User blog comment:LoveWaffle/We Didn't See It Coming - Iron Man 3 and the Future of the MCU/@comment-5977347-20130513205536/@comment-1895174-20130515162248

''Well, true, but still. Killian is an adaptation of the Mandarin though. Shane Black said so. And the adaptation is all about symbolism. Much like all of the Superhero movies nowadays.''

Not really, no. Authorial intent is crap. It all comes down to what's actually in the movie, and what's in the movie is the Mandarin solely being a character AIM manufactured.

''How were the "Mandarin's" goals any different to Killian's? Was the "Mandarin" an Islamist? Are you saying that he wasn't searching for power, in escalating the War on Terror?''

Killian was, but the Mandarin wasn't. The Mandarin was the leader of the Ten Rings, an Islamist terrorist organization, and had a strong anti-American rhetoric. Killian wasn't either of those, he was just an opportunist.