Maybe the whole thing is what Tony said in the movie when first investigating the name Mandarin, that Mandarin means adviser to the Emperor/ king.
Maybe it's a title.
Because you know sometimes words have many meanings. multiple interpretations. multiple sides to themselves.
The word Mandarin could have many meanings, in addition to its main one, these are taken from random dictionary sites:
n.
A member of any of the nine ranks of high public officials in the Chinese Empire (or maybe something Killian considers an Empire).
A high government official or bureaucrat.
A member of an elite group, especially a person having influence or high status in intellectual or cultural circles.
a high-ranking official whose powers are extensive and thought to be outside political control
adj.
Marked by elaborate and refined language or literary style
Maybe it's a title.
Because you know sometimes words have many meanings. multiple interpretations. multiple sides to themselves.
The word Mandarin could have many meanings, in addition to its main one, these are taken from random dictionary sites:
n.
A member of any of the nine ranks of high public officials in the Chinese Empire (or maybe something Killian considers an Empire).
A high government official or bureaucrat.
A member of an elite group, especially a person having influence or high status in intellectual or cultural circles.
a high-ranking official whose powers are extensive and thought to be outside political control
adj.
Marked by elaborate and refined language or literary style
So, maybe Killian wasn't the only Master. There's a theme where Mandarin can mean just one of an elite group. Maybe there's more to why Killian chose that name, has people call him Master... Maybe someone else really was helping him run the ten rings and the ten rings are just one of the heads of Hydra.
"When one head of the Hydra is removed two will grow in its place" like the mythical Hydra.
Maybe AIM is a front for Hydra, as well as many other organizations that they've slipped into.
Feige did say many secrets would come out in Captain America 2... Maybe the recent comments about it being like Avengers 1.5 mean something more, and CA: Winter Solider is kind of like a Secret Avengers (the Secret Avengers team from the comics)...
Fury, Cap, Falcon and Widow go rogue from Shield -- sort of like in Secret Avengers. They start uncovering a massive global conspiracy, political and economic in nature, forming a secret black ops like team that operates outside of Shield's official orders. Facing secretive spy networks/organizations that slowly marched across time. We have to see behind the iron curtains to find out what AIM is really all about... Winter Soldier gets used in high profile assassinations in the past. Hyrdra/AIM covertly overthrowing the globe, Killian the advisor to Emperor Zemo, a co-Master. Killian could have been Spreading AIM as another extension/head of a think tank who thinks many regenerating/re-sprouting heads are better than one. Making Zemo even richer who was already secretly crippling the world's financial institutions (in a meta way Zemo caused the financial crisis), in preparation for Hydra's return. Carter has been chasing Zemo, Zola, Lukin and Winter Soldier across history. In the flashbacks parts of Zemo's decades long plan are revealed. An area of the brain can cause Telomere regeneration, increasing longevity, and Zola wants to put himself into a robot body... Even with their extended lifespans their organic bodies will die eventually.
"When one head of the Hydra is removed two will grow in its place" like the mythical Hydra.
Maybe AIM is a front for Hydra, as well as many other organizations that they've slipped into.
Feige did say many secrets would come out in Captain America 2... Maybe the recent comments about it being like Avengers 1.5 mean something more, and CA: Winter Solider is kind of like a Secret Avengers (the Secret Avengers team from the comics)...
Fury, Cap, Falcon and Widow go rogue from Shield -- sort of like in Secret Avengers. They start uncovering a massive global conspiracy, political and economic in nature, forming a secret black ops like team that operates outside of Shield's official orders. Facing secretive spy networks/organizations that slowly marched across time. We have to see behind the iron curtains to find out what AIM is really all about... Winter Soldier gets used in high profile assassinations in the past. Hyrdra/AIM covertly overthrowing the globe, Killian the advisor to Emperor Zemo, a co-Master. Killian could have been Spreading AIM as another extension/head of a think tank who thinks many regenerating/re-sprouting heads are better than one. Making Zemo even richer who was already secretly crippling the world's financial institutions (in a meta way Zemo caused the financial crisis), in preparation for Hydra's return. Carter has been chasing Zemo, Zola, Lukin and Winter Soldier across history. In the flashbacks parts of Zemo's decades long plan are revealed. An area of the brain can cause Telomere regeneration, increasing longevity, and Zola wants to put himself into a robot body... Even with their extended lifespans their organic bodies will die eventually.
