Shang-Chi's Mandarin Isn't What Marvel Comics Fans Expect, Teases Producer

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is finally bringing the real Mandarin to the MCU, but the villain may be a bit different than Marvel Comics fans are expecting, according to the film’s producer. Simu Liu will star in the upcoming film as Shang-Chi, with Tony Leung playing Wenwu/The Mandarin. The film also features Awkwafina, Fala Chen, Meng’er Zhang, Ronny Chieng, Michelle Yeoh, and Florian Munteanu.

First introduced to the Marvel universe in 1964, The Mandarin quickly became one of the franchise’s most prominent and infamous villains. The character has primarily served as the main antagonist to Iron Man through the decades, though he’s faced off against a number of other Marvel heroes as well. In the comics, the Mandarin possesses powerful weapons known as the Ten Rings, which are adapted from advanced alien technology. The Mandarin was teased to appear in the 2013 MCU film Iron Man 3, but that version of the character turned out to be an imposter.

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Fans of the Mandarin will finally see the real villain on the big screen in Shang-Chi, but producer Jonathan Schwartz says they may be surprised by Tony Leung’s version of the character. Speaking with EW, Schwartz commented on how the new Mandarin will differ from that of the comics. "I think people hear 'the Mandarin' and expect a very specific kind of thing, and that may not be the thing they're getting," Schwartz said. "They're hopefully getting a more complex and layered take on the character than that name would lead you to." Given the backlash to Iron man 3’s fake Mandarin, changing up the villain again could be somewhat of a risk for Marvel. However, adding more nuance and complexity to the character can only be a good thing, and a fresh take on the Mandarin should be very exciting to watch.

A number of big changes to the Mandarin have already been revealed. In keeping with what’s previously been established in the MCU, the movie's version of the Ten Rings is actually a global terrorist organization run by Wenwu, rather than an alien weapon he possesses. Of course, it’s also possible the original rings could make an appearance as well.

The new movie is also changing Shang-Chi’s relationship to the Mandarin by making the villain his father. In the comics, Shang-Chi is the son of villain Fu-Manchu. The new Mandarin seems to be a combination of his comics counterpart and Fu-Manchu, with the Ten Rings organization essentially standing in for Fu-Manchu’s Five Weapons Society. It should be interesting to see how those different pieces of comics lore come together in the final film.