In 2021, fans of the MCU will finally get to see the “real” Mandarin on the big screen when he makes his debut in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Mandarin is originally an Iron Man villain, making his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #50. He was an excellent foil for Tony Stark, using his mystical rings against the technology of Iron Man. Each ring has extraordinary power. If you were given a choice to own any one of them, which would you choose? We’ve gone ahead and ranked them to help you with your decision.
10 Flame-Blast Ring, "Incandescence" (Left Ring)
Visually, Incandescence is cool. Anytime you see someone shoot fire from their hands, its something to see. Just ask Johnny Storm. However, when you are comparing it to other rings on the Mandarin's hand, it doesn't necessarily rank at the top of the list. Spider-Man, his webbing, and a fire extinguisher could take Incandescence out of a fight pretty quickly. The Invisible Woman's force field could deprive the area around his hand oxygen, rendering it useless. While we wouldn't give it up by any stretch of the imagination, it shouldn't be the Mandarin's go-to ring.
9 Electro-Blast Ring, "Lightning" (Left Middle)
This one falls under the same problem as Incandescence. It looks cool but can be easily defeated with an insulated suit and some water. It doesn't come close to the same power generated by a God of Thunder. At best, it could probably short out Iron Man's armor, but since we are dealing with Tony Stark, he'd eventually find a way to use the power to charge his suit.
8 Ice Blast Ring, "Zero" (Left Little)
Definitely the most powerful of his "element" rings, Zero has the ability to produce intense cold and ice. It can also encase enemies in blocks of ice, rendering them immobile. Certain heroes could easily escape this trap but for most, it's a death sentence.
7 Impact Beam Ring, "Influence" (Right Index)
The Impact Beam Ring, also known as Influence, can generate beams of concussive force, much like Cyclops' optic beams (a lot of people don’t realize his rays are concussive, not merely lasers). Influence has two “settings.” It can produce a concussive blast or fire a sonic blast. If the Mandarin were a “symbiote hunter” like Blade is a vampire hunter, then this would surely be his most potent weapon. In the meantime, it resides in the middle of the list. It can create a lot of damage, but not enough to warrant an omega-level event.
6 Vortex Beam Ring, "Spin" (Right Middle)
The ability to fly is arguably one of the best superpowers. The Vortex Beam Ring, or Spin, can do just that. Vortex controls the air around the Mandarin, giving him the ability to create a, well, vortex which can be used as a weapon or as a method of transportation for its wearer. This ring is high on the list because its power comes from its environment, not just the ring. As long as there is air, there is a means to harness Spin’s energy, making it among the most powerful.
5 Black Light Ring, "Nightbringer" (Right Little)
On paper, it doesn’t look like Nightbringer could rank among the top of the Mandarin’s rings. Having the ability to create areas of darkness, it sounds like it can help the Mandarin make a quick getaway, but not much else. However, its where the ring harnesses its power which makes it rank towards the top. The Darkforce dimension provides Nightbringer its abilities, and the same dimension Cloak uses to teleport and act as a weapon against criminals. If the Mandarin can utilize Nightbringer like Cloak, he would be that much more powerful.
4 Disintegration Beam Ring, "Spectral" (Right Ring)
The Disintegration Beam Ring, also called Spectral, had the potential to be the greatest of the Mandarin’s rings. However, there are specific limitations to it, causing it to be lower in the ranking. While it can destroy anything it touches, Spectral is only limited to inanimate objects.
While this may sound a little morbid, if Spectral could disintegrate ANYTHING, the Mandarin would win a lot more. The other limitation is that with each use, the ring takes 20 minutes to recharge. Iron Man or Shang-Chi isn’t just going to stand there while the Mandarin keeps asking them to “hold on just a few more minutes.”
3 Matter-Rearranger Ring, "Remaker" (Right Thumb)
When the intimidation factors the other rings can bring doesn’t work (let’s face it, the Mandarin is going up against the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Intimidation is something they work through daily), the Remaker is the perfect ring to use. It can manipulate the atomic structure of matter. It can either turn the air into a toxic gas or can solidify the air into cement, encasing his enemies. Most Marvel heroes need air to survive, and when the Mandarin can turn it into a weapon, it “solidifies” the power the Remaker has.
2 White Light Ring, "Daimonic" (Left Thumb)
Daimonic, the White Light Ring has four different uses against enemies. It can produce light bursts, gravity fields, magnetic fields, and image projection. This one is towards the top of the list not only for quantity but quality as well. Each one of these different beams is powerful in their own right. Combining them makes it hard to fight. The Mandarin can confuse you with an illusion and then slam you to the ground in a gravity field. That’s only TWO of the four used at once. Imagine the destruction all four could create.
1 Mento-Intensifier Ring, "The Liar" (Left Ring)
While all the other rings generate vast amounts of energy and can cause a plethora of destruction, when you have a ring which can mess with people’s minds, it helps avoid all that chaos. If your goal is to control the world, it’d be nice if it was in one piece. The “Liar” is the most powerful of the Mandarin’s rings for this reason. The ring has two central powers, creating illusions and paralyzing the minds of victims. If you can create the illusion of destruction effectively, you can gain the same result without causing damage. This ring epitomizes the phrase “work smarter, not harder.”