Warning: If you haven't seen "Iron Man 3," there are major spoilers ahead.
"Iron Man 3" is doing phenomenal at theaters.
It took in a massive $175.3 million at the box office opening weekend, broke opening-day records in China, and is closing in on $700 million worldwide already.
While it's highly successful, and people are calling this the best "Iron Man" yet, many fans have one big gripe with the film.
All the trailers for "Iron Man 3" present Ben Kingsley as the main villain, a terrorist named The Mandarin.
Rave reviews before the film debuted pinned Kingsley as a spectacular adversary for Tony Stark, one of the best in ages.
One review specifically claimed he was reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance of the Joker in 2008's "The Dark Knight."
There's only one problem.
If you've seen the film, Kingsley doesn't play a villain at all.
Rather, he plays Trevor Slattery, a drunken, aspiring actor playing the role of the Mandarin for the camera.
The commercials completely duped us. They were one giant rick roll.
Many of the reviews for the film discussed a giant twist in the film, and it turns out this was it.
Don't get us wrong, Kingsley's phenomenal in the role. We were so intrigued—and thrown off—by the odd take on the character that it was difficult whether or not to be upset with director Shane Black for pulling one over on us.
Instead, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who barely received any praise in reviews, turned out to be the main villain, a scientist driven mad with ambition and power.
In the Extremis comics, upon which the film is loosely based, Killian commits suicide. By the end of the "Iron Man 3," he outted himself as the real Mandarin.
The only reason we see Kingsley as "The Mandarin" was to "give evil a face" as Killian described it on screen.
While movie goers in our theater didn't seem to be annoyed at all by this twist, overall, fans appeared torn over Marvel's decision to reinvent the classic character:
Iron Man 3 was a great movie! I was just disappointed in what happened with the Mandarin!
— Cody Rosales (@CRosales13) May 6, 2013
WHAT MARVEL DID WITH THE MANDARIN IN IRON MAN 3 WAS A DISGRACE...
— sʇǝǝp ɹǝddɐp (@SuperDuperDeets) May 6, 2013
I hate how iron man 3 changed the concept of the mandarin Only the superhero nerds understand. It was a good movie but I'm disappointed
— Kevin Randolph (@MindofKBR_0133) May 6, 2013
Iron Man 3 you did alright outside if the whole mandarin thing. Ben Kingsley, while great, still an odd choice.Personally.
— Robbie V (@lobster_writer) May 6, 2013
Just seen Iron Man 3. Thought it was great. The twist w/the Mandarin was well done. Brilliantly played by Kingsley. @iron_man @marvel
— David Moreno (@DMorenoOfficial) May 5, 2013
We must demand spinoffs featuring Ben Kingsley's 'The Mandarin'. Call Joss.
— Roby Brown (@RobyMB) May 6, 2013
Director Shane Black told Entertainment Weekly his and co-writer Drew Pearce's argument behind the big Mandarin twist:
“What if he’s sort of this all-things-to-all-people uber-terrorist? What if he is the myth, and in the end that is what we’re dealing with, a created myth that [a research group] has perpetuated and cobbled together using elements from popular consciousness,” Black says. “It felt like it said more about the world we live in than just having [Iron Man] fight another terrorist, as opposed to putting a spin on it that said something about the way we view terror, perhaps.”
If you saw "Iron Man 3" did you enjoy the big twist in the film?
SEE ALSO: "Iron Man 3" scored big this weekend at the box office >
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