I think Hydra went underground, has slowly been gathering more and more power planning the perfect way to get revenge on Howard Stark's legacy and Shield, and want to surprise attack the world in Avengers 2... So we can't know everything about it, and they had to manipulate Stark...
Cap and Fury discover the conspiracy. Fury's boss Pierce (head of Shield) doesn't believe it. Tony doesn't believe that there's more to the story, so he told it to Banner a certain way, skipping over the part where he fixed Extremis, fixed Pepper, and fixed himself. When Stark and Fury create their secret team and go rogue, Robert Redford's character is stuck not knowing whether to trust Cap and Fury, and Fury doesn't even know if he can trust him. Tony is appointed director of Shield in time for Avengers 2...
So that Cap has a team, Tony has a team, the villains have a team, and their worst enemies are themselves... Tony doesn't believe there is more to the story but Cap and Fury will see how it all connects and disagree with Shield, disagree with Stark's decisions when he is made director of Shield... Sometimes change can be a good thing, Tony learns to rely on the suit less. Takes a more direct role. His hero arc is over... Time for him to become the villain a little. He tries to fix things... Sometimes we think we're doing the right thing... When Thor returns he has to choose sides. But no one knows Tony has Extremis within him, and so does President Ellis... Coldblood dosed him and Tony doesn't know... He also doesn't know about the hidden subroutines in Extremis that affect the mind and alter behavior/memory. Maybe the Mandarin always has a backup plan, and strung everyone along, strung President Ellis up as a backup... made it easy for them to find him on the docks. Had Trevor misdirect Tony with the stuff about the VP. The VP was a good man, he just got blackmailed... I think Killian wanted to secure the presidency. That's his main goal. He's doesn't seem too worried about fixing Extremis, or going too hot and exploding when Maya asks him. I think maybe he does have many backup plans and can afford to mess with Tony's mind.
Cap and Fury discover the conspiracy. Fury's boss Pierce (head of Shield) doesn't believe it. Tony doesn't believe that there's more to the story, so he told it to Banner a certain way, skipping over the part where he fixed Extremis, fixed Pepper, and fixed himself. When Stark and Fury create their secret team and go rogue, Robert Redford's character is stuck not knowing whether to trust Cap and Fury, and Fury doesn't even know if he can trust him. Tony is appointed director of Shield in time for Avengers 2...
So that Cap has a team, Tony has a team, the villains have a team, and their worst enemies are themselves... Tony doesn't believe there is more to the story but Cap and Fury will see how it all connects and disagree with Shield, disagree with Stark's decisions when he is made director of Shield... Sometimes change can be a good thing, Tony learns to rely on the suit less. Takes a more direct role. His hero arc is over... Time for him to become the villain a little. He tries to fix things... Sometimes we think we're doing the right thing... When Thor returns he has to choose sides. But no one knows Tony has Extremis within him, and so does President Ellis... Coldblood dosed him and Tony doesn't know... He also doesn't know about the hidden subroutines in Extremis that affect the mind and alter behavior/memory. Maybe the Mandarin always has a backup plan, and strung everyone along, strung President Ellis up as a backup... made it easy for them to find him on the docks. Had Trevor misdirect Tony with the stuff about the VP. The VP was a good man, he just got blackmailed... I think Killian wanted to secure the presidency. That's his main goal. He's doesn't seem too worried about fixing Extremis, or going too hot and exploding when Maya asks him. I think maybe he does have many backup plans and can afford to mess with Tony's mind.
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