Marvel is finally making good on its promise to bring the real Mandarin into the MCU.
Fans will remember that Ben Kingsley played an imposter version of the super-villain in Iron Man 3 — with Tony Stark discovering that he was actually a character actor named Trevor Slattery hired as a front by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).
There have been hints ever since that Killian was stealing from the myth of a real Mandarin, a world-renowned martial artist who controls ten mystical rings.
At Marvel's Comic-Con International panel on Saturday (July 20), it was announced that Hong Kong action movie legend Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love and Bullet in the Head) will play the real Mandarin.
He joins an exciting cast for Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings that includes Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) as the title superhero, and Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina.
As you can see from the title, The Mandarin's ten rings seem to have an integral role in the origin of Shang-Chi in the MCU.
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Prior to Saturday's big announcement, Digital Spy spoke with Shang-Chi's legendary creator Jim Starlin about the pivotal spot the Asian hero could fill in the MCU in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame.
"In some ways, he could take the place of Captain America in the fact that he's the resourceful weak link," he told us.
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"He doesn't have any superpowers, he's a martial artist and depending on where they go with the rest of the Marvel Universe, he may end up playing that role I could see. It's speculation, but it makes sense."
Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be released in cinemas on February 12, 2021.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
