Hey ComicBookMovie community! Today I’m here to talk to you on the most controversial subject in a comic book movie since Bat-nipples: Iron Man 3’s The Mandarin! So before we go any further, I first want to warn anyone that this is a MAJOR spoiler in the movie. So if you haven’t seen it, bookmark this page, go see it, then come back and read this editorial. So lets begin shall we?
It’s been 5 months since the critically and financially successful: Marvel’s Iron Man 3 has been released, and there’s still this one huge debate going on about a certain plot twist. Some fans have called it one of the worst decisions in comic book movies; I’ve even read by some that what Shane Black did to Iron Man’s arch-nemesis is as bad as what Joel Shumacher did to Batman. Then we have the people who do like the plot twist. They hail Shane Black as a genius for doing what he did to a stereotypical Chinese villain. Now, I’ll say this: As a comic book guy, and some one who couldn’t wait for The Mandarin and all his ten ring science (It ISN’T magic!) to start kicking Stark’s ass, I was pissed by how they just turned The Mandarin into a joke. I seriously left the theatre pissed for the first time. Yet, there was something in me that still appreciated the twist. That something in me is my movie guy telling me otherwise and to not look at it as a comic book movie, but to see it in the point of view of just a movie-goer.
Now, I still hate the plot twist (I wanted Chinese Mandarin!). Yet this is what we got, and I appreciate it as a movie guy. The way the plot twist is done is so amazing! We literally never saw it coming, no one did. I hear fans complain how they were mislead in the advertisements, but isn’t that the whole point of a plot twist? Isn’t a plot twist where you’re made to believe that one person is “it”, but in actuality "it" was someone else all along, and you never even realized it? If they hinted about the plot tist, then some people would have caught on and speculation would on it would have started. Also Making the Mandarin into a character, or someone who doesn’t exist, isn’t really anything new. If I remember correctly in one of Marvel’s comic universes, The Mandarin was just a company called: Mandarin International. There’s been so many revision of the Mandarin, and this one was no different.
I will like to say one more thing. This isn’t canon to the comics and as much as we comic book guys love canon, it shouldn’t be tied down to such rules. This is a film, and it’ll always be an else-world story. Sure you can say that there should be a limit to what they can change in the character, and while I agree; I also disagree. Killain to me isn’t Mandarin, but that is how Marvel, Shane Black, and the rest of the crew decided to present him to us and I appreciate a damn good plot twist when I see one. My only real gripe is Killian survived the suit explosion, but dies from the tank missile? Also why does this film remind me of Batman Forever so much? But that’s a whole other article.
Well those were my thoughts on this subject. Hope you enjoyed the read and thank you so much for your time!