the Mandarin

When Oscar winner Ben Kingsley signed on to play the Mandarin in “Iron Man 3,” he joined a legion of super actors who have brought serious chops to villainous roles in comic-book movies throughout the years. In the “Iron Man 3” trailers, Kingsley’s Mandarin is calm and possessed, like a Zen master of evil, as he orchestrates the destruction of Tony Stark’s world. “Ladies, children, sheep,” he says in the first “Iron Man 3″ trailer in a menacing intonation all his own. “Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. Lesson No. 1: Heroes. There is no such thing.” Iron Man Quiz: How well do you know Tony Stark? But, whether Kingsley’s performance will live up to the best supervillain turns in cinema history remains to be seen. Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman in “Batman Returns,” for example, might […]