User blog comment:LoveWaffle/We Didn't See It Coming - Iron Man 3 and the Future of the MCU/@comment-5977347-20130513205536/@comment-5977347-20130515175539

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. -Lovewaffle

Exactly! finally someone who could put it in words.