So many of the villains who came into being during the first decade of the Marvel Universe were connected in some way to the Cold War. The 'Communist threat' loomed large in the '60s, so nothing was more scary to Americans that the 'Reds'. This unfortunately led to many of them being depicted as stereotypes that modern audiences would find shocking. While the Mandarin was an enemy of Communist China, he certainly fell into the loose category of a threat from the East. This also made is tough for Marvel to find a comfortable place for Iron Man's primary villain as time moved on.
As such, the Mandarin's earliest appearances can be an uncomfortable read. But it's not just the stereotypes that might make you wince. Many of Iron Man's early stories just weren't that strong and haven't aged well, which makes a 'must-read' guide to Mandarin stories pretty tricky to put together. Despite being the biggest foe in Iron Man's rogues gallery, the Mandarin's appearances in other titles tend to be the better tales. Thankfully, Joe Casey and Eric Canete reworked, modernised and expanded his origin in the fantastic Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin mini-series, so there's now a decent place to start!
The Mandarin has been involved in some strange plots over the years, including a body-swap with the Unicorn, creating a robot Hulk to fight Iron Man and having a hand in Psylocke's transformation into a ninja (that one's pretty cool, though). Despite some questionable attempts to cause chaos in the western world, the power of the ten alien rings that grant him access to ten different powers gave him enough of a reputation to ally with the Prime Movers who plotted against the Avengers as part of the 'Acts of Vengeance'.
MCG Notes:
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Mandarin stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Part of the Mandarin's chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every appearance of this character from this period is included in chronological order - mapping out his timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #1(pp.1-2) (2007)
The Mandarin discovers the crashed Makluan spacecraft in the Valley of Spirits in China, obtaining the great power...
Tales of Suspense #50[1/2] (1964) / Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #1(pp.3-22)-2(pp.1-13) (2007)
First appearance of the Mandarin, the Makluan Power Rings and the Mandarin's Castle; the Mandarin refuses to work with Communist China and share the power of his ten rings; Iron Man investigates the Mandarin's Castle while on a reconnaissance mission for the US Military; Iron Man clashes with the Mandarin but defeats him and escapes back to America to report back his findings.
Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #2(pp.14-22)-4 (2007-2008)
The Mandarin shifts his focus from Iron Man to Tony Stark, employing the Scarecrow to infiltrate Stark Industries and hypnotising his own son Temugin to working as a Stark employee.
Tales of Suspense #54[1/2]-55[1/2] (1964) / Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #5-6 (2008)
Tony Stark heads to Vietnam to monitor the testing of his newest missile design; the Mandarin captures Iron Man, holding him prisoner to lure out Tony Stark, not realising Iron Man and Stark are the same man; Iron Man escapes, destroying the Mandarin's Interceptor Ray and leaving him swearing revenge.
Tales of Suspense #61[1/2]-62[1/2] (1965)
Tony Stark lays low to hide the fact that his health is failing and he's using his Iron Man armour as life-support, leading Pepper Potts to believe Iron Man has killed Tony Stark; the Mandarin captures Iron Man again and reveals his origins including how he obtained his rings from a Makluan starship; Iron Man escapes, leaving the Mandarin to the wrath of the Chinese Army.
Fantastic Four Annual #3[1/4] (pp.1-19) (1965)
Heroes & Villains #1 (1996)
Fantastic Four Annual #3[1/4] (pp.19-22) (1965)
First appearance of the Invisible Girl/Susan Storm as Susan Storm-Richards; first modern appearance of Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe; the Mandarin is among the villains coerced by Doctor Doom into attacking the Fantastic Four on Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl's wedding day during THE WEDDING OF SUE AND REED.
Avengers #20 (1965)
The Mandarin forms an alliance with the Swordsman, upgrades his armour and sends a message from 'Iron Man' to the Avengers, vouching for the Swordsman to become a new member of the team; the Swordsman plants bombs in Avengers Mansion but his plan is discovered.
