Man, the Mandarin could have been amongst Marvel's top villains.

Arta · Jul 11, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Played straight, what exactly would he have brought to the table? Another terrorist for the hero to punch in the face?

Killmonger wasn't a villain for the hero to punch, he raised actual points that T'Challa couldn't ignore. They could have done something similar with the Manderin. Have him create scenarios that would slowly turn Iron Man from being the gallavanting superhero that beats up generic bad guys like the Russian in IM2, to a more sophisticated hero.

But that's an example from Black Panther. Me personally, it would have been cool to see Iron use his money in tandem with his weaponry to find Mandarin as well as help the region he's taking over, some of whom might not even like Americans due to past experiences. Like Batman actually using his fucking money besides billion dollar suits. And that would be a sharp contrast to what Gillain does with his financial backing.

The sky's the limit for what they could have done. Some of you are quick to claim fans wanted Mack Bolan the Executioner in a flying suit without thinking the possible story through.

Slayven · Jul 11, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Played straight, what exactly would he have brought to the table? Another terrorist for the hero to punch in the face?

You could do a lot with a eastern capitalist using alien tech to take over the world

HStallion · Jul 11, 2018

B-Dubs said:
The Mandarin is a racist caricature of a character and the movie is better for the subversion. Trevor was an amazing twist, my jaw literally dropped and I started laughing so hard when he started talking.

Einchy said:
Trevor is the best.

Off topic I didn't realize people could have the same exact post number in a thread.

Einchy · Jul 11, 2018

HStallion said:
Off topic I didn't realize people could have the same exact post number in a thread.

Deleted member 13496 · Jul 11, 2018

gutter_trash said:
I hate Nice Guys, and i hate IM3

IM3 was garbage but Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang were excellent films.

You crazy.

Akira86 · Jul 11, 2018

Isn't he a Chinese nationalist too?

MisterHero · Jul 11, 2018

Slayven said:
*Kicks over a magazine rack.*

The rings are not magic, they are parts of a FTL engine used by Fin Fang Foom's race.

Baahhh I fucked up!!

Anyways Iron Man should have fought a dragon and not a guy with a dragon tattoo

HStallion · Jul 11, 2018

I'd pay money to hear some hero in the MCU during a very serious dramatic scene as ominous music plays with an incredibly serious, even worried look on their faces utters,"Fing... Fang... Foom!"

Zubalon · Jul 11, 2018

Iron man 3 is one of , if not the shittest MCU movie god I hated it !!

Arta · Jul 11, 2018

HStallion said:
I'd pay money to hear some hero in the MCU during a very serious dramatic scene as ominous music places with an incredibly serious, even worried look on their faces utters,"Fing... Fang... Foom!"

With this in the background:

RedValkyrie · Jul 11, 2018

Marvel made him like a bin Laden type of villain which would have played great in the MCU.

Riskbreaker · Jul 11, 2018

Iron Man 3 was trash and M'Baku shows they could have updated the Mandarin if they did the crazy idea of hiring Asian writers to do so.

I can't be the only one that is tired of Iron Man fighting dark mirrors.

Why the fuck was Killian even mad at him? He disrespected him in front of no one at a party?

lupinko · Jul 11, 2018

They should've just cast Andy Lau to play Mandarin (yes I know his cameo was for something else but whatever), or if they wanted to go cheaper, then Shang Tsung himself, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

B-Dubs said:
The Mandarin is a racist caricature of a character and the movie is better for the subversion. Trevor was an amazing twist, my jaw literally dropped and I started laughing so hard when he started talking.

Not really, even if you still hold these views the character could be easily updated. The comics don't have him as that stereotype since well forever.

It's not hard to make a Chinese terrorist mastermind with super powered Alien technology rings. Like that's super easy to write. They could also make it that he wants to topple the PRC or some shit to appease China's censors too.

Zubz · Jul 11, 2018

People are still complaining about them having a clever take on The Mandarin instead of playing him straight?

Arta · Jul 11, 2018

Riskbreaker said:
Iron Man 3 was trash and M'Baku shows they could have updated the Mandarin if they did the crazy idea of hiring Asian writers to do so.

Truth.

Zubz said:
People are still complaining about them having a clever take on The Mandarin instead of playing him straight?

The complaint is more that the potentially great character was cut down and tossed out for other ideas instead of the writers doing the work of making him nuanced or relevant.

Akira86 said:
wow. after all these years you actually put into perfect terms why I hated this twist, and there fore hated all of IM3.

Yup. Guess even in this screwup, Marvel was ahead of their time.

