The Mandarin revealed

Ever since it was announced that The Mandarin, Iron Man's arch-nemesis, would be the main villain in Iron Man 3, I've been curious as to how he would look. Because he was a character created back in the 60s, the Mandarin had a lot of racial caricature in his design and motivation and there was going to be a lot of re-working to make him work in the 21st century. Well, Empire Magazine has got the reveal...

Love it. At first it seems like the combination of different elements (samurai top-knot, bin laden beard, Chinese robe, terrorist camo pants and combat boots) shouldn't work but I think they come together to create a unique but still recognizable look for the character. That and the vaguely Asian lair, the Iron Man helmet under his foot and the bitching sunglasses give the Mandarin the feeling of an old-school Bond villain. I can't wait to see Ben Kingsley in this get-up playing the kind of villain he should have been in Prince of Persia.