10 Genius Misdirects In MCU Movie Trailers

9. The Mandarin Fake-Out - Iron Man 3

ScarJo trailer
Marvel Studios

Love it or hate it, the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) twist in Iron Man 3 is one of the most ingenious marketing sleights of hand the MCU has ever pulled off.

The movie's trailers simply presented the Mandarin as a straight-up antagonist - a shadowy, ominous villain causing hell for Tony Stark as played with deliciously sinister aplomb by the great Ben Kingsley.

But mid-way through the film itself, this is revealed to be a total fake-out. Kingsley isn't in fact playing the Mandarin but Trevor Slattery, an actor paid by the "real" Mandarin, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), to portray a larger-than-life smoke-screen version of the supervillain.

It was a completely shocking reveal that took basically everybody by surprise, even if it also understandably annoyed those fans hoping to finally see the Mandarin done full justice on the big screen.

This wasn't the last time we saw either the Mandarin or Slattery in an MCU movie, though, as the 100% legit Mandarin, going by the name Wenwu (Tony Leung), had a major antagonist role in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and a reformed Slattery also returned for an hilarious extended cameo.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.