Yin's aid unless he first defeats the Mandarin. But the Chinese government throws a wrench in the works when they issue a demand - Tony can't receive Dr. Tony and his buddy Rhodey head to China in the hope of enlisting the aid of a doctor named Su Yin. "The Dragon Seed Saga" picked up in the wake of Armor Wars II, with Tony suffering from a debilitating virus that's destroying his nervous system. But he made the rare choice to forgo the artist's table and write this Iron Man storyline with artist Paul Ryan. 1 #270-275 At Marvel, John Byrne is best known for his stints on Uncanny X-Men and Fantastic Four. But then again, why expend the effort when it clearly never works? The Dragon Seed Saga As Seen In: Iron Man Vol. That was a "decision" he probably regretted down the road. But thanks to the influence of Mandarin's mind-control powers, Tony was convinced to spare his enemy's life. Ultimately, he was able to defeat the villain and remove his rings. Thus began a heated battle where Tony countered Mandarin's magic with his newest and most advanced suit yet. This conflict reached its climax in Iron Man #100, where Tony faced the true architect of his recent misery. His ailing heart condition also returned as a plot element. That quickly led to him facing a gauntlet of villains, including Ultimo, the Guardsman, and even Sunfire - the world's crankiest mutant.
This storyline saw Tony called to Washington under accusations that he was a security risk. "Ten Rings to Rule the World" was an early example of this, as well as Mandarin's habit to lurk behind the scenes and let others wear down Tony Stark before he attempts to deliver the killing blow. 1 #95-100 Not unlike Joker, Mandarin has a habit of cheating death and returning to plague his nemesis yet again. Ten Rings to Rule the World As Seen In: Iron Man Vol. Some readers took issue with the less than noble portrayal of this long-time villain, but it was still an interesting look at the psyche of a tyrant. The constantly changing script and increasingly outlandish scenes shed light on Mandarin's massive ego and latent resentment at his many defeats. In this issue, Mandarin kidnaps a world-famous filmmaker and orders him to create the definitive film account of Mandarin's long life. That issue paved the way for the character's appearance in the main series. A more recent effort to overhaul the Mandarin came in Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man Annual #1. Canete's kinetic visuals also lent an extra flourish to the initial brawl between the two enemies. Casey embraced the goofiness of the Silver Age while still managing to mold Mandarin into a more menacing and fleshed out villain. As Casey did with Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (and Marvel's Season One graphic novels are doing currently), Enter the Mandarin used a handful classic comics as a foundation but expanded and modernized the material to form a more cohesive story. But while those issues are interesting as early glimpses of the Mandarin, the definitive Mandarin origin can currently be found in Joe Casey and Eric Canete's mini-series Iron Man: Enter the Mandarin. Mandarin's actual first appearance happened way back in Tales of Suspense #50, but it wasn't until issue #62 that Stan Lee really shed light on how Mandarin came to be and what made him tick. Mandarin's origin story and first encounter with Iron Man has been retold and re-imagined several times as new writers have tackled the character.
1 #50 & 62, Iron Man - Enter the Mandarin #1-6, Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 You either die a hero or live long enough to see your origin story retold over and over again. Multiple As Seen In: Tales of Suspense Vol.
With Mandarin finally making his live-action debut in Iron Man 3 next month, we figured now was the perfect time to look back at the most memorable battles between Iron Man and Mandarin, ranging from the Silver Age all the way to Matt Fraction's recently concluded Invincible Iron Man. Naturally, the two characters have clashed a number of times over the decades.