Ben Kingsleywas at theShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringspremiere, as revealed by the film’sofficial Twitter account. Why is this relevant? Well, because Kingsley’s presence all but confirms the actor is coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the upcoming movie, reprising his role as the fake-Mandarin he played inIron Man 3.
The Mandarin is originally an Iron Man villain in the comics, the reason why his criminal organization, the Ten Rings, was all overRobert Downey Jr.’sIron Mantrilogy. Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) first hired the Ten Rings to kidnap Tony Stark in the firstIron Manfilm, but the Mandarin would not show up until the last installment in the trilogy. Sort of. Played by Kingsley, this version of the Mandarin was a façade, an actor playing an evil overlord to justify the actions of the true villain, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce).
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The fake-Mandarin had a mixed reception by fans, which led Marvel to bring Kingsley back for the short filmAll Hail the King. InAll Hail the King, Kingsley’s character is kidnapped from prison by a criminal who says he’s working for “the real Mandarin," who was not exactly happy about an actor pretending to be the leader of the Ten Rings.
Now thatShang-Chiwill introduceTony Leung Chiu-waias Wenwu - the real Mandarin - Marvel has the perfect opportunity to let us know what exactly happened to Kingsley’s character. And, by the looks of the film’s premiere, they are well aware that Kingsley deserves to finish his character journey on the MCU. This move is in line with producerKevin Feige’s previous declarations, which confirmedthe upcoming movie is connected to Tony Stark’s kidnappingat the beginning of the MCU.
Kingsley is not the only MCU returning character onShang-Chi. Asrevealed by a previous trailer,Benedict Wongwill also be returning as Wong, Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) right arm. The crossovers don’t stop there, though, as the master of magic will be fightingThe Incredible Hulk’s Abomination.Tim Rothis expected to come back as the voice of Abomination in the movie beforeappearing in the upcoming She-Hulk series.
Directed byDestin Daniel Crettonfrom a script he co-wrote withDavid CallahamandAndrew Lanham,Shang-Chi’s cast includesSimu Liuas the titular hero,Awkwafinaas Shang-Chi’s friend Katy,Florian Munteanuas the villain Razor Fist, andMeng’er Zhangas Shang-Chi’s estranged sister Xialing,Michelle Yeohas theprotector of a mythical cityJiang Li,Fala Chen, andRonny Chieng.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringswill arrive in theaters on September 3.
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