Iron Man villains casting ideas (the Mandarin) [Archive] - Mania Forums - Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Entertainment

07-12-2003, 12:23 PM

So here's another thread for old Shellhead's enemies and some casting ideas. Just in case people can't remember who there are, here's a quick list of the most popular villains (i suppose we won't have Gargantua or the Mad Pharoah in there):

The Mandarin
Crimson Dynamo
Titanium Man
Justin Hammer
Obadiah Stane/ Iron Monger
The Chessmen
Yellow Claw
Blizzard
Blacklash/ Whiplash
The Melter
Force
Madame Masque
The Dreadnoughts
Spymaster
Count Nefaria & The Ani-Men
Sunfire
The Raiders
Sunturion
Stratosfire
Firepower
Morgana Le Fey
Modok
The Ghost
The Living Laser
The Beetle
Ultimo
AIM
Goliath (of the Masters of Evil)
Fin Fang Foom
Black Widow (unless she's a hero)
Hawkeye (unless he's a hero)
The Guardsmen (unless they're heroes)

Well that's just for starters. Any ideas?

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[This message has been edited by Welshcat (edited 07-13-2003).]

Bigkid

07-17-2003, 09:04 PM

I would think, for starters, that The Mandarin would be at the top of the list to show a nemesis for a first IRON MAN flick. The actor to play him, though?? Maybe John Lone (Year of the Dragon, The Shadow). I believe he's the most recognizable of Shellhead's enemies, and therefore, why not start off with him, just like they did in Spider-Man with showing Green Goblin. WELSHY....... are you also saying that you'd like to see Hawkeye featured in this film? If so, let me know, and I'll SHARE with you my thoughts on who'd I would like to see!
I'll try to get more thoughts in on this topic as I can (to be honest, IRON MAN was never one of my fav's), so I don't know how much I can contribute here.

brokenstatue2001

07-18-2003, 04:14 AM

I think the villains should be Mandarin and Ghost. Mandarin is probably Shellhead'a greatest nemesis, and Ghost is a fan favorite (or at least this fan's favorite). Chow Yun Fat should be Mandarin. And Ghost could be one of his assassins like Daredevil.

07-18-2003, 01:42 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by brokenstatue2001:
I think the villains should be Mandarin and Ghost. Mandarin is probably Shellhead'a greatest nemesis, and Ghost is a fan favorite (or at least this fan's favorite). Chow Yun Fat should be Mandarin. And Ghost could be one of his assassins like Daredevil. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the Mandarin were to have a lackey of any sort, it would be the Radioactive Man or someone similar. The Ghost is just far too different from the Mandarin, from a different era of Iron Man, and has a completely different agenda to Mandy. The Ghost is a corporate bogeyman who tries to bring down businesses, not an assassin as such, even though he is completely ruthless and killed the Spymaster in the comic.

If the Ghost worked with anyone, it would be Justin Hammer, but then he'd no sooner betray Hammer as soon as he turned his back.

Mandarin needs another communist type.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[This message has been edited by Welshcat (edited 07-18-2003).]

07-18-2003, 01:46 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Bigkid:
I would think, for starters, that The Mandarin would be at the top of the list to show a nemesis for a first IRON MAN flick. The actor to play him, though?? Maybe John Lone (Year of the Dragon, The Shadow). I believe he's the most recognizable of Shellhead's enemies, and therefore, why not start off with him, just like they did in Spider-Man with showing Green Goblin. WELSHY....... are you also saying that you'd like to see Hawkeye featured in this film? If so, let me know, and I'll SHARE with you my thoughts on who'd I would like to see!
I'll try to get more thoughts in on this topic as I can (to be honest, IRON MAN was never one of my fav's), so I don't know how much I can contribute here. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, I don't think having Hawkeye or Black Widow now would be such a good idea, on second thoughts. They were okay as villains at the time, but they've evolved too much into heroes since then. But I'd still be interested in who you'd have as Hawkeye. That's not a bad suggestion for the Mandarin though.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

Darth_zaiyen

07-18-2003, 03:24 PM

I think the best villian for the first Iron Man movie would be a few bottles of Jack Daniels. No big techno-villians, just a man, with an incredible suit of armor, over-coming his human flaws.