LifeLine · Jul 11, 2018

Mandarin before the fake out was a more memorable villian than generic dude in a suit.

DoctorBat · Jul 11, 2018

The more I think about it the more I think Iron Man 3 was a test case for the kind of toxic fan entitlement we've seen with these movies more recently.

That twist is one of my favourite choices Marvel has ever made and really speaks to how well they understand the character, in my opinion.

That nuanced and relevant version of the Mandarin? He's in the movie.

Deleted member 22630 · Jul 11, 2018

Where is my Magic Xeno Power Suit damnit!

Seesaw15 · Jul 11, 2018

Lol. I liked that the Mandarin was the Eyeshield 21 of the MCU.

This take on the character was great. I'm sure in phase 6 Riri will fight a dragon for the anti IM3 folks.

Adam Sadler · Jul 11, 2018

The mandarin probably will show up in a Doctor Strange movie or some shit lmao

Firebrand · Jul 11, 2018

Slayven said:
What a missed chance, their fights in comics are crazy.

Context Mandarin had his rings embedded in his spine.

I've spent a good minute trying to understand what's going on in the first panel and I can't. Who are these people (assuming it's 2 and not 3 or 1.5)

Deleted member 2226 · Jul 11, 2018

As with others here, I enjoyed the twist well enough, but what happens with the rest of the film doesn't really make up for that fake-out.

There's no bad characters, just bad writing. Just like with the Ancient One, they could have made a compelling character that wasn't a caricature or just beholden to old tropes if they'd wanted to.

8byte · Jul 11, 2018

denx said:
Well, the All Hail the King short reveals that there is a real Mandarin out there. Dunno if they're ever going to do anything with that plot point tho.

I just discovered this (because of your post!).

Are there any other shorts I'm missing!?

Kevers · Jul 11, 2018

This is the only place I've ever actually seen people who hate Iron Man 3 especially when 2 exists.

Arta · Jul 11, 2018

Kevers said:
This is the only place I've ever actually seen people who hate Iron Man 3 especially when 2 exists.

Prepare to have your mind blown: I'm not really a fan of any of the Iron Man movies. I hate 2 and 3 more than The Dark World.

And I only like the character Iron Man in the Avengers/ Civil War movies where he gets balanced out. I watch the movies to enjoy the general story but I only really dig Black Panther, Cap and to a lesser extent Thor.

CaviarMeths · Jul 11, 2018

At this point I'm not sure what I enjoy more, Iron Man 3, or the fact that people are still salty as hell over Iron Man 3.

Zedelima · Jul 11, 2018

I think if i combine Suicide Squad and Justice League, the amount of hate will not surpass what i fell about iron man 3 (and i really hated suicide squad).

Dumb kids, a dumb version of tony stark, lego armor, a fucking villain that is not a villain, another villain that somehow is worse than anything Marvel came up until this day, and the list could go on...

Its on my top 3 worst movies of all time, the other two being Twilight and Transformers 2

Bor Gullet · Jul 11, 2018

Kevers said:
This is the only place I've ever actually seen people who hate Iron Man 3 especially when 2 exists.

I actually feel a lot of posters on Era overrate Iron man 3.

Tobor · Jul 11, 2018

provider said:
I've yet to hear a take that was better than what we actually got.

Same. I've never seen anyone come up with a compelling alternative.

Besides, there was nowhere else to go with the mandarin anyway. It was the last solo iron man movie and it's not like he was going to show up in an Avengers movie. Marvel had no future plans for him so the swerve made sense.

lunarworks · Jul 11, 2018

whatsinaname said:
Played straight, what exactly would he have brought to the table? Another terrorist for the hero to punch in the face?

So many people want the expected.

ZeoVGM · Jul 11, 2018

He already was. Iron Man 3 is one of the best MCU films and the twist regarding Mandarin is one of the reasons why.

Jiggy · Jul 11, 2018

He was

Bor Gullet · Jul 11, 2018

Tobor said:
Same. I've never seen anyone come up with a compelling alternative.

Besides, there was nowhere else to go with the mandarin anyway. It was the last solo iron man movie and it's not like he was going to show up in an Avengers movie. Marvel had no future plans for him so the swerve made sense.

Maybe come up with a better motive than Killian becoming a super villain because Tony didn't meet him on the roof.

mernst23 · Jul 11, 2018

How to fix iron man 3

1. Don't completely shit on the ten rings as an organization after building back story for two movies. Fuck, have Killian tie those plot points together by saying he was behind the ten rings and their terrorist reaches all along having used AIM to funnel money through them

2. Have the extremis infected soldiers have powers other than get really hot which could have represented the different 10 ring powers

3. Don't build a plot point about how his prototype suit is broken yet he has dozens in fucking storage he can call out at a moments notice.

