In the MCU, Trevor Slattery is a hilariously dimwitted stage actor from Liverpool. He was introduced as a menacing villain known as the Mandarin, who was credited with dozens of terrorist attacks. However, said attacks were actually Extremis meltdowns for which Aldrich Killian needed a scapegoat, and Slattery was the perfect rube for a number of reasons.
Just as Tony Stark believes he has confronted the deadly Mandarin, it's revealed that Trevor Slattery is simply portraying a role and is completely oblivious to any of the actual damage done by Killian and A.I.M. Since the big reveal, Slattery has delivered dozens of great lines—typically one after another—in just three MCU appearances, presumably with many more to come.
10 "I Wouldn't Go In There For Twenty Minutes."
When Iron Man first meets Trevor Slattery, he is expecting a sinister villain that is seemingly behind many terrorist attacks. However, as Tony finally makes it to the "Mandarin's" sleeping quarters, Slattery comes bursting through the bathroom door exclaiming, "Well. I wouldn't go in there for twenty minutes," before laughing and tossing a fortune cookie to one of the girls on his bed.
Tony is shocked that this unassuming British bloke is the same man he's seen on video making intimidating threats. This is also the first time fans meet the real Trevor Slattery and they were just as bamboozled as Tony.
9 "Bloody hell. Bloody hell."
In the middle of Trevor's fortune cookie explanation, Tony pops out from behind the bed and points a gun at Trevor. Slattery puts his hands up and simply responds with a stiff, "Bloody hell. Bloody hell," which is pretty funny in and of itself.
However, Trevor doesn't stop there, he proceeds to offer things to Tony to keep from being shot. He tells him he can take anything he'd like though the guns are all fake because "those wankers wouldn't trust me with the real ones."
8 "My Name Is Trevor, Trevor Slattery."
After Tony finally corners him, Trevor reveals his name, and Tony demands an explanation. The entire explanatory sequence following Trevor's introduction is fantastic. Not only are the lines informative, but they are also quite funny and he even manages to fall asleep mid-explanation.
Some of the gems from the speech include: "Don't hurt the face! I'm an actor," as well as "And I ended up doing things, no two ways about it, in the street, that a man shouldn't do," which are hilarious pivots from the character Sir Ben Kingsley had been playing thus far. He also tells Tony that they gave him things like drugs, a palace, plastic surgery, and a lovely speedboat.
7 "Well, I Panicked, But Then I Handled It."
After Slattery spills the beans to Stark, Savin pops up behind Tony. Trevor attempts to warn him, but Savin quickly overpowers Tony and curtly asks Trevor what he told him (Stark) and why he didn't press the panic button.
Trevor lies and says he told Stark nothing, which is a bit of a surprise and more of an indication of his true character. He also explains to Savin that, "Well, I panicked, but then I handled it," before confidently cracking open another beer.
6 "Woah! Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole."
This line is proof that Slattery is a true Englishman because even in the direst of circumstances he knows that football is truly what is most important. Even with Rhodey holding a gun to him at point-blank range, Trevor does not hesitate to celebrate when his team scores on the corner kick opportunity.
Right in the middle of explaining the bits of the plan that he is aware of, he shouts—loudly—when his team scores and follows it up with the chanting of "ole!". He then falls back into the explanation, mentioning that the Vice President is involved somehow before cracking open another beer.
5 All Hail The King Is Filled With Great Lines
During the events of All Hail the King, Slattery is shown among the inmates and he is interviewed several times by an auspicious journalist. This journalist turns out to be an undercover Ten Rings agent who is actually there to abduct Slattery so he can answer for impersonating the Mandarin, or the man who was believed to be the Mandarin.
Many of Slattery's prison interactions are hilarious and in some ways provide more depth for his character, setting the stage for his return in Shang-Chi. Some of Slattery's best quotes from the one-shot include: "...whom shall we lunch with today? Serial killers? Nonces? I hear the Triads are a good giggle," when deciding on where to sit for lunch. He also has some funny lines during his interview such as: "There are things that I miss. Ketamine, obviously. And the birds..." as well as "Sean Connery made a pass at me once."
4 "Oh, Morris! They Can See You! You're Real!"
When Shang-Chi and Katy stumble upon a locked-up Trevor adjacent to their own prison cell, he briefly explains who he is and how he ended up in Wenwu's prison. Shortly thereafter a mystical furry winged creature by the name of Morris enters the room, Shang-Chi and Katy are shocked to see such a weird creature, but Slattery is elated that they can see him.
After a few shocked screams from Shang-Chi and Katy, Trevor turns to his pal and exclaims "Oh, Morris! They can see you! You're real!" before explaining that he thought Morris was imaginary up until that moment. Xialing then comes bursting through the stone wall to enable their escape.
3 "That's When I Knew. If They Can Teach Those Monkeys To Act That Brilliantly, Just Imagine What I Could Bring To The World."
Trevor has been a bit of a dense character in the MCU, and fans learn that he has always been that way after he shares an anecdote about the first time he saw Planet of the Apes with his mom. He couldn't fathom how the monkeys were able to ride the horses and his mom tells him they are just acting.
He significantly misunderstands his mom, thinking the monkeys are acting like they're riding horses, rather than human actors in make-up portraying apes. It was at that moment that Slattery knew he wanted to be an actor, he thought to himself that if "they can teach those monkeys to act that brilliantly, just imagine what I could bring to the world," further baffling the rest of the car.
2 "The Forest Eats Us... He Says It Eats Us. Go Left."
Morris may be the one with all of the information, but without Slattery, Shang-Chi and co. would have no idea how to interpret the chirps. Just as Slattery is praising Morris for being such a unique and majestic creature, Morris chimes in with the first direction, and the drive through the forest begins.
Slattery explains that they need to keep moving before the forest eats them, which obviously prompts confused responses from the others. Slattery doubles down and says, "He says it eats us. Go left," as he continues to interpret Morris' directions through the hungry forest that quickly closes in behind them.
1 "Calm Down, Mate. I'm Not Dead, It's Just a Performance. Now Get Down Here & Play Along."
During the final battle in Shang-Chi, Morris comes across what appears to be a lifeless Trevor Slattery. Morris begins to whine and fans fear the worst, before Slattery quickly comes to life. He informs Morris that he's only pretending, clearly in an effort to avoid the fight and survive unscathed.
Slattery tells Morris to join him, and Morris theatrically joins Slattery on the ground, clearly learning some acting skills from his best buddy. Most of Slattery's lines are pure comedy gold and fans are certainly hoping to have a new set of favorite quotes after the next time they see Mr. Slattery in the MCU.
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