07-18-2003, 05:20 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Darth_zaiyen:
I think the best villian for the first Iron Man movie would be a few bottles of Jack Daniels. No big techno-villians, just a man, with an incredible suit of armor, over-coming his human flaws.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, the movie could have had Justin Hammer as the villain, a corporate rival and evil mastermind. He was, after all, the villain who drove Tony to the bottle in the first place, framing him for murder and kidnapping him. I personally would've loved it if they did the whole of the classic "Demon In A Bottle" storyline from Iron Man #120-128 as the first movie, showing Tony's steady decline into alcoholism, eventually overcoming the problem with the help of Bethany Cabe. The storyline even has a flashback to Shellhead's origin, so that is how it could be fitted into the film. The plot is very James Bond-like, action packed yet full of human drama, and would be realistic enough. Unfortunately, however, I don't think they'll probably go with that for the film. http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/frown.gif

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

brokenstatue2001

07-19-2003, 03:12 PM

Well, Tony's alcoholism is a very dark , yet, important part of Iron Man's story, but, they might have to do something to justify him throwing on armor and flying around kicking bad guys asses. I think it will be mentioned in the film, as it should be, but would we be able to see him conquer it? That would be a good idea, I think to end the movie not knowing if Tony would be able to beat his alcoholism, to actually show concern for his character that way.

Soccerdude

07-21-2003, 12:51 PM

Who was that old guy from MORTAL KOMBAT?the chinese dude?he was also in the DISNEY channel TV Movie Jonny Tsunami(he was the grand dad)he should be Mandarin.I would also like to give Iron Man alot of personal probs,then have Mandarin show up.u know,have STARK INDUSTRIES start losing stock,tony can't keep a girl,he has an alchoholism problem,his hearts doing bad,his only friend is james rhodes,and then,all of a sudden,this chinese dude with rings comes up.

07-21-2003, 02:48 PM

Soccerdude, do you mean Mortal Kombat the movies or the tv series? The one in the tv series was Bruce Locke, and yes he was very Mandarin-like. But he seemed a bit young for the part although that could be worked around easily. But if you mean the MK films, then I think someone else has already suggested that before.

As for other villains, depending on the age range they go for with Tony Stark, then for Obadiah Stane I'd like to see either Tom Noonan (Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter) in the role if older, or perhaps Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) if they go younger. Personally I'd prefer Tom Noonan as Rosenbaum is too obvious, and Noonan would lend a definite air of menace and gravitas to the role as Stark's nemesis. He's also very tall and that would make him very imposing and could portray a real sense of ruthlessness as the person who ruins Stark and drives him back to the bottle.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

[This message has been edited by Welshcat (edited 07-21-2003).]

Soccerdude

07-23-2003, 02:01 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Welshcat:
Soccerdude, do you mean Mortal Kombat the movies or the tv series? The one in the tv series was Bruce Locke, and yes he was very Mandarin-like. But he seemed a bit young for the part although that could be worked around easily. But if you mean the MK films, then I think someone else has already suggested that before.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I meant the films,and yes,i think somebody DID mention it before,although i don't know who.

I never saw the series except for like,a few minutes @ a friends house.(He taped a bunch of series,and while searching for Iron Man,we came across it) I believe either could pull it of,as the one from the films is too old now. but who cares about age? It would make Mandarin look wiser.

08-15-2003, 02:36 PM

I was wondering, could anyone see someone like Sammo Hung (Martial Law) as Wong Chu? I know he doesn't usually play villains, but he has the size and could probably look like him if he grew a beard etc.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

01-20-2004, 01:44 PM

Originally posted by Plastic Man: i've been thinking what villain should they use for the IRON MAN move? i think they should use the TITANIUM MAN becasue in the comic he was IRON MAN'S most persistent villain and they had kick ass battles!

01-20-2004, 01:45 PM

Originally posted by Oldsoul3300: I always associate The Mandarin as Iron Man's main Big Bad, but they'd have to do a bit of an overhaul on him to make him a viable screen villain. Maybe if they made The Mandarin a rival industrialist along the lines of Justin Hammer.

