It’s worth stressing the double standard. The Mandarin embodied Cold War anxieties about Communist China channeled through American writers and artists with no actual understanding of Chinese culture. He was another example of the Fu Manchu archetype. His first appearance introduced him as “ the most feared Oriental of all time!” He lurked and schemed “ in the Orient - in seething, smoldering, secret Red China.” He had “ the blood of the Khans in his veins.” The Mandarin was a stereotype and not a nuanced one. The original comic book villain was a broadly drawn racial caricature. It is worth acknowledging upfront that the Mandarin is a character with a complicated history. Shane Black’s Iron Man sequel remains one of the best movies in the larger franchise, and its take on the Mandarin remains ingenious. However, it is worth taking the time to acknowledge the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s previous adaptation of the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. When Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings releases next week, it will feature a reimagined version of the classic Iron Man villain the Mandarin, played by Hong Kong legend Tony Leung.
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