Stark meets scientist Maya Hansen, the inventor of Extremis, an experimental regenerative treatment that allows recovery from crippling injuries. Disabled scientist Aldrich Killian offers them a place in his company Advanced Idea Mechanics, but Stark rejects him. Thirteen years later, Stark is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and has frequent panic attacks due to his experiences during the alien invasion of New York. He has built dozens of new Iron Man suits to cope with his insomnia, creating friction with his girlfriend Pepper Potts. Meanwhile, a string of bombings is claimed by a terrorist known as the Mandarin. Stark's security chief Happy Hogan is badly injured in one such attack and is put into a coma, prompting Stark to issue a televised threat to the Mandarin, revealing his home address in the process. The Mandarin sends gunship helicopters to destroy Stark's home. Hansen, who came to warn Stark, survives the attack with Potts. Stark escapes in an experimental new Iron Man suit, which his artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. pilots to rural Tennessee, following a flight plan from Stark's investigation into the Mandarin. Stark's new armor is not fully functional and lacks sufficient power to return to Malibu, leaving the world to believe that he died. With the help of Harley Keener, a local boy, Stark investigates the remains of a local explosion bearing the hallmarks of a Mandarin attack, although it occurred years before any known attack by the terrorist. He discovers the "bombings" were triggered by soldiers subjected to Extremis whose bodies explosively rejected the treatment. These explosions were falsely attributed to a terrorist plot to cover up Extremis' flaws. Stark witnesses Extremis firsthand when Mandarin agents Savin and Brandt attack him: Stark kills Brandt and incapacitates Savin. Meanwhile, Killian resurfaces and kidnaps Potts with assistance from Hansen. American intelligence agencies continue to search for the Mandarin, with James Rhodes—the former War Machine, now re-branded as the Iron Patriot—lured into a trap to steal his armor. Tracing the Mandarin to Miami, Stark infiltrates his headquarters using improvised weapons. Inside, he discovers the Mandarin is an English actor named Trevor Slattery, who is oblivious to the actions carried out in his image. Killian then captures Stark. He reveals he has subjected Potts to Extremis in the hope Stark will help fix Extremis' flaws while trying to save her. When Hansen betrays Killian by threatening to jeopardize his operations, Killian fatally shoots