Five years ago, Simu Liu stepped into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, spun the Ten Rings, faced down the Dweller-in-Darkness, and somehow found time to steal everyone’s hearts too. As Shang-Chi, the master of martial arts brought swagger, warmth, and spectacular kicks to the screen, making history as Marvel’s first Asian lead while turning Ta Lo into an unforgettable corner of the MCU.

With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings now turning five, one naturally wonders where the years went, and it seems Liu has been thinking along the same tangent. Apparently, time has been moving faster than a Ten Rings-powered punch.

At 2:25 AM on X, Simu Liu apparently discovered that the calendar had committed the unforgivable crime of moving forward without permission. Five years after Shang-Chi first spun the Ten Rings, Liu could only marvel at the passage of time, while fans happily joined the existential crisis. For once, even a superhero had been defeated by something truly unstoppable: an anniversary.

When Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrived in September 2021, the MCU was badly in need of a little magic. After Avengers: Infinity War and the theatrical uncertainty of the pandemic, the film felt like an invigorating revival, arriving with martial arts, family drama, Ta Lo, and a dragon large enough to make ordinary superhero problems look embarrassingly small.

Then there was Simu Liu, who did not simply enter the MCU and wait politely for audiences to adore him. He fought assassins on a San Francisco bus, climbed scaffolding like gravity had personally offended him, faced his father, mastered the Ten Rings, and somehow made all that emotional baggage look charming. Five years later, Liu may be surprised by the calendar, but the impact of Shang-Chi remains rather difficult to miss.

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While Simu Liu may have joked that he needs fans’ help to make it into the star-studded Avengers: Doomsday, Shang-Chi’s upcoming appearances suggest he might have plenty of reasons to stick around anyway.

Shang-Chi is finally dusting off the Ten Rings, and apparently he has been busy while we were waiting. When Simu Liu returns in Avengers: Doomsday, the martial-arts master will be more confident, more inventive with his powers, and dressed in an entirely new tactical suit. Liu has already gone through fittings, so the wardrobe department has clearly been practicing its own kind of sorcery.

And that is only the beginning of Shang-Chi’s comeback tour. Beyond Avengers: Doomsday, director Destin Daniel Cretton and Marvel Studios have confirmed that Shang-Chi 2 remains in development, promising another solo adventure for the hero after his ensemble outing. So, five years after Shang-Chi first entered the MCU, Simu Liu may have good reason to believe the Ten Rings are still just getting started.

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Will you be rewatching Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in honor of its fifth anniversary? Let us know in the comments!