Simu Liu Jumps to 'Heated Rivalry' Star Hudson Williams' Defense Amid Photo Controversy

After an old high school picture of Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams resurfaced, the actor has been receiving some heat.

The picture shows Williams covered in markings, including what appears to be a swastika on his forehead. In an interview with TMZ, a source close to the actor said that Williams was unaware of what was being drawn on him.

While some called it "dumb things" done by underage kids, others have expressed serious concern over the photo. A source said that Williams deeply regrets the hurt he may have caused.

Now, a recent post on Instagram Threads finds Marvel actor Simu Liu seemingly defending Hudson Williams amidst the controversy.

"Soo I have this very specific trauma attached to people on the internet fabricating things about me and twisting things into a massive hate campaign when I first broke out," Liu said on Threads. "I began to recognize patterns whenever people of colour specifically had a moment of visibility. It happened like clockwork and I see it happening now. The internet is insane. Bad actors are everywhere. If you're here, be careful. Be smart."

Many replied to Liu's Threads post with support for the actor.

"We adore you and we adore Hudson," one fan commented.

Liu responded, saying, "I thoroughly appreciate it."

"Simu thank you so much for being such a positive voice and light for Hudson," another user said. "Your words mean more to this community than you know. I will, as well as so many others on this app, continue to use my voice to get the right message across and speak love above the hate. Thank you, you're amazing."

Liu was under fire in 2022 for a tweet that some called insensitive after Batgirl's cancellation. Later that year, Liu said that work accolades aside, he was going through one of "the toughest stints" of his life.

"This kind of life is maybe the most perilous in this day and age where anyone can write anything about you, true or not, and still have it reach thousands of ears on the internet," Liu said at the time. He went on to say that he has read tabloids about himself that "have been twisted horribly or are just flat out false."

Read Liu's full Threads post here.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 11:06 AM.