The upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man promises to be the most unusual Marvel Cinematic Universe project since WandaVision, revolving around an up-and-coming actor named Simon Williams. Based on the trailers released so far, viewers would be forgiven for not even realizing that the series is meant to take place in the same universe as films like Avengers: Endgame, because the only superhero present seems to be the fictional character whom Simon hopes to play.
However, the series will include some connections to the prior MCU, the most notable being the involvement of Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery. Wonder Man will mark Trevor’s fourth appearance in the MCU after debuting in the 2013 film Iron Man 3. Trevor proved quite a controversial character among Marvel fans at the time, because he was integral to one of the MCU’s biggest plot twists: the identity of the Mandarin.
The Mandarin is Iron Man’s Greatest Enemy in the Comics
The marketing for Iron Man 3 indicated that the main antagonist of the film would be the Mandarin, as portrayed by Kingsley. In the comics, the Mandarin is Tony Stark’s nemesis, having first appeared in Tales of Suspense #50 from 1963. The Mandarin, whose true name has never been revealed, is a Chinese criminal mastermind who claims to be a direct descendant of Genghis Khan.
The Mandarin’s exact origins are uncertain, as he has provided conflicting accounts of his life story over the years, but one aspect of his history that has remained consistent is the source of his power. One fateful day, the Mandarin stumbled upon a crashed spaceship belonging to a species of dragon-like aliens known as the Makluans. Within, he discovered a set of ten technologically advanced rings. Each ring granted its wielder a different ability, ranging from elemental manipulation to mind control.
Using the power of these alien rings, the Mandarin became a mighty and cruel warlord. Since this happened during the height of the Cold War, the United States was deeply concerned about the threat posed by Mandarin and requested that Iron Man put a stop to his machinations. Though the conflict between Tony and the Mandarin began as a political affair, it soon grew into an intense rivalry that persisted long after the end of the Cold War.
The Mandarin Fooled Everyone in Iron Man 3
Image via Disney and the Everett Collection
The MCU presented a more grounded reimagining of the Mandarin, positioning him as the enigmatic leader of the Ten Rings, the same multinational terrorist organization that captured Tony in the original Iron Man. The Mandarin hijacked American airwaves to claim responsibility for a series of bombings across the United States, including one that nearly killed Happy Hogan. Incensed by this, Tony publicly threatened the Mandarin, and the Ten Rings retaliated by attacking Tony’s mansion in Malibu, California.
Tony escaped the carnage in his unfinished Mark XLII Iron Man armor, and he eventually tracked the terrorist to Miami, Florida. There, he learned that the man who had claimed responsibility for the bombings was merely an eccentric actor. Aldrich Killian, the head of Advanced Idea Mechanics, had hired Trevor to pose as a terrorist, creating a cover story for the explosions accidentally caused by A.I.M.’s experiments with Extremis.
Trevor had fallen on hard times, so he was happy to accept Killian’s lucrative offer. A.I.M. supplied the struggling actor with everything his heart desired, including a new house, a speedboat, some plastic surgery, and copious amounts of drugs. Trevor claimed to be surprised when Tony revealed that Killian had been hurting people, but given his track record, this was likely another lie.
During Iron Man 3’s climactic showdown between Tony and Killian, the latter revealed a pair of Chinese dragon tattoos on his chest and declared himself the real Mandarin: “No more false faces. You said you wanted the Mandarin. You’re looking right at him. It was always me, Tony, right from the start. I am the Mandarin!” He was then swiftly killed by an Extremis-powered Pepper Potts. A scene near the end of the film showed Trevor being arrested, but his incarceration would not last long.
Iron Man 3 Was Not the End of the Mandarin in the MCU
Though the Mandarin’s identity in Iron Man 3 made for a shocking twist, many fans were disappointed that the MCU turned Tony’s archenemy into a joke. While the MCU’s takes on Captain America and Thor got to fight comic-accurate versions of their iconic rivals on the big screen, Iron Man was stuck facing off against a villain who was the Mandarin in name only. Thankfully, the plot twists did not end there.
