Mandarin (Marvel)
The Mandarin is a male comic supervillain that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
According to one account, his father was descended from Genghis Khan himself but had married beneath his status by being wedded to a high born Englishwoman. Upon his son's birth, his father died when an idol fell on him thus killing him whilst his mother died shortly afterwards of a broken heart. The orphaned child fell under the care of his fathers sister who resented the boy as he was heir to her brothers fortune and could not inherit it as a result. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62)
Whilst exploring the vessel, he found a helmet that contained a mental-impulse log from its pilot who was Axonn-Karr of Maklu-4 who claimed to be an explorer. From these recordings, he had learnt of the worlds the alien being had visited and his fate as his alien dragon-like form saw him being attacked by humans leading to him being mortally wounded with him dying in the process. Thus, the legend of dragons was said to had come to the lands of China with these stemming from Axonn-Karr and his vessel that had resided in the Valley of Spirits. whilst exploring the vessel, he came upon its power source that were ten gems that resided in ring-shaped constructs that the Mandarin took them for himself as he sought to use their power to become the master of Earth. He then set up his base at a nearby castle where he studied the science of Maklu-4 and went through the logs of the alien pilot as well as applied his newly developed knowledge on the rings. The Mandarin determined that each of the rings contained a separate power and he utilised them in dominating nearby villages through the use of the power of the mind control ring. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62)
The Mandarin
Return
In the aftermath of his death, the Mandarin's rings were confiscated and placed in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Weapons Vault Omega alongside other dangerous weapons. (Iron Man v5 #20) The artificial intelligence of the rings was then upgraded leading to them developing sentience. (Iron Man v5 #28) This saw the majority escaping captivity in order to seek wielders whilst the Liar Ring remained behind to project a telepathic illusion to make everyone believe the rings remained in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody. (Iron Man v5 #20)
Despite his seeming death, he returned and formed into an alliance with Baron Zemo who was looking to turn the island of Bagalia into a sovereign state. To that end, as Tem Borjigen he was assigned as the country's foreign representative where he used his ruthless talents to convince ambassadors in the United Nation's to recognise the state. Those that refused were murdered by the Mandarin which brought some tension between him and Zemo who wanted to appear more legitimate. He later attended a press conference in New York as part of the efforts at getting Bagalia recognised where he was shot in the head by the Punisher armed with a sniper rifle with a bullet able to pierce his personal shield. (Punisher v12 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
The Mandarin was said to had been a proud man as the blood of the Khan's resided in his veins. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62)
He was raised by his aunt who was his fathers sister where she taught him to hate the world the way she had hated everyone. She came to die the moment the family's fortune was stripped from them by the government thus leaving the Mandarin all alone in the world. Despite her death, he did not mourn for her as he had been taught not to shed tears as per his status as a nobleman. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62)
Powers and abilities
In his youth to adulthood, much of his fortune was used to teach him the sciences of the world and the art of warfare along with the crafts of villainy. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62)
From the Maklu-4 spacecraft, he discovered ten small rings that contained gems within them which had powered the vessel allowing it to travel cross galaxies. Each were said to contain unlimited energy where each had a separate power. (Tales of Suspense v1 #62) Among the rings included:
- Incinerator Ring :
- Remaker Ring :
- Liar Ring :
- Lightning Ring :
- Zero Ring :
- Nightbringer Ring :
- Influence Beam Ring :
- Daimonic Beam Ring :
- Spin Beam Ring :
- Spectral Beam Ring :
It was said that the rings were not truly rings but that they took on the shape of something understood by the user in that they were something that could be worn. They were actually vessels that contained the essence of long-dead warriors of cosmic legend that were trapped in a phantasmal state contained in a form of a hard drive. As a result, the user became a vessel for their flesh as they sought to means of resurrection. (Invincible Iron Man v1 #522) Each ring also contained a quarantined Makluanian artificial intelligence weapon for when they were separated from their wielder. Their programming was to analyse the situation on a planetary scale and attempt to influence it to something more favourable to general cosmic principles. (Iron Man v5 #28) They were able to engage in time dilation where they slowed reality running for their user to give them time to make their decisions. A ring could also run the nervous system of a host in order to fulfil desired functions with maximum efficiency. Reaction speed, however, did not allow the user faster reflexes thus meaning that they could respond to an attack but not evade them. (Iron Man v5 #20) A virtual communication nexus for the ring sentience's existed in a place called the Ring of Rings. (Iron Man v5 20.INH)
At one point, he made use of a giant highly advanced and heavily armed dragon-themed aircraft called the Dragon of Heaven. (Iron Man v3 #9)
Notes
- The Mandarin was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck where he made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense v1 #50 (February, 1964).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Marvel Super Heroes, the Mandarin appeared in the Iron Man segments of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Henry Ramer.
- In Iron Man, the Mandarin appeared as the primary antagonist of the 1990s animated television series where he was voiced by actor Ed Gilbert in Season 1 and by actor Robert Ito in Season 2.
- In Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Gene Khan appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Vincent Tong.
Films
- In The Invincible Iron Man, the Mandarin appeared as the primary antagonist in the setting of the animated film where he was voiced by actor Fred Tatasciore.
Video games
- In Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, the Mandarin appeared as a boss antagonist in the setting of the video game where he was voiced by actor James Sie.
- In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, the Mandarin appeared in the setting of the Facebook video game.
- In Marvel Heroes, the Mandarin appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game where he was voiced again by actor Fred Tatasciore.
Appearances
- Tales of Suspense v1:
- Iron Man v1:
- Invincible Iron Man:
- Punisher v12:
External Links
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