06-14-2004, 06:29 PM

Just bumping this up to the top. You can post your villain ideas here.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

ironfan

06-15-2004, 06:56 AM

If I had to guess on how the villians will be in the first movie, since it's been widely reported that the story will involve industrial esponiage, the list of villians could include Madam Masque,Ghost,Spymaster and most likely ether Justin Hammer or Obidah Stane, that's just a guess

Bigkid

10-26-2004, 10:41 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Welshcat:
So here's another thread for old Shellhead's enemies and some casting ideas. Just in case people can't remember who there are, here's a quick list of the most popular villains (i suppose we won't have Gargantua or the Mad Pharoah in there):

The Mandarin
Crimson Dynamo
Titanium Man
Justin Hammer
Obadiah Stane/ Iron Monger
The Chessmen
Yellow Claw
Blizzard
Blacklash/ Whiplash
The Melter
Force
Madame Masque
The Dreadnoughts
Spymaster
Count Nefaria & The Ani-Men
Sunfire
The Raiders
Sunturion
Stratosfire
Firepower
Morgana Le Fey
Modok
The Ghost
The Living Laser
The Beetle
Ultimo
AIM
Goliath (of the Masters of Evil)
Fin Fang Foom
Black Widow (unless she's a hero)
Hawkeye (unless he's a hero)
The Guardsmen (unless they're heroes)

Well that's just for starters. Any ideas?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Just thought I'd bring back and re-visit some of the villains..... I know bearpod had brought up the subject, so......here ya all go!! Admitedly, I'm not that big of an Iron Man fan, and the only bad guy who I think that would make the most sense would be Mandarin......he was the one villain who (well, to ME anyway), was the most recognizable villain that would be created for an Iron Man film. He's to Iron Man what Joker is to Batman.

Pod

10-27-2004, 06:15 PM

whoa i got this idea back from the dead of 4 months! but i'm those confused new fans that have questions that many would know the answer to so i will stop typing now...... NOT!

in the recent comics of iron man whos the villian there? because sometimes the writers take storys from new comic books.

[This message has been edited by bearpod91 (edited 10-27-2004).]

Junkyard

11-02-2004, 10:20 AM

Well, I read a bit of the latest Iron Man news on the front page, and guess what: they wimped out again. He's likely going to be going against his military father. No real supervillains, just another government/ company villain.
Well, masybe they'll do a super powered thug.

11-02-2004, 10:40 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Junkyard:
Well, I read a bit of the latest Iron Man news on the front page, and guess what: they wimped out again. He's likely going to be going against his military father. No real supervillains, just another government/ company villain.
Well, masybe they'll do a super powered thug.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, I am personally dissatisfied by this. Who cares about Howard Stark? He was never that prominent a character in the Iron Man comics at all - only really shown more in the later issues circa #300, albeit in flashback. He just isn't that important a character. So as far as casting him, I have no idea, because I don't really care for him at all.

At least we could've had Justin Hammer or Obadiah Stane if they wanted a "realistic" non-super villain. We would've had a character actually from the comics, and one who was a very real threat to Tony Stark. Howard Stark as the villain is just a retread of the Hulk movie with "David" Banner as the villain. Who wants to see that again? Maybe Nick Nolte will do the rounds once more as the overbearing father?

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

Bigkid

11-02-2004, 11:36 AM

I read this bit of news as well, and, as I've stated before, I was never that big of a fan of the comic, so I'm not too familiar with why people wouldn't want this in the first place. However, WELSHY does point out, that Howard Stark wasn't that big of a player in the first place (I believe that he said he only came on in issue #300 or so and it was in flashback). I mean, I didn't even KNOW that Tony Stark HAD a father by the name of Howard, so that pretty much shows how out of it I am when it comes to THIS particular book. However, they do say in the IGNNF news report, that because they've got a great character arc where Tony Stark is concerned, they will be able to attract a major, NAME star for the role of Tony/Iron Man...... in other words, in this instance, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.

