Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was officially unveiled at Comic-Con, but we’ve known it was coming for a while now. One major rumor surrounding the movie was that it will feature the MCU debut of the real Mandarin, something that proved to be true when Marvel announced Tony Leung would bring the villain to life opposite Simu Liu’s kung-fu hero. But, from what we’re hearing, the original version of the character may also show up in the film.
Marvel fans will know that “the Mandarin” previously appeared in Iron Man 3, with the terrorist played by Ben Kingsley. However, the character was ultimately revealed as a drunken British actor named Trevor Slattery, masquerading as a supervillain as cover for Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce)’s evil schemes.
Now, We Got This Covered has been informed that Slattery’s expected to make a comeback in Shang-Chi, with Kingsley once again in the role. That’s pretty much all we know at present, with it currently unclear how large of a part he may have.
It could just be a brief cameo or perhaps it’s something more. Either way, though, it only makes sense for him to be brought back as a way to remind viewers that the Mandarin has been referenced in the MCU before now. And to wrap up the ominous cliffhanger of Slattery’s fate.
The last time we saw the character was in 2014’s One-Shot “All Hail the King,” which ended with Slattery kidnapped from Seagate Prison by some of the real Mandarin’s goons disguised as a documentary crew. Apparently, the actual villain was not pleased that he’d been imitated. Maybe the Mandarin didn’t kill Slattery but locked him up in a cell somewhere, and that’s how he appears in Shang-Chi?
That’s just speculation for now, but expect more concrete news on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings to materialize as we move closer to its release date of February 12th, 2021.
