‘Iron Man 3’ baddie Ben Kingsley working on secret Marvel project

Is the Mandarin set for a comeback?

When we last saw Sir Ben Kingsley’s “Iron Man 3” character The Mandarin, Tony Stark had won the day and the faux-villain was being led away in handcuffs. Defeated and under arrest, most viewers probably didn’t expect to see Kingsley’s fictional terrorist (also known as actor Trevor Slattery) ever again.

But, the always-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe being what it is, there’s always the possibility that established characters will crop up in future projects. According to Sir Ben himself, “Iron Man 3” may not have been The Mandarin’s last hurrah. While promoting his upcoming film "Ender's Game," Kingsley dropped a few hints about a mysterious new project he’s been working on.

"It's a secret Marvel project,” the actor told The Belfast Telegraph. “I'm not allowed to say any more, you're going to have to wait and see.”

What could this project be? Could it be a cameo on the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." television series? Although the actor doesn’t do much TV, if Marvel could snag Samuel L. Jackson for a Nick Fury walk-on appearance, then Kingsley wouldn’t be a real surprise. Perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. has need of Slattery’s considerable acting talents.

It could also be a minor role in one of the upcoming Marvel movies like “Thor: The Dark World” or “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” but it’s hard to imagine where The Mandarin would fit in, exactly. Or maybe it’s one of Marvel’s “One-Shot” short films based around his actor-turned-terrorist character? There is no shortage of possibilities, but Kingsley wouldn’t even specify if he’d be reprising The Mandarin role for the secret project. It could be something else entirely.

All that Kingsley would say is that the enigmatic project involved some of the crew he worked with on “Iron Man 3.” The actor had high praise for his Marvel colleagues.

"I think they have enormous taste as creative artists,"” the Oscar-winning actor said. "There's nothing lazy or gratuitous about their work. They are at the top of their game, and they're great company to keep."

Kingsley will next be seen as future war hero Mazer Rackham in director Gavin Hood's big budget adaptation of the science fiction classic "Ender's Game." The film hits theatres on Nov. 1.