We’re actually getting there, ladies and gents! I remember way back after Iron Man came out, people were worried about the eventual portrayal of the Mandarin. Their solution ultimately ended up being the character being played by Ben Kingsley…except that portray was only an actor pretending to be The Mandarin, and it was a betrayal of the character that some fans did not take well.

It’s been several years and over a dozen films later, and while Marvel Studios did hint at the real Mandarin existing out there, but until recently, many of us assumed this would be a character that would never get a faithful Hollywood treatment. But, as was revealed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, Mandarin will feature heavily in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. 

But is there still a danger of Marvel Studios falling victim to racial stereotypes with the character? Here’s what Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce had to say to Cinema Blend.

“You know, and there are modern interpretations of The Mandarin that I think can work in the context of, particularly of a Marvel movie that has a much more grounded basis in Asian culture and has, frankly, Asian filmmakers and other Asian actors in its ensemble, and driving the story.”

“In our Iron Man movie, as you and everyone else knows, it was my feeling that if we did The Mandarin in many of the forms that he is most commonly known as, we were playing into the racial stereotypes that generated the character in the beginning. Yellow peril, you know. … That idea was what inspired our take on the Mandarin.”

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“I’ve also spoken to some of my friends at Marvel and of course I don’t know exactly what happens, but there’s a strong sense that everything will be revealed and nothing is being retconned. And that, at the end of the day, is all we can ask for. That, and the fact that, you know, they clearly think it’s going to be — he’s going to be the best adversary. And I trust in Marvel. In Marvel, we trust.”

Indeed, that’s a sentiment many of us have been getting behind for years now. All in all, I think one key difference between the Mandarin back in 2013 and the Mandarin now is the talent involved. With Asian-Americans involved at every level of creation of the story, it can ensure it’s treated with care.

Are you excited to see the Mandarin finally? Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Cinema Blend