4. Why the Fuck is gwenth glowing now?

You can even keep the twist, there was zero fan service regarding the mandarin's main hook from the comics, that's what pisses me off about the movie so much.

theBmZ · Jul 11, 2018

Khanimus said:
Could have been? He was.

He's a falsified amalgamation of America's paranoia of muslims, China, and religious fanaticism as sold by a rich American maniac. There are few Marvel villains as truthful as what they did with Mandarin.

This 100%. The only let down in execution, was the Killian character himself. Still the best Iron Man film though.

Tobor · Jul 11, 2018

Bor Gullet said:
Maybe come up with a better motive than Killian becoming a super villain because Tony didn't meet him on the roof.

Why? There was nothing wrong with Killian having an axe to grind over Tony refusing to back AIM.

ninjabot · Jul 11, 2018

Firebrand said:
I've spent a good minute trying to understand what's going on in the first panel and I can't. Who are these people (assuming it's 2 and not 3 or 1.5)

Looks to me like Iron Man, in his centurion armor, was trying to lift Mandarin up for an Attitude Adjustment and his right leg gave out, allowing him to fall back down to his feet, but with Iron Man's left arm still draped over him from the previous Fireman's Carry position.

Either way his head and right shoulder are flush against Mandarin's abdomen.

Bor Gullet · Jul 11, 2018

Tobor said:
Why? There was nothing wrong with Killian having an axe to grind over Tony refusing to back AIM.

He turned from a socially awkward goofball into a full on supervillain all because Tony didn't meet him on the roof that one night. What's even more embarrassing was Killian having a vendetta for such a small, almost inconsequential event for nearly 15 years.

It's just not good writing and doesn't make for a very compelling antagonist.

jviggy43 · Jul 11, 2018

kadotsu said:
So a flashy terrorist with clear other coding serving as a front for the actual military complex villain isn't good these days. Maybe it hits too close to home for some.

Or this could have been done without needlessly using one of Iron Man's foremost villians for the set up of it.

Slayven · Jul 11, 2018

Looking at Strange in IW, man

TAJ · Jul 12, 2018

I loved the swerve.
Oh, and this summer Trevor is getting a sweet 6" action figure.

Kasumin · Jul 12, 2018

I disliked Iron Man 3 and found the actual villain to be fairly boring. I also didn't like much of what the story did. Even so...

Khanimus said:
Could have been? He was.

He's a falsified amalgamation of America's paranoia of muslims, China, and religious fanaticism as sold by a rich American maniac. There are few Marvel villains as truthful as what they did with Mandarin.

I agree with this so hard. I didn't think the Mandarin twist was brilliant, but tbh I was kind of relieved? The MCU has tried to keep things more grounded anyway, which was probably another reason they didn't toss in a villain with magic (or not magic, according to someone else in this thread?) rings.

The comparison to M'Baku is disingenuous. Black Panther was set up to avoid being culturally insensitive. IM3 didn't have that, and I doubt they would have even been able to do that back then with the stupid comics council people or whatever.

MrCheez · Jul 12, 2018

Mandarin/Trevor twist is *incredible*

Killian is... okay.

denx · Jul 12, 2018

8byte said:
I just discovered this (because of your post!).

Are there any other shorts I'm missing!?

There are five Marvel shorts. They're collectivelly called "Marvel One-Shots". They're pretty good, and are actually done by Marvel Studios instead of Marvel TV or whatever.

Valkerion · Jul 12, 2018

The lead into IM3 was great. So mad at the movie.

Soj · Jul 12, 2018

If they ever make a Shang-Chi movie, I just know his father ends up being a white industrialist in a business suit.

Alexandros · Jul 12, 2018

I didn't mind the twist but Killian and his goons were awful villains.

Deleted member 19782 · Jul 12, 2018

denx said:
Well, the All Hail the King short reveals that there is a real Mandarin out there. Dunno if they're ever going to do anything with that plot point tho.

Probably not. Iron Man as a series is done in the MCU.

sir_crocodile · Jul 12, 2018

kadotsu said:
So a flashy terrorist with clear other coding serving as a front for the actual military complex villain isn't good these days. Maybe it hits too close to home for some.

a nobody as the bad guy behind the mandarin was boring as hell. movie lost all momentum at that point

nomis · Jul 12, 2018

the mandarin played straight as his persona would have been as vapid and flat as Old Man Luke being played straight as an infallible godlike hero

Man, the Mandarin could have been amongst Marvel's top villains.

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