MANDARIN THEORIES- “WHAT IS UP WITH TREVOR?!”
Below I have assembled the most popular theories about what will happen regarding the Mandarin. I’ve placed them in what I consider to be least likely to most likely. So lets dive in.
#5- TREVOR GOES INSANE
SCENARIO: Our good friend Trevor is taken to prison or an insane asylum where suffers a major break from reality. He begins to embody the character he played while working for Killian. He eventually breaks out to lead a life of crime as the real Mandarin.
LIKELIHOOD- LOW
WHY?: Even if Trevor does go insane and decides to become the real Mandarin, he’s not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. Also where would he even get henchmen or people to work for him? I doubt the Ten Rings or AIM would pass leadership to some has been actor. Basically he’d turn into a crazy person running around. It would take about three seconds for him to get beaten and returned to jail and a beat cop would likely do it.
#4- EMPOWERED/POSSESSED TREVOR
SCENARIO: Trevor is dragged off to prison for the part he played in Killian’s plan. Perhaps he’s even deemed worthy of a cell in a super villain prison. Either way, the idea here is something/someone possesses him and turns him into a real criminal genius while empowering him with magic rings. A semi-popular theory is that the over arcing villain Thanos gives him his magic rings and recruits him to help begin his attack on earth. Allowing Trevor to have the intelligence and powers to be a real threat.
LIKELIHOOD- LOW
WHY?: Even with intelligence and the powerful rings, you still run into the problem of who would follow Trevor after he escapes prison? The Ten Rings won’t and AIM definitely wouldn’t. Also there is the question of who in their right mind would pick Trevor as the ideal candidate to possess or give an important mission too? He’s pretty much the worst applicant for the job.
#3- KILLIAN IS STILL THE "REAL MANDARIN"
SCENARIO: Nothing happens. That’s it. The theory is pretty much that the secret project is nothing major and will only be playing Trevor up for laughs again. Meanwhile Marvel will stick to their guns and keeps Killian as the MCU version of the Mandarin, as was their original intent in Iron Man 3.
LIKELIHOOD- MODERATE
WHY?: Well it isn’t hard to guess why Shane Black took the character in the direction he did. He was trying to avoid making the Mandarin a racist relic of the cold war, while also avoiding comparisons to Bin Laden. It made sense for them to re-invent the character in a potentially less offensive way and it’s easy to see them wanting to maintain that. However this idea also begs the question of why even bother doing this secret project if nothing is even going to change or be revealed?! It would likely just tick off those already upset with twist.
#2- "Lesson Number One, There Is No Trevor"
SCENARIO: There is no Trevor Slattery. The character was a ruse created by the Mandarin to prevent anyone knowing his real identity as he worked with Killian. This has always been a popular theory. Either he did it too make an easier escape from jail, or to avoid the death sentence, or to get access to other supervillains/SHIELD technology. This would work well with a potential Avengers, Iron Man, or Captain America sequel where we see the Mandarin break out with an assembled Masters of Evil to combat the world’s greatest heroes.
LIKELIHOOD- HIGH
WHY?: There is no reason this couldn’t work. Certainly the true Mandarin would be smart enough to lie to War Machine and Iron Man after he was caught. And if he was a criminal genius than maybe he was planning this all along. Overall this would make for a very interesting double twist for Iron Man 3 while setting up for potential sequels.
#1- The Real Mandarin Is Still Out There
SCENARIO: The fact that AIM was responsible for everything in Iron Man 3, and not The Ten Rings, has left Marvel a back door to create another Mandarin. This theory is even further re-enforced by Latino Reviews latest breaking story. In this scenario Killian was either working for or with the real Mandarin to create supersoldiers, manipulate the American government, and create a fake Mandarin. Latino Review claim the real Mandarin will appear in a Marvel One-Shot, upset with how Trevor and Killian diminished his name.
LIKELIHOOD- HIGH
WHY?: There are several factors that support this. The first is the obvious back door that Marvel left, leaving room for other interpretations of the Mandarin. Also when Tony Stark enters Trevor’s room there are fake beards and prosthetics on the walls. This opens the possibility that not only was Trevor a fake Mandarin but he had undergone a transformation to look more like the real Mandarin (which would allow Ben Kingsley to return and play the role…if Marvel wants him to). Now why would Killian make him undergo plastic surgery or extreme make up if he just needed some shmuck as an evil face? Could it be to make him look more like the real Mandarin? Also with the new story that Latino Review broke, this is looking more and more like a viable possibility.
What do you think? What do you believe is going on with the Mandarin secret project? What are you hoping for?