This time last year, Simu Liu was more or less an unknown actor whose biggest credit was starring in Canadian sitcom Kim’s Convenience, but his profile has skyrocketed in recent months after it was revealed over the summer that he would be playing the title character in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And with the actor proving to be a huge hit with fans on social media so far and the pic now gearing up to get off the ground, excitement is starting to build for the Phase 4 movie.
Yes, suffice it to say, a lot of fans are pretty hyped for Shang-Chi and while it’s set to be a bit different from your typical MCU outing in many ways, there will still be a number of familiar elements and ties back to previous entries in the franchise. Including, it seems, a certain Phase 3 villain who’s said to be returning for the film.
According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who said the real Mandarin would be in Shang-Chi as the main antagonist and that Marvel is eyeing Daniel Radcliffe for Moon Knight, both of which we now know to be true – none other than Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Baron Mordo will have a small role. The former ally of Stephen Strange (remember, by the end of Doctor Strange he had become a full-out villain) will apparently show up as one of the people participating in some sort of underground fight tournament, which our the titular hero will also be involved in and at one stage during the competition, they’ll come across one another.
Beyond that, it’s unclear what happens or how things play out, but again, we’re told it’s just a small role and could be some sort of tease or set-up for something further down the line. In any case, it’ll be nice to see a familiar face showing up here, especially as Ejiofor’s portrayal of Mordo went down pretty well with fans. And we’ll get to find out exactly how he factors into things when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the third movie of Phase 4, fights its way into cinemas on February 12th, 2021.
