Introducing: The Mandarin
January 6, 2013If you’ve seen the Iron Man 3 trailer, chances are that you know Ben Kingsley will be playing the role of the Mandarin, who many people consider to be Iron Man’s most formidable foe. His first appearance was in Tales of Suspense #50, which came out in 1964. Ever since then, the chi master and Chinese nobleman has been creating trouble for our heroic Mister Stark.
While we have yet to find out which comic verse version of the Mandarin writer and director Shane Black decided to use; whether he is a superhumanly skilled martial artist with capabilities to destroy Iron Man’s armor with repeated blows with his bare hands, or if he will be skilled though not superhuman, we do know implicitly that some of his power will come from the ten rings shown in the trailer.
Each ring on each of the Mandarin’s fingers represents a different power. They are from an alien source that he manipulated to work with his own mental commands. Below are the powers each ring possesses.
Left Hand
Pinky finger: Ice Blast
Ring finger: Mento-Intensifier (magnifies the wearer’s psionic abilities)
Middle finger: Electro-Blast
Index finger: Flame Blast
Thumb: White Light (emits various forms of energy along the electromagnetic spectrum)
Right Hand
Pinky finger: Black Light (creates absolute darkness)
Ring finger: Disintegration Beam
Middle finger: Vortex Beam
Index finger: Impact Beam
Thumb: Matter Rearranger
“Lesson #1: Heroes—there is no such thing.” An eerie quote direct from the trailer gives us a little bit of a sneak peek into the Mandarin’s mind, and it’s obvious why he’s such a danger to Tony and the people he cares about.
Catch Iron Man 3 in theatres May 3rd, 2013.
