SPECULATION: Iron Man 3`s clues to possible MCU Storylines?

Great article and I agree with AlexanderLykins, Marvel knows what they are doing its obvious that they will not disclose every detail. We will have to wait and see how it all plays out.

When I saw the NYC Mayor complaining and making the Avengers responsible for the destruction of the city, I instantly thought this could be the first step into Civil War grounds, but I couldn't notice anything similar in IM3 that could make me believe they will follow that path. Still, we have a good bunch of Phase 2 movies ahead of us, so we must be patient.

I don't think the Mandarin will b back.

i haven't seen the movie yet so feel free to toss out my comment as garbage but i felt like the mandarin being the leader of the ten rings WAS the twist - a twist from IM1. the casual movie goer would have thought it was Raza (or whatever his name was. sry) but no, it's actually this cool guy named the mandarin! oh wait no it's actually this business guy, Killian?? it's like a double unnecessary twist. so why did the ten rings exists in the first place? as a cover for AIM? so this totally "legit" company has been stealing from tony for how many years now?? and this was never hinted at in the first or second movie? i dunno it just doesn't seem to flow to well from the first movie, to the ten rings, to AIM, to the mandarin. i feel like this totally undercuts the first movie. anyone that's actually seen it agree or disagree?

Killian (Mandarin) was a smart tactical villain @BANE

I absolutely think we are yet to see the real Mandarin
IM4/Moe for sure.

Great ideas to both the OP and the commenters. Here's my take:

1. While Extremis is DEFINITELY not linked to the Chitauri (it's established in the opening flashback as being worked on long before the Battle of New York happened), those holographic balls did not come across to be as being AIM technology at all. They could've put some of the programing in there, such as the live images of Killian's brain and Pepper being experimented on, but come on! Not even TONY could make something that perfect! Plus the Marvel One-Shot from the Avengers Blu-Ray clarified that there were still some Chitauri technology left up for grabs by anyone who came across them! And we KNOW the Chitauri are gonna show up in Guardians of the Galaxy, if I recall from a while back! So yeah, Killain COULD'VE claimed certain alien tech as his own, but we don't know. Though that COULD be a good set-up explanation for MODOK if he ever happens to show up!

2. To be honest, while I did enjoy the Mandarin twist, I think that there WAS no real Mandarin after all and that the Ten Rings were long since taken out by Obadiah Stane's goons in Iron Man 1 (remember that meeting Stane had with their superior in that movie where he paralyzed him and had his goons kill him and everyone else there?). Saying otherwise is just false hope at this point. I loved Kingsley's performance regardless, but I don't think we'll be seeing him or anything Ten Rings-related or any hints of an actual Mandarin ever again in the MCU unless stated otherwise by Kevin Feige or Joss Whedon.

3. I 100% don't think Avengers 2 will be based on Civil War. Do I think Rhodey will join the Avengers team? PROBABLY YES, possibly likely as a substitute for Tony unless otherwise noted. Will Whedon decide to officially save Thanos for the end of Phase 3? MAYBE, but we'll see. Absolutely nothing's known for sure about Avengers 2 except it'll be more character driven, Whedon's writing and directing it, the main cast will return (unless otherwise stated in RDJ and Marvel's case regarding Tony Stark, we'll see) and that it's coming out in May of 2015. We also know JACK SHIT about the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy except that The Controller will be the main threat, and that Thanos MIGHT have an appearance (unless that's changed) We DO know Thanos will be a major villain for the Avengers to face at some point, but for now he's just lurking in the shadows. If he's not the main threat in Avengers 2, I really don't think it'll be the Masters of Evil, especially since Loki's already gotten his ass kicked (not to mention having him causing trouble on Earth AGAIN will be beating a dead horse at that point after the "Hulk Smashing" he got THE LAST TIME HE DID IT) and Enchantress has yet to appear in the MCU.