Shang-Chi Director Explains How Mandarin Short Film Ties Into Movie

Director Destin Daniel Cretton explains how the Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King with Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery/”Mandarin” ties into Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Kingsley’s Slattery first appeared in Iron Man 3 as a bait-and-switch version of The Mandarin, posing as a terrorist who set his sights on Tony Stark. It turned out, however, that Slattery was merely an actor pretending to be The Mandarin, while the man behind the scenes, Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian, was the real villain. Killian calls himself The Mandarin at the end of the film, but even he was stealing the namesake, which is now revealed to be with Shang-Chi‘s Tony Leung.

After the events of Iron Man 3, Slattery is arrested and sent to prison. In the 2014 Marvel One-Shot: All Hail The King, Slattery is seen in prison being celebrated for his actions by fellow inmates until he’s confronted by a documentary filmmaker who is actually a member of The Ten Rings and informs Slattery that they are going to break him out of prison to have him meet the real Mandarin and answer for what he’s done with the name. Nothing has been mentioned of Slattery since the One-Shot was released, but Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings looks to rectify that.

Related: Shang-Chi Already Teased Him Beating The Mandarin

Speaking to Uproxx, Shang-Chi director, Destin Daniel Cretton, praises the Marvel One-Shot and reiterates that it’s part of the MCU and that they wanted to be true to that story while tying it to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Cretton stressed that the storyline that originated in Iron Man 3 was a fun one, but was also essential to have it appear in Shang-Chi, especially since it was such a ridiculous situation. While Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian was seemingly killed at the end of Iron Man 3, Slattery didn’t get off so easy and feels like a thread that the real Mandarin would pull after the actions done in his name. Read what Cretton had to say below:

“We definitely. … I mean, I know Drew [Pearce] and I love that One Shot that he wrote and directed. And it was a sharp film and that’s part of the MCU. And so, we want to be true to that story as well. And including that storyline in this movie I think was not only just really fun, I think it’s essential to hear that character admit how ridiculous that whole situation was.”

It wasn’t confirmed that Kingsley would be returning to the role until the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings premiere, which saw the actor on the red carpet. It was revealed then and there that he was returning as Slattery for the film, although in what capacity is anyone’s guess (or known only by those that have seen the film thus far). Kingsley has kept busy since first portraying Slattery, including voice work in Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book and the Epix series, Perpetual Grace LTD.

While the role of Slattery in Iron Man 3 was a controversial one, Kingsley embodied it with his usual acting charm, making the character both lovable and loathsome at once. Fans may not have been clamoring for his return, but tying his story thread to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings makes perfect sense and keeps the MCU that much tighter as a result. As a brand, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always been one that connects from film to film, so making sure that Slattery and his story line merge with Shang-Chi is on brand and is sure to assuage those who felt that the character was too silly in Iron Man 3, as he’s sure to face repercussions with the real Mandarin. All secrets will be revealed when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens on Friday, September 3rd.

Next: How Marvel Making Shang-Chi The Mandarin’s Son Changes His Story

Source: Uproxx

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