11-02-2004, 02:12 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Bigkid:
I read this bit of news as well, and, as I've stated before, I was never that big of a fan of the comic, so I'm not too familiar with why people wouldn't want this in the first place. However, WELSHY does point out, that Howard Stark wasn't that big of a player in the first place (I believe that he said he only came on in issue #300 or so and it was in flashback). I mean, I didn't even KNOW that Tony Stark HAD a father by the name of Howard, so that pretty much shows how out of it I am when it comes to THIS particular book. However, they do say in the IGNNF news report, that because they've got a great character arc where Tony Stark is concerned, they will be able to attract a major, NAME star for the role of Tony/Iron Man...... in other words, in this instance, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That you didn't know Tony had a father named Howard is no big thing. It's not something so known to the casual fan, and he certainly isn't anything other than a footnote in Iron Man history. Having Howard as the villain would be almost like having Richard Parker (Peter's father) as the villain in Spider-Man, were they to mention Mr Parker in less than a handful of Spider-Man issues. Tony Stark really needs one of his nemeses like Justin Hammer or Obadiah Stane, if not one of the super-powered villains like Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man or the supposedly un-PC Mandarin. Even Madame Masque would do nicely.

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

Junkyard

11-02-2004, 02:53 PM

Yeah, and can someone please explain how these writers are making the connection between comic books and Fruedian concepts? I mean, besides perhaps the spandex?

I dunno. If I were making a comic book movie, I'd go all out. I mean, yes, maybe a corporate badguy is more belivable, but would people say, "You know, that Manderine Guy was pretty cool, but I think the movie would have been better if the villain was Iron Man's father, or maybe a government corporation."

11-03-2004, 11:59 AM

Just when you thought you were confused about who on earth is Howard Stark, Marvel appears to be retconning IM into the 21st century. To this end, they are now saying that Howard Stark was Tony's grandfather rather than father. Now this could be a mistake, or the other possibility is that Tony's dad will be Howard Stark Jr while his grandfather will be Howard Stark Sr, and Tony Stark will, of course, be Anthony Howard Stark. Get it? Or do you grow more confused by the minute? http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/confused.gif
http://www.popcultureshock.com/viewer.php?type=reviews&id=3446&p=5

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Meoww! Send in the clowns!

Junkyard

11-04-2004, 04:35 PM

From what I hear, they're going to hold off actually revealing Howard Stark until the end, where they'll reveal that Tony Stark's father is Howard the Duck.

"My God! My oily back, my addiction to stale bits of bread, my embarrassing tendency to go 'WAAAUUGGHH' when I'm upset- this explains EVERYTHING!"

Oldsoul3300

07-13-2005, 04:37 PM

--I had always wanted the Mandarin for the villain in the Iron Man film, though I think the character would need a MAJOR overhaul to not be seen as just some cultural stereotype bad guy.
I haven't read the comics in a while, so I'm not sure if they've updated him at all.
I think ultimately the villain used will depend on what sort movie they're shooting for.
They could go the costumed Super-Villain route or the corporate-espionage route.
I personally would love it if they could update the Mandarin and work it in to the corporate rivalry angle.
CASTING -
Justin Hammer - Christopher Lee or Chistopher Plummer
Mandarin - Chow Yun Fat

Pod

07-22-2006, 09:00 PM

Well many of you guessed it and it has been officially announced that...Mandarin is the villian.

07-25-2006, 06:45 PM

Well I'm glad to hear that it will be the Mandarin in the first movie. He is, after all, Iron Man's arch nemesis, and not having him at all would be like not having Magneto in the X-Men movies, Dr Doom in the Fantastic Four, Kingpin in Daredevil or Green Goblin in Spider-Man. It would be the face off between technology and sorcery.

But Afghanistan doesn't quite fit with the Mandarin (Afghanistan is the new setting for the film instead of Vietnam). At least if it was somewhere in South East Asia it would've worked - and why does it have to be tied to a current war? Won't that date it more than having some fictional war in the Orient? They could always say that the War on Terror extended to South East Asia somehow or it could just be a completely different war altogether.

I wonder if the Marvel Legends figure gave Mandarin a push for the movie?

And which actor do you think would make a good Mandarin?

Bigkid

07-30-2006, 07:09 PM

I hadn't heard that they were going to place it in Afghanistan, that is surprising, considering that they are using Mandarin as the villain. But maybe they are making him a terrorist who happens to be Asian & is sympathetic to the Islamic Fundamentalist movement(?) Who really knows? I think we'll just either have to wait for the film, or more information will be leaked by Favreau on his myspace blog. Which, I believe, is what's going to happen. 8)

Oldsoul3300

07-30-2006, 11:26 PM

Well, if memory serves me (and it doesn't always) Mandarin was not tied to the origin of Iron Man in any way. So, it's not really an issue that they're re-locating the creation of the first Iron Man suit to Afghanistan.

