Did you really think that we’d heard the last of the Mandarin, Ben Kingsley’s not-so-villainous villain from Iron Man 3? Well, if you did, you were wrong. Kind of.
While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see Kingsley’s character again, who was simply an actor playing a part and not actually the true Mandarin, it seems that Marvel Studios still has plans to bring the real deal to the MCU. But first, let’s rewind a bit.
For those that don’t recall, the Mandarin was the supposed villain of Iron Man 3, right up until he was revealed to be nothing more than a down and out actor named Trevor Slattery. You see, Slattery was hired to play the part of a dangerous terrorist by the real baddie Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). And though Kingsley’s entertaining turn was one of the film’s highlights, the twist itself was pretty controversial with the fans, and understandably so.
So, it’s nice to hear that Marvel plans to bring us the real Mandarin at some point. Studio president Kevin Feige confirmed as much during a Reddit AMA this week, when someone asked him if they ever planned to follow up on the tease in the All Hail the King short, which first clued us in that the real Mandarin is indeed out there. In fact, the user asked if there were any further plans for the Mandarin or The Ten Rings, and with Feige simply replying “yes,” it’s a bit unclear if he was referring to both or just one.
Regardless, it’s exciting to hear nonetheless but as for where and when the character could appear, well, that’s tough to say. With Tony Stark now gone, Iron Man 4 obviously isn’t happening, and though it’s a shame the two of them won’t be able to face-off, there are still a number of other projects that the Mandarin would be a good fit for.
Some fans have suggested Shang-Chi, but wherever it is in the MCU that he turns up, we’re just glad to learn that Kevin Feige and co. still have plans for the popular villain.