The Character: A boozy actor hired by the "real" Mandarin, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), to portray an image of The Mandarin for the media, essentially acting as a smoke-screen for Killian's villainous activities. Why He's Offensive: Because comic book fans and casual viewers alike went into Iron Man 3 with a certain expectation, that Ben Kingsley was going to be playing a bada** comic book villain, and half-way through the movie, the Mandarin twist is revealed, a smug bait-and-switch which doesn't really show much respect for the audience at all. Comic book fans were outraged that a character they loved had been turned into a joke (as even Pearce's portrayal was way off the mark), while more casual audiences were simply bemused that the film they had been sold wasn't the one they got. Sure, it's a step above Marvel's outrageously bland villains like Malekith and Ronan, but that Shane Black and Drew Pearce thought this was acceptable is pretty offensive, and the character itself even more so. Does He Ruin The Movie?: No, but he does bring it down massively. It's still a fun and entertaining comic book film, but a dark pall is cast over its reputation because of the awful treatment of an iconic baddie.
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.
