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Simu Liu wins People's Choice Award for action movie star of the year

Liu took home the award Tuesday night for his role in 'Shang-Chi,' the first Marvel film to feature a predominantly Asian cast and an Asian superhero at the helm. 
Image: Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."
Simu Liu as Shang-Chi in "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings."Jasin Boland / Marvel Studios

Simu Liu took home the award for best action movie star of the year at the People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday night for his role as the title character in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

“Shang-Chi” also won in the action movie of the year category. 

Twitter erupted with praise for Marvel’s newest star — and excitement about the fact that he was seated next to “Loki” star Tom Hiddleston, who also took home an award for male TV star of the year. 

When Liu hosted Saturday Night Live last month, the 32-year-old Asian Canadian actor reflected on the years of work it took to get there. After working odd jobs and taking small roles through his 20s, he landed the popular CBC show “Kim’s Convenience.” 

“Ten years ago, I actually had a job dressing up as Spiderman for kids’ birthday parties, which meant parents would pay me to entertain their kids while they were day drinking,” he joked.

Earlier this week, news broke that a sequel to “Shang-Chi” is officially in the works, and Liu hit back at critics who said the movie “flopped.” 

“Yes. Oh yes. Oh. Oh yes,” Kumail Nanjiani, who recently starred in “The Eternals” as Marvel Universe’s first South Asian superhero, tweeted in response.

“Shang-Chi,” which premiered in early September, is the highest-grossing film at the domestic box office of the year, raking in $224.5 million. It was also the first Marvel film to feature a predominantly Asian cast and an Asian superhero at the helm. 

“From the moment that Marvel Studios decided that there needed to be a voice for Asian characters and a lead Asian character" in the space of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "they have all kind of considered what the best way was ... to incorporate a story that both celebrates Asianness and all of its wonderful dimensions, and its facets and its nuances, and also celebrates martial arts,” Liu told NBC Asian America in June