Thread:Uskok/@comment-1971498-20140202144659

Shane Black clearly outlined that Killian is the true alter ego of the Mandarin persona, whereas the idealized terrorist persona simply acted as his proxy (a mask, a mouthpiece). You can even find it in this interview where Shane Black confirms this in regards to what Killian was doing and what he meant by his final speech.

Not only does Killian bear great resemblance and similarity to the Mandarin in modern comics, his plans are even derived from the comic story arc called "Iron Man: Haunted" (which presents a fresh update of the Mandarin's character, most of which is where Killian is based on). I present you an article that specifically delves into this and why Killian isn't far from the Mandarin in the comics: link

I think it's wrong to omit this information as this could mislead readers to think that the Mandarin persona was simply a made-up character, as opposed to a role which Killian embodies and outright claims to be. We have even discussed this in great length at the Wikipedia page of Iron Man 3 and the Mandarin's main page, at which point most users agreed that such an information proved vital in establishing Guy Pearce's actual role in the film (otherwise his martial arts skills, affinity for Eastern iconography, wouldn't make much sense without giving this context).

If it's because the edits seemed shoddily written then allow me to present a possible version in place of the last one:

"Aldrich Killian is the founder and CEO of the Advanced Idea Mechanics and the true alter ego of the Mandarin. When Tony Stark refused to join him in his research, Killian participated in the development of the Extremis virus thus amassing a group of Extremis-enhanced soldiers under his command.  He created an idealized terrorist persona known as the "Mandarin" to serve as his proxy and conspired with Vice President Rodriguez in an attempt to take control over both sides of the War on Terror, thus manipulating them for his own profit. 