Continuity mistake: When the reporter is talking about Walter Stark being rushed to the hospital, the emergency vehicle behind her changes in appearance when the shot changes. (00:08:09)
Cell of Iron - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Dum Dum Dugan is holding up the documents for Iron Man to see, his right hand is grasping them by the top-center. When the shot changes to the documents reflected in Iron Man's helmet, Dugan's hand is missing from the reflection. The words on the document are also gibberish. (00:03:12)
Continuity mistake: When Rhodey is saying that A.I.M. has dispatched four choppers after them, Nick Fury is standing directly next to him. When the shot changes, Fury has moved away several feet. (00:02:11)
Cell of Iron - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Mandarin's hands first appear at the top of the cliff, he's not wearing any rings. A few shots later, he is suddenly wearing a ring on his right-hand ring finger. The ring then alternates between being on his finger and off for the remainder of the scene. (00:20:35)
Cell of Iron - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Iron Man picks up Arthur Dearborn by his collar, the left side of Dearborn's head is just outside the spotlight. When the shot changes, his entire head is in the spotlight. (00:10:54)
Cell of Iron - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Dum Dum Dugan is about to stand up and get in Iron Man's face, the control panel in front of him goes all the way up to his chest, whereas it only went as high as the middle of his stomach in all previous shots. (00:05:13 - 00:05:55)
Cell of Iron - S2-E3
Continuity mistake: When Dum Dum Dugan is showing Iron Man the footage of the school being set on fire, he sets his mug of coffee down on the control panel. A couple of shots later, the mug has disappeared. (00:05:14)
Continuity mistake: When Tony is standing over an unconscious Rhodey, his shirt has no pocket. After he sits down, a pocket has appeared on his shirt. (00:05:09)
Continuity mistake: When Rhodey knocks Tony down, Rhodey's belt buckle is circular. When Rhodey is picking Tony back up, his belt buckle is now square-shaped. (00:19:29)
Continuity mistake: When Rhodey knocks Tony to the floor for faking his death, the top of Rhodey's pants are visible above his belt. When he leans over, the top of his pants disappear. (00:19:29)
Continuity mistake: When Iron Man is checking on Rhodey and pulls his helmet off, part of Rhodey's chin turns gray. (00:19:20)
Continuity mistake: When Fin Fang Foom is saying "This planet, my brothers, is ours," the dragons are standing in a circle. When the shot changes, they are all standing directly next to each other and would only be forming a half-circle at most. (00:18:39)
Continuity mistake: When Iron Man arrives to help Rhodey battle Mandarin and the dragons, there is a shot of MODOK and Mandarin in disbelief that Iron Man is still alive. You can see MODOK has pupils on his eyes, and he is grimacing. When the shot changes, his eyes are back to being their usual blank appearance, and his mouth is closed. (00:17:44)
Continuity mistake: When Century is first seen, the left side of his cape and shoulder pads are colored darker in color than the right side, due to being in shadow. When the shot changes, both sides are colored the same despite him not moving. (00:12:49)
Continuity mistake: When Mandarin is shown after Fin Fang Foom calls him a thief, the rings on certain fingers are missing in some shots. (00:11:15)
Continuity mistake: When Tony Stark is talking to the reporters before boarding his jet, the interior side of the door is gray. Once he boards the jet and seals the door shut, the interior is now red. (00:06:48)
Continuity mistake: When Rhodey surprises Tony in his private jet after he seals the door shut, Tony is positioned perpendicular to the aisle and facing the opposite side of the jet. When the shot changes, Tony is suddenly standing directly in the aisle and facing the back of the jet. (00:07:08)
Continuity mistake: When Tony is telling the reporter that he has personal business in China, none of the reporters are standing within an arm's reach of him. When the shot changes to Blizzard and Hypnotia watching the report on TV, he suddenly has four microphones in front of his face. (00:06:51)
Continuity mistake: When the four captains of industry have reached the top of the cliff, they are standing next to each other. When the shot changes, two of them are suddenly standing in front of the other two. When the shot changes again to Fin Fang Foom's foot slamming down in front of them, they are once again standing next to each other. (00:06:36)
Continuity mistake: When Tony is working on repairing the torso piece of his armor, it is only the chest. After H.O.M.E.R. tells him he is at risk of paralysis, the piece of armor has the back section attached to it as well. (00:03:26)
Answer: Gleaned from the Internet: Some critics criticized the premise of so many one-off battles that were introduced and concluded within one or two episodes. Others felt the first-season plot lines were overly simplistic and never progressed or developed through the season. Also, the rivalry between Iron Man and the Mandarin also failed to capture viewer's attention.
raywest ★