Marvel Secretly Acknowledged The Mandarin Twist Was Ridiculous

In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel wryly acknowledged that their Mandarin twist in Iron Man 3 was not only problematic but also absurd storytelling. The Mandarin character, created by Marvel in 1964, already had a controversial history before Iron Man 3. The identity was originally used by a man named Fu Manchu, and the characterization was criticized for adopting racial stereotypes. Iron Man 3 was conscious of avoiding such stereotyping, and its twist was intended to subvert it, but while well-meaning, it arguably backfired.

Iron Man 3‘s Mandarin was set up as a Machiavellian terrorist leader who could match Tony Stark in brains as well as brawn. It was revealed that this Mandarin was a character created by dopey British actor Trevor Slattery as backstory and that Aldrich Killian was the Mandarin manipulating events behind the scenes. Wenwu, however, revealed in Shang-Chi that he was the real Ten Rings leader and ridiculed the name Mandarin as his enemies naming him after a “chicken dish.” Trevor also called his performance of Wenwu “unflattering” in Shang-Chi. This came across as Marvel’s meta way of consciously retconning their previous attempts to translate the character to screen.

Why Iron Man’s Mandarin Twist Was So Problematic

Although Slattery actor Ben Kingsley is half-Indian, the decision for him to play a character of Chinese origin created an uncomfortable exoticism. It was made even more contentious by the twist that Slattery was not this powerful terrorist but a silly British actor presenting a front. The nature of the fake-out was not problematic in itself, although Kingsley’s slapstick scenes divided audiences. Iron Man 3‘s Mandarin, Killian, was also Caucasian, meaning neither Mandarin actor was of Chinese descent.

There was other criticism. Once Mandarin’s character was developed in the comics after the stereotype accusations, he became a compelling and nuanced villain, often lauded as one of the best and most interesting Asian-origin nemeses in the MCU, if not all comics. Marvel using the figure as a comedic device in Iron Man 3, while understandable as an attempt to subvert its racist history, also meant undermining its dramatic potential. That potential was finally realized with Leung’s enthralling depiction of Wenwu in Shang-Chi.

How Shang-Chi’s Mandarin Twist Changed The MCU

The best quality of Shang-Chi‘s twist was how elegantly done it was. Marvel retconned the Mandarin controversy but kept its explanation in-universe and didn’t undo what did work in Iron Man 3. This creative decision in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings bodes well for the MCU in the future, suggesting they can imaginatively retcon elements that hadn’t worked previously without it feeling jarring. They already continued this pattern with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The Abomination’s characterization had softened in the Disney+ series from The Incredible Hulk, while his physical appearance also more closely resembled the comics. The decision made sense for both the show’s tone and the character’s essence.