The Mandarin

I saw Iron Man 3 a week ago and I have to say I'm on the side of the fence that's disappointed with the film. In my retaliation, I stepped out of that cinema with a drive to work on my next piece, one that captures the whole essence of the true arch-nemesis of Tony Stark, The Mandarin!

One of my oldest Iron Man comics was issue #241 way back from 1989, and it was my first introduction to the villain. With this piece, I opted to go for a combination of both his comic book costume and the costume that Ben Kinglsey wore in the movie. I kept the hood and the darker shade of green from the movie design, as well as the way the cuffs hung separately from the sleeves. The rest of the costume is a modified version of his comic outfit, with the golden flames from the bottom and the triangular shape on the chest area which I reworked to mesh in well with the overall look. I spent a lot of time working on the design and I'm pleased with how it turned out especially with the oldish texture I put on the coat to make it look ragged and worn out.

His features are the standard Mandarin look from the comics with the trademark long hair and facial hair, and I made sure to colour each of the Ten Rings as accurate as possible, even using a reference to know which colour is in each finger. The black flames I have sprouting from his hands and encircling his body was just something I cooked up to bring more life to the piece, and it honestly does give him a more intimidating look.

Many comic book fans were excited to finally see this classic villain represented on the big screen, but I found myself wanting. I know some have arguments that try to justify the movie but they should know that comic book fans are a hard audience to please, and there is no waving away our thoughts and sentiments. Hopefully this piece gives justice to the character for all those out there who feel the same way as me, and maybe someday we'll truly see this classic villain the way he should have been portrayed.