Tales of Suspense #76[1/2]-78[1/2] (1966)
First appearance of Ultimo; the Mandarin teleports Tony Stark to his castle to witness him unleashing the giant robot Ultimo; Stark accesses his Iron Man armour, narrowly defeats Ultimo by luring it into a volcano and once again leaves the Mandarin to the wrath of the Chinese Army.
Tales of Suspense #84[1/2]-86[1/2] (1966-1967)
Tony Stark suffers a heart attack and is rushed to hospital where it's discovered he's using the Iron Man armour as life-support; Happy Hogan dons the Iron Man armour to help Tony maintain his secret identity; the Mandarin teleports Happy to China, believing him to be the real Iron Man; Tony Stark upgrades is armour and rescues Happy; the Mandarin's castle is destroyed by a test missile, presumably killing the Mandarin.
Avengers Annual #1 (1967)
The Mandarin returns, convincing the Enchantress, Executioner, Living Laser, Power Man and Swordsman to attack various cities around the world; they're opposed by the Avengers who realise the Mandarin is involved when he unleashes Ultimo once again; the Avengers stop the Mandarin from using his Hate Ray on the Earth from his space station which is destroyed; the Mandarin is sucked into space.
Incredible Hulk #107-108 (1968)
Having survived his clash with the Avengers, the Mandarin attempts to use the Hulk as a pawn against the Chinese Government who would blame the United States and spark World War III; Nick Fury helps free the Hulk who destroys the Mandarin's Castle.
Incredible Hulk #114 (1969)
The Mandarin allies with the Sandman in order to have his revenge on the Hulk; unimpressed by the Sandman's efforts, the Mandarin turns him into glass.
Iron Man #9-11 (1969)
The Mandarin pits a robot version of the Hulk against Iron Man and learns it's Tony Stark who's wearing the armour; the Mandarin's fiancé Mei Ling sacrifices her life to save Janice Cord from the Mandarin's deathtrap; a Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark restories his secret identity; Iron Man and Janice Cord escape the Mandarin's ship which crashes, leaving everyone to believe he's dead.
Captain America #125 (1970)
Captain America uncovers the Mandarin's plot to increase the conflict in Vietnam to he take over the region in the ensuing chaos; the Mandarin is defeated when he's sent plummeting into a moat.
Amazing Adventures #3[1/2]-4[1/2] (1970-1971)
The Inhumans interrupt the Mandarins digging party as they search for the missing Eye of Yin, only to accidentally uncover it for him; the Mandarin absorbs the Eye's power, but the Inhumans still defeat him, leaving his rings buried in a collapsed underground cavern.
Iron Man #57-58 (1973)
First appearance of the Mandarin as 'Gene Kahn'; the mysterious Gene Kahn accuses Tony Stark of being a Communist, resulting in strikes at Stark Industries and Iron Man soon learns he's really the Mandarin; having obtained a Makluan headband and retrieved his rings, the more-powerful Mandarin joins forces with the Unicorn; the two villains accidentally blast each other, switching their minds into each other's bodies.
Iron Man #68-70 (1974)
The Mandarin builds a Mind-Transfer Machine to return both himself and the Unicorn to normal after their recent body-swap and kidnapping Sunfire to power it; Iron Man frees Sunfire; not even Ultino can save the Mandarin when he's killed by the Yellow Claw who lays claim to the Mandarin's Castle; the Claw's lackey Loc Do steals the rings from the Mandarin's corpse.
Iron Man #95 (1977)
No Mandarin appearance; Mandarin manipulates events behind the scenes, inserting Jon Rich as an assistant to a US Senator resulting in Ultimo being unleashed on Washington with Iron Man trying to stop it.