07-31-2006, 11:32 AM

True the Mandarin isn't tied into Shellhead's origin, but the recent trend in comic films is that they have tied one character into another's origin. I believe they did this also with something like the Heroes Reborn Iron Man (or was it Ultimate Iron Man?). Anyway, one of them, where Wong Chu was either replaced by the Mandarin or was working for him.

I do hope Mandarin isn't merely reduced to some terrorist though - he still needs to retain his rings and his powers otherwise it would be merely a token nod to his character but he could've easily been someone else newly invented.

And I would like the Mandarin to have a great deal of menace and presence thoughout the film. Remember the first Bond movie, Dr No? Dr No, the Chinese SPECTRE operative and megalomaniac didn't appear until about two-thirds of the way into the film, but his presence was felt early on, even with reports of him or a disembodied voice speaking to his lackeys. He had an almost mythical presence, with many of the islanders on Crab Key in Jamaica fearful of him and his reputation while believing him to own some kind of dragon (which was really an armoured fire-breathing tank painted to look like one).

The Mandarin ought to be like that and have that same kind of menace. Favreau could learn a lot from watching that movie.

The Xenos

07-31-2006, 12:59 PM

Well I could see if.. if..

Gosh damn, Mr Cat. That Maria Sharpanova banner in your sig is a tad bit distracting,

Anyway, I'm rather hoping they don't tie in Mandarin's origin with Iron Man. I understand how it somewhat fits the movie format, but I think a good filmaker can esablish a villian and a hero's origin separately from each other. I think mixing them up is just an easy way out.

I hated it in Batman. I hated it in Daredevil, which seemed like a pale imitation of what I already hated in Batman. I disliked Doom in the FF film, but the origin linked with the heros was one of many problems.

08-01-2006, 09:47 AM

BTW - I hear that Obadiah Stane might be in this movie - not as the main villain but maybe there in the background, perhaps setting him up for a future sequel.

Is there any truth to this rumour? And if so, who would you cast as Stane? And how young would you cast him? Should he be younger or older?

I know Michael Rosenbaum, as he has played Lex Luthor, could seem very Stane-like if they went younger. On the other hand, you don't want Stane to be too young but perhaps more similar in age to Stark or older.

darth_paul

08-02-2006, 10:01 AM

08-02-2006, 10:43 AM

I like the concept of the Mandarin, and think that it's the natural choice for the villain in the Iron Man movie, but really the only exposure that I have of the villain is from the Iron Man cartoon back in the 90's where he led a team of IM's foes against IM and his team, "Force Works" which included Spider Woman II and War Machine! I liked that show a lot, but one thing about the Madarin that was a bit odd was the fact that he had green skin. Since I haven't seen the character in any recent comics, nor have I seen any recent action figures, I have to ask is his skin really green? If it is then I'd like the character to remain as true as possible, but since it will probably help make the film better then I say lose the green skin.

The cartoon was actually the oddity, as the Mandarin NEVER has green skin in the comics. I don't know why they did that in the cartoon - maybe to make him more kid friendly? Anyway, since his introduction in Tales of Suspense back in the 60s all the way to his appearances now, he has always simply looked oriental in appearance, with a Fu Manchu type mustache. Sometimes he looked a bit like Ming the Merciless (with the skullcap) from Flash Gordon, but other times he resembled that Chinese sorcerer in Mortal Kombat - what was his name now? Shao Khan?

Zac

08-03-2006, 03:06 AM

I wanna see Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Mandarin, just cuz that guy is cool.

easy D

08-03-2006, 11:12 AM

Chow Yun Fat. No doubt.

darth_paul

08-04-2006, 04:57 PM

Bigkid

08-06-2006, 05:18 PM

I liked both Zac's & EASILEEE's suggestions for casting The Mandarin, but I think John Lone or that guy from Hero......the one who played The Emperor........ would be great. My guess is, is that they could actually go with a complete unknown in The Mandarin role........just like I think that an unknown in the role of Iron Man could work out just as well as if they'd decided to bring Tom Cruise in. I think that a fresh face for the role of Mandarin would be better, even though I've already said that I think John Lone would be a great choice. He's a terrific actor, that's why I brought him into the equation, but for this film, an unknown could work out just as easily (if not better).

shaneomac

08-08-2006, 12:40 AM

I really don't have a casting idea, but I love the idea of Mandarin in itself. He is one of my favorite villains of all-time, and I can't wait to see him on the big screen. I hope they do him right.