One year after Iron Man 3, Disney released a short film titled Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King, which was included as a bonus feature on Thor: The Dark World’s DVD. All Hail the King followed a journalist who visited Seagate Penitentiary to interview Trevor about his Mandarin act. Trevor proved quite popular among his fellow inmates, and the fame went to his head, making him feel untouchable.
Though the short film was mostly comedic in tone, it took a dramatic turn when the interviewer revealed himself to be a member of the Ten Rings organization. Using a gun hidden in his camera, he killed the guards and broke Trevor free, but not to help him. Rather, he said that he was going to deliver Trevor to the real Mandarin, who intended to inflict upon him a slow and painful death as punishment for co-opting his persona.
This was the last that fans heard of the Mandarin for several years, and Tony’s death in Endgame made it seem unlikely that his nemesis would ever appear in the MCU. This all changed with the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. As the title indicates, the Mandarin and his organization would be key to the film’s events.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Finally Introduced the MCU’s Real Mandarin
Image via Disney
In the comics, Shang-Chi has nothing to do with the Mandarin; he is the son of the villainous Fu Manchu, who was later renamed Zheng Zu for real-world legal reasons. The MCU connected Shang-Chi to the universe’s wider mythos by instead making him the son of Xu Wenwu, the true Mandarin. Wenwu bore a much greater resemblance to the comics’ Mandarin, being a Chinese warlord granted power by alien artifacts known as the Ten Rings.
The MCU’s Ten Rings differed from their comic counterparts in that they were worn on the forearms rather than the fingers, inspired by the iron rings used for training in various Chinese martial arts. Instead of each possessing a different power, the Ten Rings all bestowed the same set of abilities, which included immortality, enhanced strength and energy blasts. The Ten Rings were changed in part to differentiate them from the Infinity Stones, which had played a major part in Endgame just a couple of years prior.
Wenwu did not actually refer to himself as the Mandarin in Shang-Chi. He explained to Katy Chen, “Some years ago, a terrorist from America needed a boogeyman to bring your country to its knees. So, he appropriated the Ten Rings, my Ten Rings, but because he didn’t know my actual name, he invented a new one. Do you know the name he chose? The Mandarin. He gave his figurehead the name of a chicken dish. And it worked. America was terrified of an orange.”
Later, while exploring Wenwu’s compound, Shang-Chi and Katy met Trevor, who had not been killed as the Ten Rings had promised. Wenwu and his minions were apparently so entertained by Trevor’s Shakespeare performances that they allowed him to live, with Katy comparing him to a medieval jester. Trevor turned out to be surprisingly important to the plot of the film because he had befriended a magical creature named Morris, who was able to guide Shang-Chi to the mystical land of Ta Lo.
Much like Killian, Wenwu only survived for one film, though his end was a nobler one. He ultimately sacrificed his soul to the Dweller-in-Darkness to prevent it from killing his son, and Shang-Chi then used his father’s Ten Rings to vanquish the terrifying beast. Fans were much happier with Shang-Chi’s depiction of the Mandarin. The only disappointment was that Tony died before he had a chance to contend with Wenwu.
What is Next For Trevor Slattery in the MCU?
Shang-Chi ended with Trevor deciding to remain with Morris in Ta Lo, but this evidently did not last long, because he appeared in the Wonder Man trailer as a friend of Simon. Given Wonder Man’s focus on the film industry, it makes sense to bring back an in-universe actor like Trevor. The trailer alluded to Trevor’s impersonation of the Mandarin when a casting director casually mentioned that she was “pretty sure he used to be a terrorist.”
Marvel Entertainment’s official YouTube channel also uploaded a video titled “The Slattery Method by Trevor Slattery,” which promoted a fictional acting class taught by Trevor. Fans seem enthusiastic about Trevor’s impending return in Wonder Man, which is a dramatic shift from how the character was treated only a decade ago. Wenwu’s introduction did much to soften the blow of Iron Man 3’s villain fakeout. Wonder Man will seemingly be a low-stakes story, so chances are high that Trevor will live to appear again in the MCU.
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