S.H.I.E.L.D. Threat #5063: Xu WenWu/ The Mandarin {Deceased}

Emperor Xu Wenwu (a.k.a. The Mandarin, Master Khan, The Warrior King, The Fist of the Hand, The Ring Wielder, The Messenger of the Steel Serpent)

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Thought to be born in China around 1,000 years ago, Xu Wenwu was inducted into the terrorist organization known as The Hand at a very young age. Wenwu's skill and determination allowed him to rise through the ranks of the organization soon becoming the right hand man of the Hand's leader at the time, Nobu. Xu Wenwu personally led the Hand's invasion of China and executed orders with undying loyalty. This all changed after Wenwu obtained the Ten Rings of the Steel Serpent. The story of how he had obtained the rings has shifted and changed, but the general constants are that upon receiving intel that a small village in China was harboring a Kree soldier who had stolen an artifact from the Hand's god, the Steel Serpent, Wenwu led a raid on the village and burned it to the ground killing the Kree soldier and taking the rings. But, when Wenwu touched the rings he was shown a vision of the Promise that the Hand was trying to fulfill. The promised destruction of the concept of death and with it a universe in agony choked with tortured organisms. Now cursed with the knowledge of the hell they are trying to bring forth, Wenwu approached Nobu and pleaded for him to stop the Hand's crusade. This resulted in a falling out between the two as Nobu took claim over the island that would now be known as Japan and began infiltrating the governments of European nations while Wenwu took claim over China and expanded westward towards the Middle East and Africa. This new offshoot of the Hand came to be called S.H.I.E.L.D. Threat #121: The Ten Rings {Organization}. The Ten Rings ruled throughout the ages constantly adapting to new technologies, governments, and threats. Over the years they waged an excruciatingly long war against both The Hand and to a lesser extent The Chaste, a group of individuals who fight the forces of both the Hand and the Ten Rings to restore balance to the universe. Wenwu led this crusade until around 1993 when he fell in love with an investigative journalist that Ten Rings were holding hostage named Ying Li. Ying Li encouraged Wenwu to retire and together they started a family with their son, Avengers Initiate #3: Shang-Chi/The Iron Fist, in 2002. This peace abruptly came to an end when Ying Li was killed in explosion from a Stark Industries missile while covering mounting tensions in the Middle East in 2008. After the loss of his wife, Wenwu immediately resumed his activities as leader of the Ten Rings and used his forces to kidnap both Howard and Avengers Initiate #2: Anthony Edward Stark/Iron Man resulting in Howard's death. Anthony Stark however escaped captivity with the help of a primitive version of what would soon become his Iron Man armor. Wenwu proceeded to wage war against any known enemy of the Ten Rings both past and present often times clashing with Stark who had now adopted his identity as Iron Man. He trained his son to be one of his most loyal and effective assassins. Around 2010, Wenwu sent his son to Kun-Lun to assassinate a powerful sorcerer in league with the Chaste known as Wong. Upon assassinating the sorcerer, Shang-Chi realized that the path that his father was leading him down would end in nothing, but hate and death ultimately leading him to defect to the Chaste and earn the title of the Iron Fist. In 2011, Wenwu was killed in a battle with Iron Man and the leadership of the Ten Rings organization to his second in command, Ogun. Ogun led the Ten Rings out of their base in Madripoor and used the organization's facilities to find a way to resurrect Wenwu. Through an as of yet unknown connection between the Ten Rings and S.H.I.E.L.D. Threat #4666: Advanced Idea Mechanics/A.I.M., Ogun obtained a Wakandan artifact found by Containment Site - B Inmate #5366: Ulysses Klaw during his raid on the vibranium mines. This dagger has the ability to transfer a soul from one body to another whether either of participants are living or dead. Ogun used this artifact to transfer Wenwu's soul into the body of former Iron Fist, Daniel Rand. Now resurrected, Wenwu sought to destroy the Hand once and for all and attempted to recruit the aid of his son in this endeavor. Wenwu was once again killed in a fight with his son and the "superhero" group known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Consulting Team - 1: The Avengers. Since his death, the Ten Rings have not to our knowledge attempted to resurrect Wenwu once more and have seemed to have disbanded.

- James Woo, A.R.M.O.R. Operative #156

Current Status

Deceased

Age

Unknown

Date of Birth

Unknown

Date of Death

September

Life

983 2022

Circumstances of Birth

Unknown

Circumstances of Death

Killed by his son, Avengers Initiate #3: Shang-Chi/The Iron Fist

Birthplace

China

Children

• Avengers Initiate #3: Shang-Chi/The Iron Fist

Sex

Male

Eyes

Green

Hair

Black

Height

6'2"

Weight

215 lbs.

Belief/Deity

Cult of the Steel Serpent

Aligned Organization

S.H.I.E.L.D. Threat #121: The Ten Rings {Organization}

Known Languages

• Mandarin
• Japanese
• Arabic
• English
• French
• Yue
• Xiang
• Min Dialect
• Wu Dialect
• Gan Dialect
• Keija Dialect
• Russian
• Spanish
• Portugese