In Invincible Iron Man, Stark Enterprise setoff a series of events that paved the way for the return of a cruel Chinese ruler called the Mandarin. By raising an ancient city above ground, five elemental minions of the Mandarin were released to gather the rings needed to bring him back. Meanwhile, a secret organization called the Jade Dragons whose sole purpose was to prevent the Mandarin's return, waged a terror campaign against Stark Enterprise at the ancient city excavation. But one of the Jade Dragons carried a secret that was passed through years of heritage that held the key to the Mandarin's return.

The problem with this animated movie was that it failed to stage a convincing showdown between magic and technology. On one side, there was Tony Stark as Iron Man, a super hero forged from the marvels of technology, bearing weapons that were capable of mass destruction. On the other side, there was the Mandarin, an ancient king who ruled iron-handedly with magic seeking to come back from death using the mystic arts. What's missing in the movie was an actual battle between the two forces. After leading through the events that brought back the Mandarin, we got a fight that was summarily concluded ending as if the movie makers ran out of time.

Perhaps this movie may not be that important in the world of comic book movies, animated or live action. However, after Jon Favreau's announcement that the Mandarin will be the main villain in the upcoming Iron Man movie sequel, it will be natural for many curious fans of the movie franchise to rent, buy or borrow the animated Iron Man movie DVD because it involves the Mandarin. Sadly, they will be disappointed.