Iron Man about to be Squished in 3rd Movie

Iron Man 3 Features The Mandarin, Tony Stark's Archenemy

I’m assuming that you've already seen the trailer for Iron Man 3. It’s basically a terrible time for Tony Stark, running through a mid-life crisis of sorts following the events of The Avengers, where he nearly got stranded in outer space. Then on top of this his house gets demolished by a series of missile attacks, and it shows Tony getting crushed under the weight of his own broken home in the ocean in his infamous iron man suit. 

The man responsible for this assault is known as The Mandarin.

He happens to be the villain for the third movie. Upon first sight in the trailer, he appears to be a prehistoric model of Genghis Khan… with a British accent. This does sound outlandish and makes you wonder if Marvel is making a spoof or comedy. This isn't the case though, because The Mandarin is supposed to be this way. He’s from China, hence the Genghis Khan appearance. He is educated and according to Marvel’s bio, has multiple college degrees. That explains the British accent. He is also affluent and wealthy. He has to be to afford military grade weapons for blowing up Stark’s house.   

Yet, it isn't the appearance or the riches that should be of significance here, but his powers. Beyond his naturally genius intellect, The Mandarin came across a Makluan (some random alien species) spaceship and the 10 rings that powered the vessels. After years of learning and practice, he mastered Makluan technology, so much so that he wears these 10 rings on his 10 fingers (Why didn't Sauron think of this). In simple terms, he has the power of a spaceship. Beyond this fact, he is the Bruce Lee of comics. In some comics, he breaks Iron Man’s armor with his own hands. This is a strong physical and mental adversary that Tony Stark should be wary of.

Therefore, the actor playing Mandarin should be quite the character, bringing in a strong physical presence. This task fell on Ben Kingsley… and he’s 69. Clearly, he’s no Bruce Lee. But this is no cause for worry as Kingsley is a veteran actor who has won Oscars, BAFTAs and Golden Globe awards. He will express the dramatic presence necessary of a super villain, and obviously, The Mandarin’s intelligence will play a bigger role than his martial arts skills.

Whatever the cons are, Kingsley will be the best on-screen Iron Man villain, even beating Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko. The main reason for this was Vanko’s use of those electrical whips. The way he was brandishing them drew likenesses to a girl skipping and hopping towards her dad at a playground, in my mind. Anyway, I believe Ben Kingsley will do a marvelous job as The Mandarin, despite his most probable physical inadequacies in the martial arts department. May 3 will let us know.    

 The Mandarin in the comics.

Sir Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin.

Iron Man 3 Trailer.

      

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