Lying on the ground, Stark watched as the Mark XLII helmet fell into the fire before him and broke apart. Suddenly, Aldrich Killian emerged from the flames with most of his own skin destroyed seemingly beyond Extremis's ability of reconstruction and still intent on Stark's death. Stark was now powerless and at the mercy of Killian who called himself the Mandarin, saying that he was from the start.
During this proclamation, Pepper Potts, still alive due to the Extremis in her system, struck Killian to the ground with a large metal pipe, with Stark was left speechless. The Mark IX armor flew downward in an attack position. Stark failed to tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to disengage. Potts then jumped off a beam to impale the suit' donned one of the suits arms. Stark watched as Potts sent Killian flying backwards threw a missile at Killian and blew it up with a repulsor blast.
With Killian and all the Extremis Soldiers now dead for good, Stark approached the confused Potts who took a minute to realize what she had done while under the influence of the Extremis, calling it really violent. Stark and Potts teased each other about how he had thought she was dead while she joked about who was the bigger hot mess now. Stark apologized to Potts and promised to find a cure for her, joking a relationship with him would always be a mess.
Stark, seeing Potts that was still worried about their future together, decided to now give her an early Christmas present and finally ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to destroy all his remaining Iron Legion armors in Operation: Clean Slate Protocol. Surrounded by the subtle, firework-like explosions in the sky, the two embraced, with Stark asking if Potts was enjoying the show, which she said she did as he accepted life without such an obsession with being Iron Man.