According to what we know about the (semi-shoehorned in) REAL Mandarin, he seems to be something from beyond the usual. And by "usual" I'm implying "Earth". Considering that Hollywood, including MARVEL STUDIOS, are trying to gain support from and support the Chinese movie industry (Hence the villain in IRON MAN 3 was not Chinese) it seems that good ol' Mandy will NEVUH (never) be Chinese. And seemingly, that plays a part in why Marvel has not announced anything about the Mandarin's future recently (And there's the slew of other projects they're focusing on of course that STILL NEVER INCLUDES THE MANDAR--Calm down Jede).
Regarding all that, would it not be best to reach deeper into the Mandarin's mythology and pull out Maklu IV/Kakaranathara and delve into the culture behind the very Makluan Rings themselves and use the most notable partner of ol' Mandy to translate the Mandarin in an exciting and cosmic manner thus expanding the Mandarin's threat range: Fin Fang Foom?
Y'all know Triple F, the Chinese-like dragon dude who's part of a race of giant shapeshifters who can become human sized. Look-up what IRON MAN ARMORED ADVENTURES did with the Makluans/the Lakukurachas, uh, Kakaranatharans and you'll see what MARVEL STUDIOS can take from.
Bottom line; SInce what stops Mandarin from being in the movies is his potential to "offend" the Chinese movie industry, why shouldn't Fin Fang Foom be The Mandarin?
