In the recent Iron Man 3 film, the Mandarin was reduced to a pretty funny bait-and-switch joke: in the comics, he remains a genuine threat. Or at least his magical rings do, especially when they fall into the wrong hands. That's what happened to Victor Kohl, a perpetual disappointment who became even more angsty when it turned out everyone else in his family were descended from space heroes the Inhumans. Whilst steaming drunk, the Mandarin's Nightbringer ring picks Victor as its new owner, giving Kohl the power to go get revenge on his family, who have gone up to play amongst the stars with the Inhumans. Iron Man turned up and managed to fight Victor - who started calling himself The Exile - to a standstill, with the young villain retreating to safety. Except, it turned out, Iron Man wasn't quite quick enough off the mark, and the ensuing devastation from The Exile's rampage caused multiple deaths, including Victor's dad: something he hasn't been able to forgive Tony Stark for since, and something Tony hasn't been able to forgive himself for either.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
