10 MCU Concept Art Designs Better Than What We Got
2. Battle-Ready Mandarin
One of the most divisive aspects of the MCU is its handling of classic Iron Man villain The Mandarin. Whether you can stomach the joke Sir Ben Kingsley knowingly turned him into depends how much of a purist you are when it comes to Marvel lore.
In Iron Man 3, Kingsley's take on The Mandrin turned out to be a ruse. He was actually a washed-up actor Cockney actor named Trevor Slattery, hired by the movie's real villain Aldrich Killian to act as a decoy.
The movie's promo campaign didn't give the game away, depicting Kingsley in full Mandarin getup, and there's a piece of unused concept art featuring his character that would have heightened this illusion.
The design places the faux villain up front and centre with an imposing battle suit behind, conjuring images of him donning the armour and taking the fight to Iron Man.
Looking at the image, you have to wonder whether there was an earlier version of Iron Man 3's screenplay where Kingsley's Mandarin was actually The Mandarin.