By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
Simu Liu kicked off his hosting gig on SNL with outstretched arms while twirling around like helicopter propellers to cheers over his introduction.
He recounted how he tweeted Marvel in 2014 asking “how about an Asian superhero?”
“Thanks for getting back to me,” Marvel’s Shang-Chi said on stage to laughter.
He also recalled taking a gig early in his career to play Spiderman at a kid’s birthday party. The birthday boy named Trevor kept kicking him in the shins saying “You’re not Spider-Man! You’re not Spider-Man!’”
Years later, Liu can get the last laugh.
“I don’t know where he is now but Trevor, if you’re watching, I just want to say, you were right. I’m not Spider-Man. I’m Shang-Chi, b*tch!”
The highlight of the evening for Liu may have been his faceoff with SNL regular Bowen Yang.
The two tried to outdo each other with Asian firsts.
For Liu, it was being the first Asian Marvel superhero. For Yang, it was being the first Chinese American Saturday Night cast member.
It went on from there.
The capper on the night may have been Saweetie. As many on social media pointed out, the musical guest is Filipina. Her mother is Trinidad Valentin who is Filipina Chinese. Her father is Johnny Harper, an African American.
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