The Untold Truth Of The Mandarin The Untold Truth Of The Mandarin By Rob Clough/April 22, 2021 1:47 pm EDT The Mandarin is one of Iron Man's oldest villains, first appearing in "Tales of Suspense" #50, and in many ways is his arch-enemy. Like many '60s villains, however, problematic aspects of the character and his origin have frequently either seen him shelved or go through dramatic retcons. In the most basic terms, however, his story is a compelling one. A formidable fighter and scientific mind, he found an alien craft and ten mysterious rings and became their master. His dream was to conquer the world as he imagined his possible ancestor, Genghis Khan, did.