BTW, that guy from Johnny Tsunami would fit in pretty well.

tecspyder

08-08-2006, 10:34 PM

I'm not too familiar with the Mandarin, but I was discussing the casting choice with one of my friends that happened to be Asian and he seemed pretty upset about the whole thing. He thought the name "The Mandarin" was derogatory and racist. I thought it was kind of a strange reaction, but once I started to think about it, I could understand how he could get that idea. I think the film makers have to very careful not to offend anybody with this character.

Mtheumer

08-10-2006, 07:57 AM

Your friend seems to be a little up-tight. Mandarin Chinese is simply a regional Chinese dialect as opposed to Cantonese. So being named "The Mandarin" is like being called "The Southerner".

08-10-2006, 08:16 AM

Your friend seems to be a little up-tight. Mandarin Chinese is simply a regional Chinese dialect as opposed to Cantonese. So being named "The Mandarin" is like being called "The Southerner".

That's not the only meaning of the word "Mandarin". It could also refer to an imperial bureaucrat of Imperial China or a type of orange, a dress, collar or even a duck among other things.

See all the various uses here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin

Personally, I say we need to put aside some of these PC oversensitivities or we can lose a lot of creative flair in fiction. These days the villains in movies are really bland because everyone's too afraid of offending others. It's just fantasy, and the Mandarin himself was indicative of a period in history. One day Hollywood are going to end up sanitising the War on Terror in movies for fear of offending Middle Easterners and simply retconning history and having them as some generic villain of no particular nationality.

Essex

08-10-2006, 08:33 AM

Personally, I say we need to put aside some of these PC oversensitivities or we can lose a lot of creative flair in fiction. These days the villains in movies are really bland because everyone's too afraid of offending others. It's just fantasy, and the Mandarin himself was indicative of a period in history. One day Hollywood are going to end up sanitising the War on Terror in movies for fear of offending Middle Easterners and simply retconning history and having them as some generic villain of no particular nationality.

Is it really an oversensitivity if somebody was offended? I would think PC oversensitivity would be constantly worrying about offending people for no reason, but it seems there might be a reason.

Maybe the Mandarin is a product of a time past, but that time is indeed past. I'm very worried about bringing the Mandarin on screen. If he doesn't appear as a walking stereotype he'll barely be the character from the comics at all.

I don't agree that villains are boring these days because they're being sanitized. I strongly disagree with that. If I find anything boring it would be the lame rejuvenation of long-forgotten cultural stereotypes. I hope for the film's sake that the Mandarin character is greatly altered.

08-10-2006, 11:46 AM

Well I don't see a problem if the Mandarin is conceived of like some kind of Rhas Al Ghul from Batman or a Shao Khan from Mortal Kombat. Those characters could potentially be seen as cultural stereotypes, but you don't hear people constantly complaining about them. Remember in the comics, the Mandarin was an actual Mandarin - a high-ranking government official - before he lost his position and sought out the technology from the rings and all the Mal... Malu... (oh bummer - however you spell it) science. I don't think it problematic in first keeping his name, and then becoming something foreboding like Mr Ghul, but with more hair (anything's more hair than that Professor X hairstyle). Couldn't Mr Ghul be seen as a Mandarin-type character? Was he so offensive?

Besides, the Chinese themselves use some of this imagery in their own films. If they're going to be so offended by these so-called stereotypes, then why do they find it okay to use them themselves, often as villains?

For instance, martial arts actor, Hwang Jang Lee, villain of a dozen kung fu films (particularly Jacky Chan films like Drunken Master or Snake in the Eagle's Shadow) often sports a Mandarin-type look, albeit toned-down.

http://warhawkppc.freeservers.com/woongheadlook.jpg

Wouldn't this look be acceptable for an Iron Man movie without him needing to look just like some regular Chinese businessman without a mustache, maybe carrying a briefcase, business suit, glasses, a photo of his daughter in his wallet etc?