Marvel Studios will bring its second theatrical release of 2021 with Simu Liu's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at the beginning of September. The team behind the MCU is looking forward to introducing a whole new dynamic to the MCU with the world of martial arts while also looking back at the story's earliest days.
The Ten Rings organization featured in this movie's title has existed within the MCU's story since its first film in Iron Man when they kidnapped Tony Stark, and their presence was felt through the Iron Man sequels as well. They even helped usher in the arrival of Ben Kingsley's Mandarin, although Iron Man 3 revealed him to have been a prop actor.
Surprisingly, Kingsley made an appearance at the first major public event for Shang-Chi, leading to rumors and eventually a confirmation that he would be reprising his role as Trevor Slattery.
During his walk down the red carpet, Kingsley took the opportunity to speak freely on his unexpected return to the MCU.
MY NAME'S TREVOR...TREVOR SLATTERY
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight from the red carpet event for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Trevor Slattery actor Ben Kingsley confirmed that he will be reprising his MCU role in the new movie.
The actor praised Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige for being "a lovely man" and always looking "to make people happy" before thanking him for the opportunity to come back in Shang-Chi.
Not holding back his excitement, he expressed that he was "delighted to be here" as he enjoyed the festivities of the Marvel Studios red carpet:
"As you just saw, I was talking to Kevin Feige. What a lovely man. Big heart, generous, kind, and for the people, and to make people happy. Simple, simple, and lovely, and essential. And thanks to Kevin and Robert Downey Jr. and Drew Pearce and Shane Black, I am in this movie, and I'm a member of the Marvel family, because their welcome on Iron Man 3 was so astonishing and generous that I'm still with Marvel again. And I'm delighted to be here!"
BEN KINGSLEY MAKING A SURPRISING COMEBACK
After being taken into custody during Iron Man 3, Ben Kingsley's Trevor Slattery has only made one other short MCU appearance in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail The King. This short confirmed that the real Mandarin wasn't pleased with Slattery's antics, although it's unclear if these events are technically canon within the MCU.
With Tony Leung's Mandarin and the Ten Rings fully coming into play, Slattery may finally face the consequences of faking the Mandarin persona in Iron Man 3. It's still unclear how prominent of a role he will play with so much other action coming in this outing, but the confirmation of his return alone is an exciting development for the MCU's overarching narrative.
This move will help Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings tie in easily to its MCU predecessors with Slattery's story continuing, even if it's only for a moment.
With Kingsley's excitement to return and hype building for this movie's upcoming release, fans are certainly looking forward to seeing a hint of the Iron Man legacy pushing forward into Phase 4.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will release in theaters on September 3, 2021.
