12 Biggest Retcons In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

12. The "Real" Mandarin's Out There (Somewhere)

You'll probably disagree, but Iron Man 3 is pretty great. It's a Shane Black movie through and through, with an irreverent tone, witty characters, sharp (and decidedly un-Marvel) comedy and some of the franchise's best action. And The Mandarin twist, where it's revealed Ben Kingsley's Bin Laden-esque master terrorist is actually a drunk cockney employed by Guy Pearce, is just f*cking brilliant (and stuff).

Fans were... let's say less enthused. Despite the fact a faithful version would be incredibly inappropriate, many objected even more vehemently to Iron Man's biggest nemesis being reduced to a punchline (and I do get it - it'd be like Darth Vader turning up in Rogue One for just a couple of fart gags).

Black has since said he just didn't expect people to be so upset (fair play - before 2008 nobody really gave a sh*t about Tony Stark, evidenced by how much that first film changed his character from the comics), but once the internet exploded Marvel were quick to course-correct. Using the then-popular One-Shot short film series, All Hail The King revealed that there was actually a real Mandarin out there, with Pearce and Kingsley accidentally copying his name and ethos.

Of course, nothing's really come of that since (in any form of media), but it leaves the door open and ensures fans will be a little less pissed off in the long run.