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From martial arts cultists to ancient evil deities to a multiversal zombie plague, the titular character of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings knows how to deal with a lot. But when it comes to problems that are slightly more... well, real world, its his real world avatar that you can call on for assistance. At least, this is what we gathered at New York Comic Con 2025, when Shang-Chi star Simu Liu offered some very touching advice for dealing with heartbreak.

The conversation came up during the convention's Shang-Chi panel, attended by Liu, his costar and onscreen sibling Meng'er Zhang, and hosted by Popverse's own Grant DeArmitt (who you may know as the guy typing this). During the fan Q&A portion of the panel, one Shang-Chi devotee stepped forward to ask a question that isn't typical for MCU actors to get - how do you deal with heartbreak?

"I don't know man, that's tough," began Liu, "I don't know that I'm the best person to answer a question about romance."

Liu followed his admission with an answer that proves, in fact, he is.

"I've been heartbroken," continued The Copenhagen Test star, "A lot of us have. Here's what I will say. I think people will do all sorts of things, oftentimes to their own detriment, in order to avoid feeling things. [But] eeling heartbreak is just as human as feeling the peak of success. All of it is a valid part of the spectrum of human emotion, and all of it serves to inform what it means to be human."

Goddamn, Simu. We knew you hand hands, but heart, too?

"So as painful and as terrible as that feeling of heartbreak is," continued the Kim's Convenience star, "And trust me, I know; I've been there - I think at the very least, sitting with yourself and allowing yourself to feel that way, and maybe feeling vulnerable enough to speak to... whether it's the people that make us feel safe, or friends, our support system, or you might need to speak to a professional, that's okay too. Just allow yourself to sit in it and feel it, because even that is beautiful in a way. We don't know what it feels like to be happy unless we know what it feels like to be broken."

But Liu didn't stop there. Allowing yourself that feeling of defeat and the perseverance through it isn't just important in love, he says, but in accomplishing what you want out of life.

"I've definitely had my fair share of [professional heartbreak] as well," Liu concluded. "I felt this, too, in the period of my career before I got Shang-Chi. I was very frustrated in that time. You just can't give up hope. I keep telling myself: Success doesn't look like a straight line. It didn't look like a straight line for me; it won't look like one for many of you. That's okay, because failure, like heartbreak, is an important part of the process. Just because you fail doesn't mean you are a failure. It just means you are one step closer on the road to success. That's what I truly believe. I hope that helps."

We're pretty sure it does, Avengers: Doomsday star Simu Liu. We're pretty sure it does.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is streaming on Disney+ now. Simu Liu will return as Marvel's Martial Arts Maven in Avengers: Doomsday December 18, 2026. 

Consider this a meta post-credits scene for Marvel fans - the four key articles you need to read next to continue the thrills:

• How to watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe in release or chronological order
• The best Marvel Comics stories of all time
• All the MCU movies ranked from best to worst
• Our weekly Marvel insider's column, Marvel Matters