Grossing over $1 billion in box office alone, Ironman 3 was certainly the best of Ironman movies, but not everyone agrees. Sure, it had a ton of amazing action sequences as well as a great story about facing your demons that we can all relate to in one way or another. Though despite all these highlights, some fans were disappointed with the character of the Mandarin. Well, what if I told you Marvel fixes all that in their upcoming DVD/Blu-Ray release for Thor 2: The Dark World?

In a special Marvel One Shot – a mini video that explains something that wouldn’t fit into its own movie  – we see how the Mandarin is doing now that he has been exposed as nothing more than an actor by the name of Trevor Slattery. Through this short, we get to learn about Trevor’s mother as well as his past acting gig for a failed 80s TV show about a Russian cop with a vodka drinking monkey – I don’t understand why it failed either.

A photo of Trevor and his mom (left) and a shot from his failed TV show (right).

As for the reason why some fans were upset about the Mandarin being a fake villain, it’s because in the Marvel universe he is actually an immensely powerful villain who. Though his origins are usually slightly varied, he ultimately is a warlord who’s acquired 10 rings of power that he got from an extraterrestrial dragon of sorts. As you can see, a very outlandish character – as well as slightly racist in his depiction – which is exactly how Ironman 3 portrayed him: as a character that is too outlandish to be real.

On the other hand, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanding like it did in Thor and Avengers, the Mandarin as initially conceived could be possible. Now since I’ve already seen the special before it’s release date, I won’t spoil the reveal. Although, I can tell you that ‘The Mandarin’ is actually a true force of evil in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We suspected that all the way back in Ironman when the terrorist organization that captured Tony was called “The Ten Rings”.

The short film also opens with a quote from William Shakespeare: “Come not between the dragon and his wrath”. Remember that extraterrestrial dragon  I spoke of earlier? Well its name was Fing Fang Foom, and this quote could be a slight reference to him – as well as the countless other dragon-like references surrounding The Mandarin. Though personally, I hope this is a direct reference to Fing Fang Foom himself.

What this means for the future remains to be seen. Robert Downey Jr has only signed up for Avengers 2 & 3 – and that was a miracle in and of itself. With Marvel wanting to promote their new franchise additions, I don’t think there’d be an Ironman 4 – though no one would want to see it more than me! If it was Tony vs the real Mandarin that would be amazing, but who knows. Maybe he might turn up in Avengers 3, or sooner in Avengers 2: Age of Ultron due out May 2015.

Regardless of what happens from here on out, Marvel has left the door open to some pretty awesome potentials. So go buy Thor 2: The Dark World on DVD/Blu-Ray and watch this amazing short, and as with all Marvel films: STAY FOR THE POST CREDITS!!!!! Let’s just say we get to check in with one of Tony’s other . . . nemeses.