Disney's Investor Day 2020 event made some major Marvel announcements, including the confirmed cast for their upcoming film, Shang-Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings. Actor Tony Leung, who was previously confirmed by Kevin Feige to play The Mandarin, appeared in Shang-Chi's cast list, but was listed as playing a character by the name Wenwu. There has been no character of that name in the comics, so could Wenwu actually be The Mandarin's real name, or is it just an alias that he uses throughout the film?
The Mandarin Has Used Aliases Before
While The Mandarin's real name has never been revealed in the comics, he has gone by a number of aliases throughout the years. In Iron Man Vol. 1, #241, Tony Stark comes into conflict once again with his nemesis in Hong Kong, who had taken a stronghold over the city while using the alias of Zhang Tong. In later comics, The Mandarin supposedly dies after a battle with Iron Man, with the character disappearing for almost 10 years before returning. He eventually returns under the name of Tem Borjigin, an identity that he held until his death at the hands of The Punisher.
Outside of the comics, a number of names have been tied to the title of The Mandarin. In the Iron Man: Armored Adventures animated series, The Mandarin is a title used by multiple characters. The original Mandarin in the series scattered the Makluan Rings (aka the Ten Rings) all over the world. One ring was claimed by Xin Zhang, who also took the Mandarin name before he was forcefully replaced by his stepson, Temugin aka. Gene Khan, who in the original comics, was the name of The Mandarin's son and a wielder of the Rings, but never held his father's name.
Is Wenwu The MCU Mandarin's Real Name?
Based on the character's history in the comics, Wenwu could either be the real name of the current holder of the Mandarin's title or an alias that is used by the original Mandarin as a public front, depending on which path the movies will follow. In Iron Man 3, the story of The Mandarin is well-known enough that Aldrich Killian was able to assume the identity based on legends that he had heard. This seems to align it closer with Armored Adventures than the comics, where the original Mandarin was indeed a legend with multiple characters holding the title over the years. If this is the route Shang-Chi takes, it could be possible for Wenwu to actually be the real name of one of the Mandarin's title holders, but not necessarily the original.
As there is little information on Shang-Chi's plot at this time, it is unknown why Leung is being listed as Wenwu despite the previous confirmation of him playing The Mandarin, but the character's history seems to indicate that it is either a made-up alias or the real name of the current holder of the title. Another reason why Marvel might be using Wenwu instead is that they might be saving it as a surprise reveal for casual moviegoers, similar to how Quentin Beck's villainous turn as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home was kept as a "surprise" for non-comic readers.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Daniel Callaham, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stars Simu Liu, Tony Leung, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Jiang Nan, Meng'er Zhang. Ronny Chieng, Fala Chen and Jiang Len. The film arrives in theaters July 9, 2021.
