Deadpool & Wolverine Star Pitches His Dream MCU Return & Recalls 2 Failed Marvel Auditions [Exclusive]

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Lewis Tan is quickly becoming a well-known action star in Hollywood. He’s proven he can handle fight scenes in shows like Into the Badlands, Mortal Kombat, Wu Assassins, and Cobra Kai. Interestingly, he’s played two different Marvel characters, appearing as Shatterstar in both Deadpool 2 and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. While his inclusion as Shatterstar was a fun surprise for comic book fans, the films didn’t fully develop the character or explore his history with the villain Mojo.

We recently spoke with actor Tran for Comic Book about his new movie, Safe House. We also asked him about his role in the Marvel films and what he hopes happens with his character in the future, since he’s still alive within the Deadpool & Wolverine universe.

According to Tan, the ideal path forward for Shatterstar would be similar to what Marvel did with Channing Tatum’s Gambit. They started with a brief appearance to gauge audience interest, and now plan to develop the character more fully and with a more serious tone. Tan mentioned Tatum himself said the new version of Gambit would be less focused on comedy, and he believes a similar approach could work well for Shatterstar.

I’ve made brief appearances in both Deadpool movies, but my character hasn’t been fully developed yet. I think exploring Mojoworld would be fantastic. It feels particularly relevant today, given our focus on AI, screens, and social media – Mojoworld is essentially that world taken to an extreme. It’s like a massive Mad Max universe, where people are obsessed with watching others fight to the death for entertainment. It’s a really current theme and could make for a compelling setting.

Lewis Tan also had a brief role in Marvel’s Iron Fist, playing Zhou Cheng, a skilled warrior working for The Hand. He had a memorable fight scene with Danny Rand, and despite only appearing in one episode, many fans felt he would have been a great choice to play Iron Fist himself. Tan later shared with us that he was seriously considered for the role.

He explained that in the film industry, you can never be sure of anything. The audition process can involve multiple callbacks and meetings with the director. He said a good sign is when they start asking about your availability, as that usually means you’re a top contender. He felt he was close to landing the role, though he wasn’t sure exactly how close. Ultimately, he believes things happen for a reason, and the timing just wasn’t right. He considers it a blessing in disguise, as the role he did get ended up being very successful. He knew there was a divided reaction from fans regarding his casting, with some supporting and others opposing it. For him, the bigger issue was the lack of Asian representation in superhero roles – this was before films like Shang-Chi and Crazy Rich Asians made it more common. He’s proud he spoke up about it, even if it wasn’t a popular opinion at the time, and still stands by his views.

Tan revealed he was a finalist for the role of Shang-Chi, explaining that it came down to him, Simu Liu, and potentially one other actor. Ultimately, Simu Liu landed the part, and Tan feels it’s a role that rightfully belongs to him. He hasn’t given much thought to being involved in a sequel, praising the first film’s quality and his familiarity with the action team, particularly Andy Cheng, whom he previously worked with on Into the Badlands. He’s happy to let Simu Liu continue to lead the franchise.

Safe House is out now.

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2025-11-04 23:20