'Iron Man 3' Trailer: Mandarin Makes His Move

Related searches: Ben Kingsley, iron man 3, mandarin, The Mandarin

'Iron Man 3' Trailer: Mandarin Makes His Move

When it was first announced that Sir Ben Kingsley would be playing the main antagonist in "Iron Man 3," fanboys and fangirls all across the globe were ecstatic and eager to find out who the Oscar-winning actor would be playing. With rumors ranging everywhere from Aldrich Killian to the Controller, only one Iron Man villain seemed big enough to step up to the plate: The Mandarin.

In the comic books, the Mandarin is one of Tony Stark's deadliest and most prolific enemies. Created by Stan Lee in 1964, the Mandarin often times will utilize highly advanced technology as a means of achieving his nefarious goals.

Since the first "Iron Man 3" trailer is now online, we're examining Kingsley's take on the Mandarin when put up against his comic book counterpart. Read on for more.

First of all, let's just go ahead and get this out of the way; Ben Kingsley is not Chinese, which might initially come across as odd for a character called the Mandarin. However, in the comic books, the Mandarin is actually only part Chinese with his mother being an English noblewoman and his father being a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. Kingsley's turn as the Mandarin seems to be more ethnically ambiguous, which could actually prove to be quite an interesting take on the character.

Next, there's that shot of the Mandarin holding a pistol. This strikes me as odd, only because in the comics the Mandarin is a skilled martial artist and doesn't ever really use any weapons that aren't either his own two fists or some kind of highly advanced alien technology. But again, it would appear as though Kingsley's take on the character is going for a more obviously threatening approach; mixing the scientific genius aspect of his character with that of a ruthless warlord.

Lastly, we see that Kingsley's Mandarin has ten rings; one on each of his fingers. Assuming that these are the same Makluan rings that the Mandarin has in the comics, Tony Stark is truly in for a world of hurt. Once utilized as a limitless power source for the warp drive engine on an alien starship, each of these rings represents a different alien force that the Mandarin has learned to control with his mind.

The Mandarin's Makluan powers are as follows: Ice Blast, Mento-Intensifier, Electro Blast, Flame Blast, White Light, Black Light, Disintegration Beam, Vortex Beam, Impact Beam, and Matter Rearrangement. Assuming any or all of these powers are in play in the movie, Tony will need all the help he can get if he plans on besting this nearly-omnipotent enemy.

Source : MTV.com (blog) - http://splashpage.mtv.com