Speaking of The Mandarin, his portrayal in Iron Man 3 left a bad taste in many fans' mouths. Considered by most fans as Iron Man's archvillain, The Mandarin in the comics is an expert martial artist, scientific genius and would-be world conquer who wields ten power rings with various superhuman powers. In recent years his plans have put him in league with various terrorist organisations. After "The Ten Rings" terrorist organisation was referenced in the first Iron Man movie, fans eagerly awaited the archfoe's first appearance in film. Issues with The Mandarin's MCU portrayal in Iron Man 3 began from the casting. Some were unhappy with Oscar winner Ben Kingsley being cast as the Mandarin because he didn't fit the character's ethnic background. Promotional material made it seem that Kingsley would be playing a terrorist leader who threatens the world through the media and not through rings of power - more Osama bin Laden than comic book supervillain. However, what fans got was even further from the source material than they expected. Kingsley played a boozing British actor named Trevor Slattery who was only posing as the Mandarin. While it was a clever plot twist in Iron Man 3 that managed to surprise in an era when spoilers tend to ruin everything, many comics fans felt it was a bait-and-switch tactic. A follow-up Marvel One Shot short revealed that there is a real Mandarin out there but because there is no Iron Man 4 in the works it does not seem like we will ever actually see him.
Chris McKittrick is a published author of fiction and non-fiction and has spoken about film and comic books at conferences across the United States. In addition to his work at WhatCulture!, he is a regular contributor to CreativeScreenwriting.com, MovieBuzzers.com, and DailyActor.com, a website focused on acting in all media. For more information, visit his website at http://www.chrismckit.com.
