The “Shang-Chi” actor recalled receiving a text that said Downey wanted to meet him and responding, “No! I’m in short shorts and flip flops!”

Simu Liu is still embarrassed by the outfit he wore when meeting *Avengers: Doomsday *costar Robert Downey Jr.

The "Shang-Chi" actor recalled receiving a text that said Downey wanted to meet him and responding, "No! I'm in short shorts and flip flops!"

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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December 16, 2025 2:39 p.m. ET

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Simu Liu; Robert Downey Jr. Credit:

Kristina Bumphrey/Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Simu Liu is still cringing over the outfit he wore when meeting his *Avengers: Doomsday* costar Robert Downey Jr. for the very first time. **

While visiting *The Tonight Show* on Monday, the *Shang-Chi* actor took a moment to clarify why he was sporting a pair of short shorts and flip flops in a photo of the cast posted in May. **

“Can we just talk about my wardrobe for a second? Because it looks like I’m really, really underdressed,” Liu said as host Jimmy Fallon held up the photograph. “And I just want to say, this was my first time meeting Downey, by the way. So I was as embarrassed as I am right now, showing it to you.”

Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Paul Rudd, Robert Downey Jr., Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby, Winston Duke, and Anthony Mackie.

Robert Downey, Jr/Instagram

The image (above) sees Liu and Downey posed alongside their *Doomsday* costars Chris Hemsworth (Thor Odinson), Channing Tatum (Gambit), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Winston Duke (M’Baku), and Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Captain America).  **

Liu explained on the late-night program that he had a very reasonable explanation for his casual ensemble.

“I just want to preface by saying I was the only one of these people that had to work that day,” the star said. “And so I showed up to work. I’m ready to shoot. I wasn’t trying to look pretty.”

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However, Liu likely wished that he had a back-up outfit when he got a text notifying him that Downey, who helmed the MCU as Tony Stark/Iron Man for over a decade, wanted to meet him. **

“I got a text in the middle of the day that was like, ‘Oh, Downey wants to say hi to you after work,’” Liu recalled. “And I was like, ‘No! I’m in short shorts and flip flops!’ And they’re like, ‘No, no. Downey wants everyone to come in and say hi.’” **

The look was, naturally, the first thing Downey noticed. “I show up and literally the first thing that he said was, he was like, ‘Oh, look at you! Well, that’s a choice,’” Liu said. “I was like, ‘God!’”

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The 36-year-old is set to reprise his role as Shang-Chi in *Doomsday*. The film also marks Downey’s return to the MCU — this time as the villainous Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. **

When asked what it felt like to get the call to join the Avengers, Liu bluntly responded, “It’s about f---ing time, man! Jesus, it’s about f---ing time!”

He went on to explain just how special it was to be part of the *Doomsday* cast having watched *Endgame* in theaters as a fan years earlier. **

“I was just watching that moment and the Mjolnir and I was cheering along with everybody else and I had no idea — I truly had no idea — that like less than three months later I would be part of it,” he said. “And so getting that call to be in this movie, I mean, it’s every dream come true that I’ve ever had.”**

In addition to the aforementioned stars, *Doomsday* widens out its superhero roster with performances by Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier), Letitia Wright (Shuri/Black Panther), Tenoch Huerta Mejia (Namor the Submariner), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), Kelsey Grammer (Hank McCoy/Beast), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier/Professor X), Ian McKellen (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), and more.

Longtime Marvel directors Joe and Anthony Russo are also set to return for *Doomsday* as well as its follow-up, *Avengers: Secret Wars*.**

*Doomsday* comes out Dec. 18, 2026, with *Secret Wars* following suit on Dec. 17, 2027. Watch Liu talk about meeting Downey in the clip above.

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