I am hoping he did survive, just for the sake of it be revealed later on that he was the one pulling the strings to everything going wrong in tonys life that lead to his alcoholism problems, like they did in the comics. Not to mention I would really like to see his suicide done on film, the way it happened in the comics.
I would like to see him slip away once using his contact in the middle east, going into hiding founding a new company that challenges starks company. Then the second time around after stark beats him there is no way for him to escape from shield they are closing in and he uses his own repulsor on his head.