Every Host Of The Mandarin’s Ten Rings In The Comics, Ranked

MCU’s latest movie Shang-Chi and the Legend Of The Ten Rings explores the powerful Makluan rings belonging to the villain, The Mandarin, in a satisfactory manner. However, there are plenty of other details about the rings that only comic fans are familiar with. One of such details involves the fate of the rings after The Mandarin’s death.

After the villain was defeated by Tony Stark, the rings fled from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Weapon Vault Omega. Each ring found a new host, thus creating 10 different versions of The Mandarin with specific powers. While some of the hosts were canny, enterprising, and innovative, others felt lost after their lives were drastically altered by the rings.

10 Lord Remaker

Appearing in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #21, Lord Remaker was a Chinese warlord who took over Mandarin City after The Mandarin’s death. The Matter-Rearranger Ring, aka Remaker, located him and chose him as the first host, making him Mandarin-One.

Lord Remaker was one of the worst hosts of the rings because he lacked a proper blueprint on how to live with the ring. His attempts to use the atomic powers of the rings to create bombs in order to attack Troy Central Control only succeeded partially. He couldn’t agree with other ring bearers too, hence he found himself being fought by Mandarin-Seven before being beheaded by Malekith the Accursed.

9 Marc Kumar

Mark was a freelance marketing executive in The InvincibleIron Man (Vol. 5) #27. He fell in love with Pepper, who together with Tony, makes up one of the best couples in the MCU. By listening to Pepper’s tales about her time with Stark, he concluded that the billionaire had mistreated her. The Mento-Intensifier Ring, aka The Liar, hence saw him as an appropriate host and approached him.

As Mandarin-Eight, Marc failed to accomplish anything. His single attempt at trying to fight Tony Stark ended in defeat as the Avenger took him out with a repulsor blast, leaving him admitted in the ICU of a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital. His hate towards Tony was also misguided and it led to losing the only person he cared about. After learning that he had tried to go after Tony, Pepper returned the engagement ring he gave her and declared that she had nothing but love for her boss.

8 Colin Sixty

A clone created by A.I.M. in Iron Man: Fatal Frontier Infinite Comic #11, Colin was selected by the White Light Ring aka Daimonic, as its host, effectively becoming Mandarin-Two. After several failed attempts at killing Iron-Man, Colin was eventually defeated by Iron Patriot.

Colin’s failure in almost everything he tried also makes him one of the worst hosts of the rings. Despite having plenty of powers (since he wasn’t human) he failed at killing both Iron Man and Malekith the Accursed. He also wasn’t self-sufficient as he had to rely on the help of 3 other Mandarins in his missions. Even with the assistance, he still failed.

7 Lightning Conductor

In The Invincible Iron Man(Vol. 5) #26, an unnamed Broadway director became bitter after Tony fired him from a musical about his life. The Lightning Ring quickly grabbed the opportunity and made him Mandarin-Nine, giving him Electro-Blast powers.

Lightning Conductor’s lack of goals made him an unlikable host. All he desired was to fight Iron Man and even that task seemed too heavy for him. He was unaware of the extent of his powers hence he found himself needing to recharge at the most inconvenient of times. His lack of awareness also made him fail to anticipate the attack by Malekith the Accursed, who decollated him before stealing his ring.

6 Thomas Wilkins aka Endotherm

Wilkins was an incompetent security guard at Stark International’s London branch in Iron Man #136. He constantly feared getting fired so he figured that killing Stark would be the best way to avoid that. After Stark thwarted Wilkins’ plans, the Ice Blast Ring approached him to become Mandarin-Ten.

Wilkin’s delusional nature qualifies him as one of the worst ever hosts of the rings. He was also unable to do anything right since even after stealing some of the best gadgets from Stark International, he was unable to put up a fight against Iron Man. Wilkins was also too weak that Abigail Burns was able to take his ring without much effort.

5 Victor Kohl aka The Exile

Kohl was considered the black sheep in his family because he didn’t pass through Terrigenesis hence he was eager to prove himself.  When the Black Light Ring aka Nightbringer chose him as Mandarin-Five in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #28, he was more than glad to accept.

As host, Kohl hardly did anything admirable. His decision to allow the ring to fully control him led him to choices he would regret, such as killing his own family. He was also not noble enough to take responsibility for his own actions, and he instead blamed Iron Man for not stopping him. He was also too incompetent as a member of the Inhumans that Medusa had to boot him from the group.

4 Harvey Elder aka Mole Man

The Mole Man—one of the first villains the Fantastic Four fought in the comics—was also selected by the Daimonic ring in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #26. As Mandarin-Six, he tried to create ring-powered advanced weapons but was stopped so he escaped and took up a new gig as a bounty hunter of HYDRA operatives.

Most villains are often too egotistical to accept defeat but Mole Man knew he couldn’t win against Iron Man and the Dark Angel so he fled. His refusal to become Mandarin Prime when given the chance also highlighted his analytical prowess. He was aware it would all be pointless so he chose to leave the ring behind.

3 Alec Eiffel

Alec Eiffel was chosen by the Votex Ring aka Spin as its host in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #25, thus becoming Mandarin-Three. Like Mole Man, he aimed to create superweapons that could destroy cities.

Eiffel proved to be smarter than other hosts by making a pact with Tony Stark to retrieve the rest of the rings. It might have been one of the most unlikely friendships in Iron Man comics but it didn’t last because Eiffel betrayed Stark. His cunning ways aside, he was also incredibly gifted. He had super speed, something even Tony acknowledged by admitting that he was as fast as Quick Silver (who moves at 4091 m/s). And unlike other realms, he also had teleportation powers that allowed him to move through realms.

2 Abigail Burns

Abigail was an activist who felt the world would be a better place without hegemony and capitalism. Seeing her as a suitable host, the Flame-Blast Ring, aka Incandescence, approached her in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #18.

Abigail was a great host because she chose to do the right thing after discovering that all her ring wanted was for her to get rid of Iron Man. Most of the other hosts were villainous, but Abigail performed plenty of heroic acts, first attacking Mandarin-One and Mandarin-Five then helping Tony Stark destroy the weapons base in Sinister London. She also had plenty of resilience as she was still keen on fighting injustice even after both of her arms were severed by Malekith the Accursed.

1 Malekith The Accursed

Traditionally one of Thor’s main comic book villains, Malekith the Accursed was approached to serve as the new bearer of the Disintegration Beam Ring, aka Spectral in Iron Man (Vol. 5) #23. Instead of being content with the single ring, he attacked other hosts as he wanted the entire set of rings in order to become the one and only Mandarin.

Malekith’s ambition set him apart as the best host of them all. He was an incredible fighter and strategist, seen from how he attacked all the other hosts without getting himself killed or harmed. When he was cornered by his new adversary Iron Man, he was also wise enough to make a deal for the Avenger to spare his life in exchange for the ring he had. More impressively, he managed to flee back to Asgard and begin a new war with Thor.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1233 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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