Speaking before an audience at The Second Floor (T2F), according to The Express Tribune, Pakistani-American actor Faran Tahir recently mused about his breakout role in the first venture of Marvel Studios, Iron Man. Revealing as to why he considers the 2008 blockbuster his greatest Hollywood achievement, Tahir recalls having a say about the film's depiction of the bad guys.
According to the actor, Iron Man originally portrayed Raza and his Ten Rings soldiers of fortune as belonging to one religion; ultimately depicting Muslims in a negative light. “After seeing the script, I spoke to [director Jon Favreau and producer Kevin Feige] and explained that it was a superhero movie, in which the bad guys can be mercenaries. To my delight, they saw the point.” Speaking about Hollywood and screenwriters in general, he added, “They don’t know what we are like in real life and it is not their responsibility to clear misconceptions about us.”
Based on what we've seen from Iron Man 3 so far, Faran Tahir may have had an influence on Marvel and director Shane Black's take on The Mandarin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley. Beyond the inclusion of the Ten Rings, there's no further indication that Iron Man 3 will see Raza's return.
Back in 2009, however, Faran Tahir pondered the idea by stating, “At some point, they want to introduce Mandarin into the storyline and my character, like Mandarin, was the leader of the Ten Rings. We left it open because, partly, it makes good business sense for us to leave a little bit of uncertainty for people to speculate on.” Oddly, Tahir failed to offer an update on the matter amid his chat above.
Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968. “Iron Man 3” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures & DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing & Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Charles Newirth, Stan Lee & Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film hits May 3, 2013, & is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.