10 Movie Villains Who Were Far Less Formidable Than We Feared

1. Iron Man 3 €“ The Mandarin

Iron Man 3 Oh come on, you didn't think I'd leave this one out? If you read the Iron Man comics, you'll know the Mandarin is a pretty formidable villain. All politically incorrect undertones aside, he's an ultra-skilled martial artist who can punch through Iron Man's armour and has such an in-built mastery of chi that he doesn't have to eat or drink for a long, long time. On top of this, he possesses ten rings that allow him to wield the elements and supernatural energies to beat down his opponent. Overall then, he's a terrifying prospect. Yet this is what makes the twist somehow more awesome. For those of you who don't know the twist by now, go away and watch the film. Seriously, I'll wait. You owe it to yourself to have the rug pulled underneath your feet without prior knowledge, and I really don't want to ruin that here. Done that? Ok, then let's begin. As it turns out, the Mandarin is a burnt out actor whose turn as King Lear once made him the toast of Croydon. So really, this guy is the absolute Citizen Kane of harmless villains €“ instead of possessing ten supernatural rings or a mastery of martial arts, his superpowers appear to be staying in bed with hookers and watching the Champions League. I'd say I felt short-changed by this trade in, but the fact is, I loved it. It was a great way of taking one of Marvel's more out-there, ethnically tricky characters and making him memorable, even if it was at the cost of future appearances. Actually, if a sequel does happen, it might be cool to see what they might do with Terry Slattery. So that's what I think. What do you think? Feel free to comment!
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Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.