The Mandarin’s Many Names Explained

After over a decade of buildup, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings finally featured the real Mandarin, also revealing that he’s gone by many names throughout his life. The Mandarin’s MCU debut has been teased since 2008’s Iron Man and was seemingly set to be the main villain of Iron Man 3, but a mid-film plot twist revealed that “The Mandarin” was simply a role played by Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), an actor on Aldrich Killian’s (Guy Pearce) payroll. The real Mandarin was fully explored in Shang-Chi, which revealed his origin, real name, and surprisingly human characterization for a criminal mastermind and warlord who’s lived for over a thousand years.

The true name of The Mandarin is Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung), and his career as a warlord began when he discovered ten mysterious rings in either a tomb or crater. The rings kept Wenwu in his physical and mental prime and gave him extraordinary powers, augmenting his already-lethal fighting skills and high intelligence. For over a thousand years, The Mandarin built a global criminal empire, named The Ten Rings to reference his weapons, that shaped history from the shadows. The Mandarin’s powers and longevity elevated him to more than just a leader to his subordinates. Some, like Jackson Norriss (Scoot McNairy) in Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King, referred to The Ten Rings as a “faith,” indicating that The Mandarin was akin to a deity to his followers.

Despite his legendary status, The Mandarin was in many ways just an ordinary human. Shang-Chi emphasizes both of these sides of The Mandarin throughout the film. Believing that there’s a way to resurrect his deceased wife, Ying Li (Fala Chen), The Mandarin (forcibly) brings his two children back home in the hopes of repairing his family, whom he loved enough to halt his criminal activities in favor of a (relatively) normal life, at least until his wife was murdered. When speaking to his children, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), for the first time in years, Wenwu reminisces on the many names he’s gone by throughout his life, including “the Warrior King,” “Master Khan,” and “the Most Dangerous Man on Earth,” in addition to his best-known moniker: The Mandarin. Most of these names come from his life as a warlord, but equally fitting are his real name and the simple title of “father.”

Wenwu’s title of “the Warrior King” is unsurprising, given his past as a warlord who, due to his Ten Rings, can defeat entire armies on his own. Wenwu’s skills as both a fighter and a leader are part of why his followers are so loyal to him. His intelligence, fighting skills, and supernatural powers are fitting reasons for him to be deemed “the Most Dangerous Man on Earth,” as well. “Master Khan” is a reference to Marvel’s Iron Man comics. Master Khan was a classic Marvel villain whose title was once used by The Mandarin.

Wenwu’s most famous title, The Mandarin, was easily his most disliked moniker. The title of “mandarin” refers to an advisor to the king, but Wenwu dismisses it as a “chicken dish” and mocks the fact that the United States was “afraid of an orange.” Wenwu’s dialogue in Shang-Chi implies that The Mandarin title was first used by Aldrich Killian, but Jackson Norriss’ dialogue in All Hail the King suggests that it’s yet another ancient title (albeit one that Wenwu dislikes).

Despite his long life and mythic career, The Mandarin would be best described by his real name, Xu Wenwu. Like most of Marvel’s characters, The Mandarin is ultimately an ordinary person who becomes entangled with the extraordinary, and he was characterized as such in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Wenwu was given many names throughout his life, most describing his battle prowess and leadership over perhaps the MCU’s most dangerous Earth-based organization, but to Shang-Chi and Xialing, he was simply “Dad.”