Trevor Slattery was a small-time actor whose work had little success. Addicted to drugs and unable to get his acting career off of the ground, he agreed to work with Aldrich Killian. He posed as the Mandarin, claiming to be responsible for the explosions that were a result of Killian’s experiments.
Although he fooled the Western nations, the person he was impersonating did not take kindly to his act, capturing him and keeping him as a prisoner before he was rescued by Xu Wenwu’s son and daughter. Trevor was initially hated when he was first introduced, but the MCU attempted to improve on his character.
10 Redeemed Him: He Is No Longer Incorrectly Portraying A Different Character
Many fans did not like Trevor because of his interpretation of Xu Wenwu. Not only did he use the name of a food dish, but fans originally thought that the person he was impersonating was completely replaced by him.
Thankfully, this proved not to be the case, as Xu Wenwu made his appearance and was more than eager to make Trevor pay for making a mockery of him.
9 Made Him Worse: He Is Impossible To Take Seriously
With his actual identity revealed, it is impossible to take this character seriously. Trevor’s primary role in the MCU is now to serve as a comedic relief with his odd actions and behavior. There are moments in which he acts seriously, which doesn’t seem to fit the character at all.
He was able to issue clear and precise instructions to the heroes as they took a specific path to get to the hidden village, but the scene felt out of place.
8 Redeemed Him: He Is Smart Enough To Stay Alive
Trevor is surprisingly intelligent. Despite offending Xu Wenwu with his insulting impersonation of him, he was narrowly able to avoid being killed by performing Shakespeare for the Ten Rings.
They were so entertained by his performance that they kept him around. During the final battle in Ta Lo, he was able to avoid the Soul Eaters by laying on the ground and pretending to be dead.
7 Made Him Worse: His Willingness To Pose As A Terrorist Isn’t Addressed
When asked about his motivations for impersonating the Mandarin, Trevor stated that he was only playing a role. He was perfectly fine with getting plastic surgery and taking credit for the explosions caused by Aldrich Killian’s experiments. In return, he received his dream job, drugs, and a fancy place to stay.
He struck fear within the masses, yet was living a comfortable life. He doesn’t get any character development, as his personality and motivations haven’t seemed to change.
6 Redeemed Him: He Can Still Make His Dream Come True
Trevor Slattery is still able to make his dreams of acting come true. Although he decided to remain in Ta Lo, he has already proven that he is capable of entertaining people with in-person performances.
The people of Ta Lo are less likely to be familiar with the stories that he knows, so he has a great chance to turn over a new leaf and still do what he loves, as long as he stays there.
5 Made Him Worse: He Loves His Fame
Trevor experienced no character growth between the events of Iron Man 3 and Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings. He soaks up the attention and loves to perform above all else, regardless of the circumstances.
His need for attention made him perfectly fine with reenacting his most famous performance as the Mandarin in front of inmates during his time in jail, and seems to be somewhat comfortable with his circumstances when he meets Shang-Chi for the first time.
4 Redeemed Him: He Plays A Bigger Role Than Acting As A Red Herring
Trevor’s primary role was originally to act as a red herring, making many people think that he really was responsible for dozens of explosions.
In reality, it was another man in a suit, a typical Iron Man villain that fans were already tired of seeing long before Trevor was introduced. His new role was to guide Shang-Chi to Ta Lo, and he eventually chose to stay in the village.
3 Made Him Worse: He Has No Remorse For What He Has Done
Trevor doesn’t seem to have any guilt about the role he played, as none of it was real to him. He is aware that he committed a crime, ending up in jail but acting like a celebrity the whole time he is in there.
He doesn’t seem all that afraid of the Ten Rings despite being their prisoner, and not once does he ever express any sort of regret. He experienced absolutely no character growth since the last time fans saw him.
2 Redeemed Him: It’s Hilarious That He Understands A Mythical Beast
Trevor meets a Dijiang while in captivity, but until Shang-Chi arrived, he wasn’t entirely sure whether Morris was a figment of his imagination or not. For some reason, he is the only person able to understand Morris.
This shows just how long he had been kept in captivity, giving the two plenty of time to learn to understand each other. Although the two make a good pair, fans can only hope that Morris will be a good influence on Trevor.
1 Made Him Worse: He Is Shoehorned Into The Plot
Although he does play an essential role in guiding Shang-Chi, his character could have been replaced by many others and would have done little to change the plot.
Any of the main heroes could have had the ability to understand Morris, especially since Shang-Chi and his sister’s mother came from Ta Lo. Other than navigating the heroes to Ta Lo, Trevor doesn’t serve any purpose in the main story.
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