Warning! Spoilers ahead for Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings.
Iron Man 3's Mandarin was a fake persona, concocted by the real villain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and performed by washed-up, drug-addicted actor, Trevor Slattery.
As Iron Man 3’s Mandarin was reduced to comic relief for the rest of the film, many who were fond of the character felt cheated by the twist. Marvel quickly followed the backlash with the short film All Hail the King, with Trevor being broken out of prison by the Ten Rings in order to answer to the real Mandarin for his unflattering impersonation. Tony Leung plays the part of the Mandarin in Shang-Chi, though goes by the moniker Xu Wenwu (among other names). Wenwu rejects the Mandarin title as a name Killian made up for his terrorist. “He didn’t know my actual name. He invented a new one,” Wenwu says to Shang-Chi. “He gave me the name of a chicken dish. It worked. America was afraid of an orange.” The disdain is clear, and it seems like Marvel is speaking directly to fans.
Rather than further distance itself from such a divisive character, Marvel then chose to double down on the Mandarin fake-out by bringing Slattery back a few scenes later, going so far as to give him a prominent ing part in the second act. The decision is justified in his first scene when he recognizes his portrayal of the Mandarin as unflattering and trite (another instance of the film subtlety breaking the fourth wall). The character further earns his part in the movie by switching roles from inadvertent antagonist/bystander, to that of the wise old mentor, guiding Shang-Chi to the mythical village Ta Lo. It’s a path of redemption for Trevor, who has undergone a dramatic change since his last appearance. He’s still a delusional narcissist, but this time he has a purpose.
Slattery’s extended screen time could also be seen as serving the journey of another ing character. The film seemed to establish its primary comic relief early on with Awkwafina’s Katy. However, it also circumvents audience expectations when her character arc develops from best-friend-along-for-the-ride to a hero in her own right that is integral to the outcome of the film. While she still has funny lines throughout, the re-introduction of Trevor es the comic-relief baton to the former King Lear, allowing Katy’s character arc to continue without the film losing too many gags.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings may be Marvel’s attempt to address its past missteps, but it also gives Iron Man 3’s fake Mandarin a chance to prove his value to the MCU. Trevor Slattery is an extremely entertaining character in the right context; even the guards at Wenwu’s compound spared his life when he launched into an impromptu performance of Macbeth. In his own words, “they couldn’t get enough of it!” Perhaps the key reason then for the size of his part is down to the simple fact that Sir Ben Kingsley is a very talented actor, who enhances any movie he’s in.
