The Mandarin is dead but his rings return in the hands of a new villain this summer

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The Mandarin's rings will return in Iron Man #22

Iron Man #22 cover excerpt
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The ten rings wielded by classic Iron Man foe The Mandarin have become a hot button topic for Marvel fans in recent years, as the MCU redefined the artifacts to fit the story of the film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. And just as Marvel Comics is following suit with a relaunch of the Shang-Chi comic book title as Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings with a movie-inspired version of the titular weapons playing a role in the story, the original ten rings of the Mandarin are returning with a new wielder in July's Iron Man #22.

As revealed in Marvel's just-released July 2022 solicitations, the Mandarin's rings will come into possession of one of Tony Stark's old allies who will be subsequently murdered for the artifacts, leading Iron Man into a worldwide chase to hunt down the Mandarin's rings as they fall into the hands of a new, unnamed wielder.

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

The Mandarin's rings have had an interesting Marvel Comics history. Rather than simply being finger rings, the objects are actually receptacles for the souls of the greatest warriors of the planet Maklu IV, with each ring housing a different dragon-like Makluan alien's spirit, each of which provides a different unique power.

A few years ago, the Mandarin was murdered by the Punisher. For a while, his rings were in the hands of ten different people, each of whom wielded one of the Mandarin's vaunted powers. Now it seems they'll be reassembled and redefined as a separate set of weapons from the newly minted MCU-style Ten Rings that will play a role in the relaunched Shang-Chi title.

Iron Man #22 is due out July 20. Check out Marvel's full July 2022 solicitations for more information on everything coming to Marvel Comics this summer.

The Mandarin is at the top of the list of the best Iron Man villains ever.

George Marston
George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)