How the Mandarin defines Iron Man 3.

I’ve spent the past few days thinking endlessly about Iron Man 3. It’s a movie that requires critical thought to both comprehend and fully enjoy. I’ve been overanalyzing the entire thing looking for an angle, something to say that hasn’t already been said. But maybe that’s not the point. It’s not about saying something new but observing what has already been said before and defending the movie against its criticism. So come with me as we talk about one of the most controversial twists in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As the follow up to the Avengers, a record-breaking box office juggernaut, Iron Man 3 had a lot to live up to.  In some ways it did and in others it fell short.  Iron Man 3 is a dense movie that has so many things it is trying to say. But almost instantly, the entire movie was forgotten about, overshadowed by a single scene. One moment which, for the first time since the beginning of the MCU, forced fans to subvert their expectations. Marvel took a big risk with this movie. One that was met with so much criticism that they’re not planning on rectifying the choice, when I for one don’t think they should. I’m talking of course, about the Mandarin twist.

For those of you following along, the Mandarin was one of THE Iron Man villains from the comics, a Fu Manchu adorned Asian stereotype upon his creation. A Chinese martial artist and mystic adorned with ten magical rings who was meant to represent everything America was fighting against at the time. The personification of our wars against communism in Asia. He was a character designed to use magic and mysticism to fight the technology of Iron Man. And from the very beginning he was a character fans were clamoring to see and one Marvel had been dropping hints about since Iron Man.

So, in October of 2012, after watching the Avengers and being incredibly excited for where Marvel is about to go, we get our first new hint of what is to come with the teaser trailer for Iron Man 3. Sir Ben Kingsley’s chilling voice cuts through the middle of the trailer and we see that the Mandarin is coming. And I along with many fans found myself excited to see how they would bring the classic villain into the modern age. His look was updated, and it appeared he was getting transformed from a villain meant to represent what we were fighting in 60s to now represent what America was fighting in 2013. A number of classic comic villains have gained such updates as they progressed through the age of comics. With the wars of Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War ended the villains created to represent those times in history have to find new ways to evolve or become lost as stereotypes and characters who are no longer relevant. So the Mandarin went from a representation of Asia to one of the Middle East.

Moving to the movie premier we finally get to watch how Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) will square off with the character and then it happened, possibly the biggest twist in entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and one that would split the fandom down the middle. The Mandarin is revealed to be fake, a character created by the true villain Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) to cover up his think tank Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M. for short, as their experiments explode across the U.S. And Ben Kingsley is playing a drug-addled actor named Trevor Slattery who is being paid a luxurious sum to appear on TV and distract the U.S. government from the fact that while they are off fighting against the “terrorists” over in the Middle East, the real threat is being grown in its own back yard.

As I said, I’ve been thinking about this movie a lot lately. Because as I rewatched it I really examined the criticism levied against this movie and how I viewed it 7 years ago. And I am now going on the record with my personal statement about this moment in the movie. I think the Mandarin twist is good. I think it’s one which makes the movie more interesting and breathes new life into these movies. I think there are some sloppy execution moments from that point forward and the lack of mystery does drag down the movie a bit, but the twist itself is good. And what it says about our American sensationalism is a needed conversation starter. And I may have turned people off to the rest of the review just with that statement. But I encourage you to come along with me, and I’ll explain why I came to that conclusion. Let’s explore the Mandarin twist fully.

The twist both within the movie, and within the context of our larger world, is all about the subversion of expectations. Something Marvel worked to do with a number of their subsequent movies. But you have to look broader and more culturally. This movie premiered 12 years after the last major terrorist attack from the Middle East. In that time America experienced 57 mass shootings resulting in almost 400 deaths, including the Aurora Colorado movie theatre shooting, and Sandy Hook. In the 7 years since we’ve had another 95 which left another 620 dead including Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, the Route 91 Harvest shooting in Las Vegas, and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland. All committed by men who grew up in the United States. And these don’t include bombings, stabbings, and other acts of terror. While the government was fighting terrorist in the Middle East trying to anticipate the next big attack, American born and bred terrorism has run rampant in the U.S.

And then there’s Rhodey (Don Cheadle), who gets a spangled paint job only to spend most of the movie flying to decoy locations and proving to be little more than a piece of government sensationalism meant to raise spirits without solving a problem. Even when he does manage to find Killian’s base of operations, located coincidentally in Florida, he gets himself captured and is only saved by the resourcefulness of Tony. We Americans place our faith in empty symbols, the sacred nature of the flag, the power of the military to save us from the bad guys, but when you pull back the curtain you find the truth is often a  façade, a false front designed to fake the idea of power. And with these false beliefs we make fools of ourselves while ignoring the true threats we face.

The unfortunate truth here is that the Mandarin twist leads the discussion around this film in a really poor direction. Trevor Slattery (a nice nod to actor John Slattery who portrays Howard Stark throughout the Iron Man series) works. He pulled the focus off of much of the movie. We don’t pay attention to the complexity of the plot, or the fact that the movie gives a very accurate and hardline look at PTSD both from Tony and from the soldiers who are subjected to Extremis. We lose out on the joy of watching Tony fight a unique threat which is far different than any other we’ve seen before in the MCU, and a final conflict that doesn’t have two large armored suits slamming into each other. We see plots of government corruption, reactions to bullying, and the impact positive role models can have on a child. And beyond that we get to watch Tony live up to the role of Iron Man both in and out of the suit. And while the movie itself is crowded, you ask anyone what they think of it and it will more than likely begin the conversation by responding to the twist. We don’t see the movie behind the curtain. The twist is the talking point of the movie and overshadows everything else.

