Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-69.57.43.25-20130828001049/@comment-996391-20130828081625

Fact 1 - Killian doesn't have time to play the Mandarin, which is why he hired Slattery. Fact 2 - Killian payed a plastic surgery for Slattery. Fact 3 - It was confirmed by Drew Pearce that Killian has no connection to the Ten Rings. All those "Ten Rings terrorists" around Slattery/Mandarin were just actors. Fact 4 - The Mandarin and the Ten Rings in the Iron Man 3 Prelude comic are very real.

Two possible explanations: 1. Slattery is the Mandarin and he fooled Killian into thinking that he's just some actor. 2. The Mandarin is someone else, and he appears only in the Iron Man 3 Prelude comic.