The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to new projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. There was a whole onslaught of bran new information coming out about upcoming Marvel movies over the last week, and the internet exploded when it was revealed that Ryan Gosling will be playing Ghost Rider in the MCU. After the news broke at Comic-Con 2026, Simu Liu and fans had an absolute a field day online. Of course, Barbie was involved in the shenanigans.
Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that Liu is the MCU's Shang-Chi, but he also starred opposite Gosling in Barbie as his rival Ken. And now that Gosling is joining the shared universe, Liu tweeted out an A+ response.
Doom don’t stand a chance in a beach off.
10/10, no notes. Marvel fans are gearing up for the upcoming release of Avengers: Doomsday, and are eager to see entire teams of heroes unite against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom. It's too bad that Ghost Rider won't be in that blockbuster, because Simu Liu seems to think that he'd be able to best the villain in a beach off. Once a Ken, always a Ken.
The Kim's Convenience actor's tweet is a reference to one of Barbie's funniest scenes, where the rival Kens are arguing and try to have a "beach off" to see who is the best at the very important "beach" career.
Separately, fans also put out solid memes combining Ghost Rider with Barbie, as you can see below:
Making Shang Chi and Ghost Rider memes from Barbie is why the internet was created. pic.twitter.com/KD67CSCPVwJuly 26, 2026
The above post edits footage from the "I'm Just Ken" musical number, adding elements of Simu Liu and Ryan Gosling's Marvel characters. We see Shang-Chi dancing with his magical rings, as well as Ghost Rider/Ken rocking a leather jacket and using his signature Hellfire Chain. Now I want to see these two heroes unite on the big screen with a musical number. Just me?
There's all sorts of hilarious Barbie/Marvel content online following Gosling's casting (which got the thumbs up from Eva Mendes). I'm still thinking about another great crossover meme; take a look.
“GHOST RIDER AND SHANG-CHI! WE NEED U TO DISTRACT DOOM!” #sdccghost rider and shang-chi: pic.twitter.com/2vYdp9s1esJuly 25, 2026
Honestly, who wouldn't be distracted by the Barbie musical number? "I'm Just Ken" made it all the way to the Academy Awards, so why not bring it to the MCU in the battle against Doom? Alas, Ryan Gosling likely won't enter the chat as Ghost Rider until after the threat of Doctor Doom is ended. Still, these memes are thoroughly delightful.
While Ghost Rider isn't expected to arrive in the MCU until 2028, the same can't be said for Shang-Chi. After years of waiting Liu will reprise his role in the next Avengers movie, being featured in the Doomsday trailer fighting Gambit.
Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on December 18th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And folks who want to re-watch Barbie can stream it with an HBO Max subscription.