But above all the other things Iron Man 3 did by subverting our expectation surrounding the Mandarin, it exposed the first signs of toxic fandom lying dormant in the MCU fanbase. And much like the toxic fans of every media, their “righteous” anger boils down to one thing, taking the material too seriously. The Mandarin was such an important character to them that portraying him as a joke, even as a diversion, was the greatest crime the movie could commit. Never mind that the movie made more money than both of its predecessors combined, was the second highest grossing film of 2013 behind Frozen and the highest grossing Marvel film without the word “Avengers” in the title until Black Panther came out in 2018. The fans didn’t care. They wanted their once stereotyped Chinese super terrorist to be taken seriously.

The thing I’ve learned about toxic fans as they show themselves more and more is that while they want new movies, they don’t want NEW movies. That is to say they want the new stuff to remain the same consistent product that made them first fall in love with the material. They see themselves as defenders of some haven they created to escape the world that didn’t understand them. And now that that world has become popularized and altered, they refuse to adapt. They want their haven to remain unchanged. It’s similar to the way broader America refuses to innovate the way we live regarding money, education, healthcare, and so many other things about our country even though the evidence throughout the world says we should, like placing overwhelming value in a document from the 18^th century sometimes over American lives. And Iron Man 3 is about being different. It’s one of its merits; the movie is nothing like the other two movies in the Iron Man trilogy. It may even be the most unique movie in the whole MCU. But the fans were too busy getting upset over a single moment in a much larger work to appreciate the potential this movie held inside of it. And while I too think it’s got its flaws; I don’t think the Mandarin was one of them. I both see and appreciate what this movie is trying to do regarding our expectations of the character and the greater narrative surrounding him.

So, while Iron Man 3 is not a perfect movie, it deserves respect for trying, and in my opinion succeeding, to do what no other MCU film did. It subverted expectations in a way that kept people talking. And without it doing that we may not have been able to push the MCU beyond what it was and into what it becomes. The first phase of Marvel was good. But it had more places to go, and Iron Man 3 had to get it there. The movie shows the growing pains that Marvel was willing to go through and the risks it was willing to take to improve its storytelling and push beyond the mediocre. Iron Man 3 is much more than a twist. It’s a complex narrative that centers around expectations and how we react when they are subverted. And that reaction exposes us, which leaves us vulnerable. And when people are left to deal with their own vulnerabilities they react strongly. The question is will that strong reaction be one which preaches progress and excitement for the future, or one that throws a petty fit because you didn’t get what you wanted? I for one choose to look forward, the same way Iron Man 3 does.

Just a quick refresher of my MCU ranking criteria.

Cast and Performances

Story and Plot

Best Fight/Action Scene

Rewatchability

Cleverness of the Stan Lee cameo

Each film will be judged solely by me and then placed against all the other films. And rated on a scale of 10 with a total possible score of 50.

So, here is the quick breakdown of Iron Man 3:

Cast and Performances: This movie really shows off Robert Downey Jr. far more than the previous movies get to. But in doing so it sacrificed much of its supporting cast. Favreau is literally incapacitated after the first half-hour, Paltrow is kidnapped and removed for half the film, and Cheadle spends most of his time in and out of a suit while doing very little with it. Guy Pearce’s Killian does his best impression of Brad Pitt as a character actor, but lands a little flat by the end. Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen is all but wasted as a mostly unnecessary additional character. Add in several small roles for thugs and goons to overstuff the whole picture. The two other bright spots include Ty Simpkins role as Harley Keener, a young boy who aids Tony both physically and in some ways spiritually. And of course Sir Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery brings both menace and humor to the role as they are needed and defines much of the movie.  (6/10)

Story and Plot: The plot(s) of this picture are convoluted and numerous. While much of the movie centers around Killian’s Extremis plot and his desire for revenge on Tony. But further than that are plots of Tony’s PTSD which is highly overlooked. The corruption of the U.S. Vice President is included as well as the continued plots of false terrorism and sensationalism from the first Iron Man. And while they are still important subjects, they work more seamlessly in the first movie than in this one. (6/10)

Best Fight/Action Scene: While the final battle between the Extremis soldiers and Tony’s Iron Legion could be given this one. I find Tony sneaking into Killian’s compound through Iron Man saving the passengers of Air Force One the more interesting and exhilarating sequence. We get to see Tony without the crutch of his Iron Man suit and also get a real fun and high stakes rescue. Both together make a really great climax to the middle of the movie. (7/10)

Rewatchability: Iron Man 3 isn’t as rewatchable as its predecessors. The complex themes and reliance on the Mandarin twist for surprise really detract for subsequent viewings. And while the movie is still a fun ride, it’s not a movie you clamor to see over and over again. (6/10)

Cleverness of the Stan Lee Cameo: Stan the Man is a judge in of a beauty pageant near where Tony crashed. It’s a good chuckle but not as clever or memorable as some of his previous cameos (5/10)

Total: 30/50

Current Ranking:
The Avengers
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man
Thor
Iron Man 3
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2

Iron Man 3 rockets both the MCU and these reviews firmly into phase 2. And as the final chapter in the Iron Man saga it’s as complex and constantly evolving at its title character. I encourage all of you to give this one a really critical watch and search for the merits within the moment that subverted all of our expectations. I’m sure it will be worth your time. And as always, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated.