• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Ben Kingsley “wasn’t worried” about fan reaction to The Mandarin twist

February 12, 2014 by admin

Iron Man 3 might have kicked off Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a bang last year, but one aspect of the film that split fans was ‘The Mandarin Twist’, whereby – SPOILERS – Ben Kingsley’s villain was actually revealed to be a drunken British actor portraying a role at the behest of Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian. Obviously this was a huge departure from the source material, but star Ben Kingsley has revealed that he “wasn’t worried” about how fans might react to the big reveal.

“I wasn’t worried. I truly wasn’t worried,” Kingsley told The Huffington Post during a promotional interview for the Thor: The Dark World One-Shot All Hail the King. “When I worked a lot in the theater before I became heavily involved in movies, which I love, I was privileged to play a lot of Shakespearian roles that most people in the audience were familiar with and everyone has their preconception of … so, it had to be my Mandarin. It had to be my Trevor. I think that what I’m saying is that I tend to take on the character and not be concerned too much about the audience’s reaction to how I’m portraying it and which direction I’m going. So, I didn’t even think of the twist. I thought f it as one whole balanced acting exercise. So, if it’s naive of me, I apologize. But, it didn’t worry me that, ‘Ooh, this might be rejected.'”

Kingsley then went on to discuss the reaction to the twist, stating that: “I can only respond by congratulating Kevin Feige, Drew Pearce and Shane Black on holding their nerve — on holding their nerve right through the shoot. When I came back to do some little tidy up reshoots, I thought, Oh, they’re still holding their nerve. This is still Trevor and the Mandarin. And to hold your nerve as a Marvel Comics filmmaker is great. They did. If they would have wobbled, I would have been dead in the water. They held their nerve. Terrific. And I think you’re right — I don’t get too heavily involved with feedback; I express and then I’m done. I paint my portrait and then I put my brushes down and I walk away. But it has filtered through to me in a gentle way that very, very, very few people indeed were upset by that twist. Even avid Marvel fans, they went along with it.”

Were you a fan of the Mandarin Twist, or should Marvel have stuck to the source material? Let us know your thoughts…

Why not head on over to our newly-launched Flickering Myth Forum to discuss this story, or anything else that takes your fancy…

Filed Under: Uncategorized

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Rise of Paul Thomas Anderson: A Living Legend

The Best 90s and 00s Horror Movies That Rotten Tomatoes Hate!

The Essential Exorcism Movies of the 21st Century

MTV Generation-Era Comedies That Need New Sequels

Great Forgotten Supernatural Horror Movies from the 1980s

Cannon Films and the Search for Critical Acclaim

The 10 Best Villains in Arnold Schwarzenegger Movies

The Films Quentin Tarantino Wrote But Didn’t Direct

20 Epic Car Chases That Will Drive You Wild

Sin City at 20: The Story Behind the Stylish, Blood-Soaked Neo-Noir Comic Book Adaptation

Top Stories:

Peacock’s true crime drama Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy gets a trailer

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

Great Tarantino-esque Movies You Need To See

Great 2010s Thrillers You May Have Missed

New trailer for Netflix mystery-thriller series Untamed starring Eric Bana

7 Underrated World War II Romance Movies

Movie Review – Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (2025)

Movie Review – Sovereign (2025)

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

Who is the Best Final Girl in Horror?

Cannon’s Avengers: What If… Cannon Films Did the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Ranking Horror Movies Based On Video Games

Friday the 13th at 45: The Story Behind the Classic Slasher

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket