8. The Big Mandarin Surprise
In todays internet savvy age, it is very difficult to surprise fans in a big way. Spoilers are hunted, found, and then spread all across fan sites and message boards. Many fans already knew Thanos was in
The Avengers and many more knew Miranda Tate was Talia in
The Dark Knight Rises, but very few, if anyone outside the production of the film, knew Ben Kingsley was not the real Mandarin. The closest example to this level of a surprise was Liam Neesons Ducard turning out to be the real Ras al Ghul in
Batman Begins, but this might actually be bigger. Ras al Ghul did not appear much in the promotional materials for
Batman Begins, but Kingsleys Mandarin has been a regular presence in trailers, television spots, and posters. His turn is a shocker on a much more mainstream level. With so many films in and outside of the superhero genre playing it safe,
Iron Man 3 dares to do something bold and deliver the unexpected. It is quite refreshing to all of the sudden not know what to expect in the middle of the film rather than just letting the typical good guy versus bad guy story play itself out. Shane Black took a risk and the film is enduring a sizeable backlash from some fans, but in the long run, it will be worth it.