4. Comic Book Hint Hint
While no one could have predicted the brilliant twist Black had in store for us with The Mandarin, in the know comic book fans could certainly have figured out where the A.I.M storyline was heading (and not just because Pearces Killian fit the exact profile of a movie villain). In the comics, A.I.M is a terrorist organisation evolved from Captain Americas HYDRA that acts as evil opposite to S.H.I.E.L.D and while their origins differ a lot in the film (Killian has no relation to them in the comics), the motivations are startlingly similar, so its not surprising to see them be the big bad behind The Ten Rings. Its worth noting how much like a modern company Advanced Idea Mechanics sounds, hence how the filmmakers viewed it could seamlessly fit into the semi-realism of the Iron Man world.