Nina Henderson
Star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dallas Liu, reveals that his portrayal of Prince Zuko in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender has sparked his interest in playing the fiery X-Men character, Pyro, in a potential MCU reboot, over the frosty Iceman.
“Iceman was initially my choice, mainly because he seemed to be overlooked. But now, I’m all in for Pyro. He’s just so wickedly cool,” Liu shared in a chat with Nerdist. “Visualizing fire in a fight scene is much easier than ice. The dynamics of its shape and speed are unpredictable. So yes, I’m all for Team Fire. Plus, the color red has a certain appeal.”
In 2021’s Shang-Chi, Liu played the minor role of Ruihua, Katy Chen’s (Awkwafina) brother. Upon the film’s release, Liu expressed his wish to be recast as Iceman in a Marvel Studios-produced X-Men reboot. However, his Avatar character’s fire-bending abilities have now swayed him towards Pyro. But, he’ll have to wait his turn as Aaron Stanford, the original Pyro from Fox’s X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, is set to reprise his role in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.
The X-Men’s Rising Influence in the MCU
Since Disney acquired the X-Men movie license in 2019, Marvel has been gradually integrating the mutants into the MCU. From Evan Peters‘ imposter Quicksilver in 2021’s WandaVision to Monica Rambeau’s awakening at the Xavier School in the mid-credits scene of 2023’s The Marvels, the Fox-era X-Men movies are increasingly making their mark in the Multiverse Saga. With Deadpool & Wolverine’s multiverse plot bringing back Hugh Jackman as Logan and Stanford’s Pyro, rumors are swirling about cameo appearances from other Fox-era X-Men actors, including Dafne Keen as X-23 and Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth.
Mark your calendars! Deadpool & Wolverine is set to hit the screens on July 26.
