Simu Liu Was Previously Accused of Being Problematic Based on Old Reddit Threads

When Marvel released Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, fans were eager for a new silver-screen heartthrob in the MCU. Actor Simu Liu, who plays the titular character, instantly won fans over with his laid-back charm and endearing meme-ability. Following his success in the MCU, he will soon appear in the upcoming Barbie movie, which is set to release in theaters this summer.

However, his success following Shang-Chi hasn't been all glitz and glamour. On Sept. 16, 2021, people on Twitter decried Simu as problematic after a series of his alleged Reddit threads from 2015 resurfaced with controversial content.

Is Simu problematic? What was his Reddit controversy about? Here's everything we've previously learned about the situation.

While it's unclear how the rumors got started back in 2021, people went wild on Twitter when Simu's old Reddit handle, /u/nippedinthebud, was recovered. He allegedly had the handle from 2013–2015. When his threads were un-archived at the time, he was accused of posting multiple times in a racist incel subreddit. However, one fan points out, anyone who decided to fact-check could see that not all is as it seems on the internet.

User Lewis Parker on Twitter wrote at the time, "So, the Simu Liu Reddit debacle has really, really annoyed me because if you took 5 MINUTES TO FACT CHECK, you’d find out it’s all nonsense. And if you’re too lazy to do that, here, I’ll do it for you." They proceeded to systemically de-bunk the history of Simu's allegedly problematic Reddit comments, most of which were taken out of context.

The so-called incel subreddit Simu was accused of posting in wasn't an incel subreddit in 2016, according to Lewis. Simu commented in the subreddit because the television show he starred in, Kim's Convenience, had been mentioned in the thread at the time. Simu was also accused of moderating a subreddit hating on Black women, but when the user combed through the entirety of Simu's Reddit archive history, there were no such posts recovered.

What Lewis's Reddit deep-dive did find were numerous posts about how enthusiastic Simu was to be on Kim's Convenience, his love for basketball, and calling other people out for their racism. There were also accusations that he had empathized with pedophiles from another out-of-context comment, but the same user shut down these rumors by suggesting Simu made an ill-thought-out argument — he was not endorsing pedophilic actions.

When Twitter users were jumping on out-of-context Reddit posts by Simu, one user seemingly came out of the woodwork to accuse him of being a member of the "Men's Rights Asian" or MRA subculture. Voiceover actor Edward Hong publicly accused Simu of being the ringleader of this subculture, which includes harassing API women.

While Simu has never responded directly to the Reddit controversy in the years since, he has been open about owning up to any immaturity or irresponsible comments that he may have made in the past. In a 2019 Tweet, Simu wrote "If you dig back far enough, I'm sure you'll find a more immature version of me who gave in to anger and hate. It doesn't make me a hypocrite; it makes me a human being. Mentalities evolve. We shift and grow, and I want us all to grow the right way."

As of now, Simu has moved on to brighter pastures. He will soon star in the Barbie movie, which is due out in theaters on July 21.