MCU Phase 4: 10 Dead Characters Who Could Return

The Mandarin is only kind of coming back from the dead, in that the Aldrich Killian/Trevor Slattery version of the character is likely gone for good, but the identity lives on.

A few fans didn’t like the comedic way one of Tony Stark’s most fearsome foes was depicted on screen, but there’s no denying the twist caught most of us out. This twist was taken further by Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King which claimed the real Mandarin was still out there.

In a deleted scene, Ant-Man added to the mythos by having one of the Ten Rings (the Mandarin’s terrorist group) buying Yellowjacket’s technology. The scene was cut for time, but the fact remains Marvel are thinking about him still.

Kevin Feige recently hosted a Reddit Ask Me Anything, and while it was vague even by AMA standards, he did confirm the Mandarin was still on the table.

With Tony gone, introducing him has become harder, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Trevor Slattery’s version of the character was frequently on TV, while Aldrich kidnapped the President, got help from inside The White House and was eventually killed by Pepper Potts. The story would certainly have made big news.