Iron Man #98-100 (1977)
Kevin O'Brien dons the Iron Man armour when Tony Stark falls fighting Sunfire; the Mandarin teleports O'Brien to to his lair; Stark rescues O'Brien, revealing himself to be the true Iron Man, then confronts the Mandarin's Death-Squad alone; the Mandarin reveals his mind was transferred into his rings at the moment of his death and he then took over Loc Do's body in order to live again; Iron Man destroys the Mandarin's Castle but allows the villain to live.
Iron Man Annual #5 (1982)
Iron Man helps the Black Panther fake his own death to draw out the saboteur responsible for destroying a Stark International warehouse in Wakanda; initially, it seems Erik Killmonger has somehow returned from the dead until he's defeated and his body returns to a skeletal state; elsewhere, the Mandarin loses control of Killmonger's animated corpse and curses the failure of his plan.
Iron Man #179-180 (1984)
The new Iron Man (James Rhodes) destroys a shipment of electronic devices the Radioactive Man was due to obtain for the Mandarin; the Mandarin lures Iron Man into a trap, forces him to remove is helmet and put a blade to his own throat...
Iron Man #181 (1984)
James Rhodes' headaches help him break the Mandarin's control over him; as Iron Man, he tricks the Chinese Air Force into destroying the Mandarin's base and makes his escape during SECRET WARS.
1985 #4, 6 (2008)
The Mandarin is among the villains attempting to escape to Earth-1219, a world without super-powered heroes.
Iron Man #241-242 (1989)
The Mandarin forms an association with the Hand ninja clan, allowing some of them to utilise his rings; as 'Zhang Tong', the Mandarin has no knowledge of past associations with Tony Stark due to an accident with his Mento-Intensifier Ring, but challenges him to a televised fight for the right to own Stark International; Iron Man defeats the Mandarin during HEARTBEATEN.
Avengers #311 (1989)
Mandarin cameo; the Mandarin is first seen among the gathering of villainous masterminds known as the Prime Movers, organising attacks on heroes by foes they've never faced before during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Captain America #366 (1989)
Mandarin cameo; the Prime Movers are joined by the Red Skull during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Avengers #312 (1989)
While fighting among themselves, the Prime Movers observe the Avengers' battle with Freedom Force during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Web of Spider-Man #61 (1990)
Mandarin cameo; the Prime Movers discuss Spider-Man's sudden decision to quit crime-fighting despite his surge in power during ACTS OF VENGEANCE / THE COSMIC SPIDEY SAGA.
Uncanny X-Men #256 (1989)
First appearance of Psylocke/Elizabeth 'Betsy' Braddock as Lady Mandarin; the Hand offer the captured Psylocke to the Mandarin in return for a new alliance; Psylocke is physically transformed into the assassin Lady Mandarin during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Uncanny X-Men #267 (1990)
No Mandarin appearance; 'Lady Mandarin' consolidates the Mandarin's power in Japan by taking over various mobs; she's confronted by Wolverine and Jubilee but easily defeats them and takes them prisoner during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Avengers #313 (1990)
Avengers West Coast #55 (1990)
Uncanny X-Men #258 (1990)
The Mandarin and Wizard decide to take the fight to the Avengers directly, going against the Prime Movers' plans; Mandarin betrays the Wizard to avoid capture; Mandarin escapes again when the true mastermind behind the 'Acts of Vengeance' is revealed; returning to Japan, Psylocke breaks free of the Mandarin's control and, with Wolverine, convinces him to let them go free during ACTS OF VENGEANCE.
Avengers Annual #19[3/5] (1990)
Mandarin appears in flashback sequences; the Avengers retrospectively assess the movements of the Prime Movers following their triumph over the Prime Movers (addressing continuity issues in the process).
- 1991-2012: Heart of Darkness
Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin
Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin #1-6.
Acts of Vengeance: Avengers
Includes...
Includes...
Avengers #311-313
Avengers Annual #19
Avengers West Coast #55
Acts of Vengeance: Spider-Man & X-Men
Includes...
Includes...
Uncanny X-Men #256-258
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