Iron Man introduces Malekith as new Mandarin (Iron Man 23)

The Mandarin rings are searching out new ring bearers to help save the world from Tony Stark AKA Iron Man. Malekith finds one the rings and he’s made Mandarin Four in Iron Man #23. The King of the Dark Elves isn’t willing to settle for just one ring. His magic overpowers the ring and he uses it he hunts down the other ringlords. He dismisses the trinket by inverting science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke’s third law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

“Insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology,” Malekith explains.

Obviously, futurist Tony Stark would disagree but that doesn’t stop him using so-called magic when it suits him. He hires Shevaun Haldane AKA Dark Angel, a self-professed “supernatural I.T. girl” and “occult engineer.” She builds him a magic door using a quantum field.

“So, this is quantum physics an not magic,” Stark assails her beliefs.

Iron Man uses the door to sneak into the Elvish Kingdom but he decides to ditch any actual iron, which is like Kryptonite to Malekith and would alert him. It’s all for naught, when he materializes in the middle of the King’s court. Fortunately, Iron Man has his own magic wand in the form of a big ass gun!

Iron Man introduces Malekith as new Mandarin (Iron Man 23 - Dark Angel magic wand gun)