signing any copies of the Masters of Kung Fu comics or any other offensive works at fan conventions.
A stipulation was added to his upcoming appearance at Awesome Con that he will not sign Master of Kung Fu comics or "other comics deemed offensive". The character of Shang-Chi was introduced in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973. When the character was brought back for the two following issues, the title of Special Marvel Edition was changed to The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu. Despite being the original comic book run for Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu title has many outdated and offensive cultural stereotypes.
Liu has proven himself as a champion of Asian rights and culture in the past. Speaking at an awards ceremony while receiving the Breakout in Film honor, the actor referred to himself as "unapologetically Asian." "There are so many people here tonight fighting the good fight," Liu said in his speech, "Showing me what it means to be unapologetically Asian... The more I think about it, the more it feels like a super power."
Shang-Chi co-star Awkwafina has been battling accusations that she is culturally insensitive herself. In February, the actor addressed complaints on Twitter about her use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) before leaving the platform. Many were dissatisfied with her comments on the issue, with some pointing out that her statements offered an explanation but no apology. Awkwafina had originally tweeted, "As a non-black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards towards the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group," before stressing that she never intended to mock anyone.
Iron Man 3 managed to sidestep any accusations of cultural insensitivity with its depiction of The Mandarin, which wound up being a fakeout and turned the villain into nothing more than a British actor, Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley). Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced the real Mandarin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though his backstory and character were changed significantly from his comic book counterpart. Shang-Chi also brought back Kingsley for the role of Slatterly, following up on his apparent disappearance in the MCU one-shot, All Hail the King.
Simu Liu will be in attendance at Awesome Con on June 4, 2022, alongside Shang-Chi actors Meng’er Zhang and Florian Munteanu. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now streaming on Disney+.
Source: Awesome Con