RED CARPET ALERT: Ben Kingsley at Disney’s Shang-Chi Premiere
What did you do last night, Marvel Blog True Believers? I streamed the Red Carpet premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and let me tell you, it was a very exciting event! Among the many other awesome things to transpire was the fact that Sir Ben Kingsley appeared, revealing the fact that he appears in the movie!
Ben Kingsley and Daniela Lavender attend Disney’s Premiere of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” at El Capitan Theatre on August 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Who Is the Mandarin?
You might not realize this, but the “Ten Rings” in the title of Shang-Chi have been around the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning: the terrorist organization that kidnaps Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the very first Iron Man (2008) flies the Ten Rings flag.
The Mandarin’s Ten Rings from The Invincible Iron Man. Photo: Marvel Comics
The organization re-emerged in Iron Man 3 (2013), in which it was revealed that the person who the general American public believed to be the figurehead of the organization, “The Mandarin,” played by Kingsley, was actually a racist, stereotyped character being played by down-on-his-luck actor Trevor Slattery.
Trevor Slattery played by Kingsley. Photo: Marvel/CinemaBlend
Slattery was incarcerated in federal prison, and in the short “one-shot” All Hail the King, which was released with the February 2014 home video release of Thor: The Dark World.
In that movie, we saw what happened next: a documentary filmmaker interviewed Slattery… but it turns out, it was all just a ploy to put Slatterly into the hands of the real individual who he was impersonating: Wenwu, the leader of the real Ten Rings criminal organization!
Kingsley in All Hail the King. Photo: USAToday
What Happens Next?
So what happens after Slatterly is kidnapped by the Ten Rings? There’s only one way to find out, Marvel Blog True Believers! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters on September 3rd, 2021, and for streaming on Disney+ 45 days afterwards.
Sir Ben Kingsley with fans at the World Premiere of #ShangChi pic.twitter.com/RsIAjqYFEk
— Shang-Chi (@shangchi) August 17, 2021
Will you be heading to theaters to see Shang-Chi? What do you think is in store next for Slattery? Which Shakespearian role do you want to see Slattery play next? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comment section, Marvel Blog True Believers!
