By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)

The MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) has meant a great deal to me, as I am sure it has for many people. What first started as a book pitch is now a series of essays of mine that will be (hopefully) published every week. The goal is to pick a specific moment within The Infinity Saga and share with you why I believe it’s a defining moment. To revisit previous posts, visit our site HERE.

Enjoy the ride as we count down from 50 of the most defining moments and share your thoughts in the comments. 

• Trevor “The Mandarin” Slattery •

MOMENT# 32

MOVIE: Iron Man 3

DIRECTORS: Shane Black

WRITERS: Drew Pearce & Shane Black

Iron Man 3 is remembered, pretty unfairly, as one of the lower-tiered MCU films. When people recall Shane Black’s only entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one thing constantly stands out as the reason why the movie doesn’t work: The Mandarin reveal. The Mandarin had been teased in the Iron Man films since Tony was captured by the Ten Rings terrorist group in the first film, so anticipation was high that he would finally go up against his comic book rival. While some felt disappointed, others enjoyed the twist on the villain, and, for better or worse, it has become a defining moment in the MCU.

The Mandarin was originally conceived as a villain for Iron Man but plans changed throughout the development of the film. Instead, the creatives behind the scenes felt that saving the villain and teasing him was a better option. So instead, Iron Man introduces the Ten Rings, a terrorist group that captures Stark and forces him to build a powerful missile. The rest of the movie plays out and Tony doesn’t find out who was behind the mysterious organization that captured him. A deleted scene in Iron Man 2 includes a member of their organization helping Ivan Vanko (Whiplash) come to America. Outside of that, they were absent from that film.

Iron Man 3 takes place after The Avengers and Stark is feeling some PTSD from his experiences in the major crossover event. Things get more complicated when the leader of the Ten Rings, The Mandarin, starts to take credit for various bombings in the United States. Stark takes it upon himself to look into them after Happy becomes one of the victims. His investigation not only points to The Mandarin but a brilliant scientist named Aldrich Killian. Killian runs AIM in the MCU and had a previous run-in with Tony that almost led Killian to kill himself. As far as Stark can see, Killian had teamed up with the Mandarin in order to get his work funded. But unfortunately, he’s only half right.

Stripped of his Iron Man armor, Tony remembers that he’s still a capable hero without the suit and storms the Mandarin’s hideout. He successfully infiltrates it, only to find a crazy British drunk who’s high out of his mind named Trevor Slattery. Stark demands answers, because how could this fool be the most dangerous terrorist in the world? Turns out Killian had co-opted the name of the Mandarin and used it to cover up failed experiments. The bombings, it turns out, were people overdosing on a new drug called Extremis. Like most of Shane Black’s films, the scene is ridiculous and Ben Kingsley’s instant turn from menacing to bumbling is a true masterclass performance. Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian ended up being the main villain of the movie, which was one of the biggest plot twists in the MCU.

This reveal was somewhat controversial and continues to be to this day. Regardless, the MCU has had a number of plot twists like the Mandarin reveal over the years. In fact, the third act villain reveal has become a staple of their recent TV shows on Disney+. Iron Man 3 was also an early example of Marvel keeping what a movie was to be truly about under wraps. Arguably, Tony Starks third outing is a major factor in Marvel’s emphasis on secrecy. Iron Man 3 was only their second film to cross $1 billion so keeping the real plot of the film such a tight secret ended up paying off for them in a big way. This strategy would eventually evolve into misleading trailers and planted leaks to try and get scoopers off their scent.

It’s been made pretty clear that the film was never trying to say Aldrich or Trevor was the real Mandarin, but that has been the major misunderstanding of the film since its release. Thanks to the Marvel One-Shot short film All Hail The King, MCU fans were made aware that there was a real Mandarin out in the world and he was very upset with Trevor’s portrayal of him. Ever since that short film was released in 2014, Marvel fans had been asking when would the MCU finally introduce the real Mandarin. That prevailing question became Iron Man 3’s legacy, for better or worse, and would become a defining one for years to come. Thankfully, fans were finally rewarded in 2021 with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

Whether you believe the Mandarin twist worked or not, the twist became a defining feature of the MCU. Marvel’s desire to keep the real details of their movies stems from this. No one going in had any idea that Ben Kingsley was playing anyone other than the terrifying leader of the Ten Rings. Iron Man 3 continues to be a sore topic with members of the MCU fandom but it worked and served as a satisfying conclusion to Tony’s first story arc. Whether its legacy is the question “where is the real Mandarin” or Marvel’s continued overwhelming desire for secrecy, The Mandarin twist is cemented as a defining moment in the MCU.