Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Tin Rings comes out in cinema’s tomorrow, so it’s time to get you all caught up on all things Shang-Chi, and today we’re starting with a big question – just who is The Mandarin? And how does he tie into Iron Man 3?

Who Is The Mandarin?

The Mandarin (real name unknown) is one of Iron Man’s most famous villains – he’s a tech genius, a skilled martial artist, and is in possession of the Ten Rings – a set of alien rings which grant the Mandarin superpowers (more on those in the next coming days). His main goal is world domination, but he also focuses on taking down Tony Stark and gaining access to Stark technology.

Who Was The Mandarin In Iron Man 3?

Iron Man 3’s Mandarin was a persona put on by actor Trevor Slattery, enabled by Aldrich Killian, to cover up the Extremis experiments. They were in no way associated with the real Mandarin, but took the name from a powerful historical figure.

What Are His Powers?

The Mandarin’s powers come from the Ten Rings – a set of rings he wears on each finger and thumb. Each one holds a different power, and were found on an alien spaceship by the Mandarin himself. Once he found the rings, he harnessed their energy and made them respond to his mental commands.

On top of the rings, the Mandarin is also an extremely skilled martial artist, and one of the Marvel universes greatest scientific minds.

How Is The Mandarin Related To Shang-Chi?

In the comics, the two are not related at all – in fact, the two have rarely met. But, in the film Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, the two will be father and son.

In the film, the character’s name will be Wenwu, and he is a brand new character made for the MCU, to replace Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi’s original comic book father, who was basically a mix of racist stereotypes.

Wenwu will have taken on various names throughout his life, one of them being the Mandarin. His character has been slightly rewritten to give him more layers and a more complex character, again, to avoid the racist stereotypes the Mandarin comic character is associated with.

And that’s your introduction to Shang-Chi’s Mandarin! I’ll be giving you all the Shang-Chi comic details over the next few days, so don’t forget to follow the Comic Book Sanctum and not miss a post!