How 'Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings' Redeemed 'Iron Man 3'
It’s no secret that Iron Man 3 was poorly received by fans and is considered to be the worst of the trilogy. Audiences love Robert Downey Jr. (and the unpredictable hero he played) but despised the villain plot twist that occurred in his final solo movie. Furthermore, many also felt there was too much Stark and not enough Iron Man in the film. However, Marvel (with Shang-Chi) was able to rectify the mistakes made in the movie without de-canonizing what has already happened but rather by building on the story in another movie.
Iron Man 3’s main problem stemmed from its “ Mandarin” twist. The villain in the comic books is a powerful enemy who controls the fabled (and powerful) 10 rings. The film baited Ben Kingsley’s character as the heinous villain but he was eventually revealed to only be a patsy. The film’s true villain Aldrich Killian was spurned by Stark years ago and used Ben’s character (Trevor Slattery) as a decoy to rise to power. In the end, he came close to victory but was narrowly defeated by Stark. As much as audiences claimed they craved a “different” MCU movie they were not ready for a film that dealt with a hero's PTSD and one that also subverted their expectations of who or what a villain could be. They felt the snubbing of Iron Man‘s arch enemy was an unforgivable move and the movie felt flat and rushed. There was the cultural erasure of the character and the loss of everything that could come with it in future movies.
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings came in two phases and 19 movies after Iron Man 3 but added depth to the movie and the MCU as a whole. The phase four movie told the story of the titular character (and his best friend Katy) as he confronted this past, reconnected with his family, and became the owner of the powerful Ten Rings. Shang-Chi’s father (Xu Wenwu) had used the rings over generations to attain power and immortality but recently had become at odds with his children. After years of being apart, they are captured and returned home. There Wenwu explains to Katy that “names are sacred” and that years ago a terrorist from America appropriated his group “The 10 Rings” for his own benefit. He chuckled as he explained, “America was terrified of an orange: The Mandarin.” Canonizing the villain and his name but also addressing the absurdity of the situation. It was a simple but imaginative way to correct the mistakes of the former film without having to change anything that had previously occurred. They even brought back the character Trevor Slattery as Wenwu’s prisoner and jester. He conveniently gives the heroes information, helps them escape, and is able to join them on their quest.
The adjusting of the narrative by Shang-Chi allowed what was great about Iron Man 3 to finally shine. The movie took many risks that haven’t been fully appreciated until recently. Fans sometimes prefer a good easy-to-watch comic book movie instead of a great movie about a comic book character that addresses real issues. Addressing Tony’s PTSD was a bold move that grounded the character and prepared him for what he would go through in future movies. Allowing RDJ to show us Tony’s vulnerability and taking him out of the suit was as necessary to the character as when he was removed from his billionaire lifestyle in the first movie. Without this growth, Tony would never have grown into the person that sacrificed himself in the movie Avengers: Endgame.
Shang- Chi introduced an entire world to us and showed audiences that they would have to trust the directors, writers, and most importantly Kevin Feige. Most of the complaints people have against the final movie are now moot and show that the studio (usually) does have a plan. Iron Man 3 is not perfect but is an amazing addition to the MCU that can finally be appreciated for what it is
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Source(s): Wikipedia [1], [2], ScreenRant