The newest instalment in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe is set to release on Disney+ in mere days,
so I’ve put together a list of the most relevant previous MCU entries of
both the movies and shows to watch before the Wonder Man series
hits our screens.
For this first entry, I recommend starting with Iron Man
3 (2013) which (kind of) introduced the armoured Avenger’s
comic book arch-foe, The Mandarin. Controversially, the movie instead delivered
a rug-pull moment and revealed ‘The Mandarin’ to be (SPOILERS!) actor
Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) playing the role of the
terrorist villain in propaganda material for the real mastermind of the film.
The fallout from the controversial decision was mitigated somewhat
with the release of the short film All Hail the King, first released on
the 2014 home release of Thor: The Dark World and now easily
found on Disney+. The short focuses on the incarcerated Trevor
Slattery being interviewed by a reporter who reveals there is a real Mandarin
who is very much angered at his title and Ten Rings organisation being
co-opted. The ending is ambiguous, with Trevor being broken out of
prison to meet his namesake…
Next up, 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming
introduced the Department of Damage Control, who were responsible for
cleaning up in the wake of the Battle of New York seen in the first Avengers
movie.
Notably, they grow and take on more responsibilities,
collecting advanced technology and policing those with superpowers as we would
see in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Ms. Marvel (2022)
and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). The most relevant DODC
member is Agent Cleary (Arian Moayed) who will return in Wonder
Man, pursing Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).
Meanwhile, Trevor Slattery returns in Shang-Chi
and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), having been kept almost as a
court jester by Wenwu (the real name of ‘The Mandarin’) to
entertain members of his Ten Rings organisation. I’m curious to learn
how Trevor made it back from mystical Ta Lo and headed to Hollywood
for Wonder Man…
Hopefully that’s all the background you might need before
Wonder Man releases this week.
Until I go full method and gain superpowers requiring cool
shades, I remain
frogoat