Why The Burger In Iron Man Is More Important Than You Think

With an estimated $22.5 billion in revenue raked in since 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become an entertainment titan. Some of the stories behind the creative process that brought the franchise to life are at this point kind of legendary. How do you separate fact from fiction?

One example of what seems like a tall tale in the MCU's origin story is the claim by Robert Downey Jr. that a specific fast food item in the first Iron Man movie was included because the restaurant that sells it saved his life. And we can tell you up front that this weird assertion is actually true. After all, if you can't trust a millionaire movie star touting the benefits of eating Burger King, what can you trust?

The backstory here is important. Folks old enough to remember what it was like to be scared of Y2K might also recall that there was a time when Robert Downey Jr. wasn't the most valuable asset in the Disney vault. In the '80s, he was a Brat Pack kid and a one-season Saturday Night Live cast member. In 1992, he starred in a biopic that really brushed over some of the more problematic aspects of Charlie Chaplin's life.

And between 1996 and 2001, the future Avenger was best known for his frequent arrests for cocaine, Valium, and heroin possession. Despite hiring the same team of lawyers that got OJ off the hook, he wound up with a three-year sentence in 1999 after multiple high-profile run ins with the law. That's where Burger King comes in.

Downey has been forthright about his struggle with addiction in the years since his big comeback, touting the importance of rehabilitation and persistence. But it was a 2008 interview with Empire magazine that saw the actor explaining exactly what inspired him to finally get clean. The tipping point, he claimed, was a really bad burger.

The interview revealed that in 2003, Downey was in a car loaded with, quote, "tons" of dope when he pulled into a drive-thru for refreshments.

After that, he claims to have tossed his narcotics stash into the ocean. According to Downey, these events went on to inspire the scene in 2008's Iron Man in which Tony Stark experiences an epiphany after his time as a hostage of the Ten Rings.

And he gets one, courtesy of Burger King, before holding a press conference to announce that he's turning his life around, ceasing all weapon development at Stark Industries. This turning point even gets a callback when Avengers: Endgame brings Tony's character arc full circle.

It's a poignant moment made all the more potent because it's delivered by Iron Man director and famous gourmand Jon Favreau.

Of course, it's not exactly a backstory that reflects all that kindly on Burger King. So there's a lesson here about the importance of double checking the artist's intent before shelling out money for product placement. But then again, Tony sure seems to enjoy those BK burgers in Iron Man, and, disgusting or not, it sounds like they might have saved Robert Downey Jr's life. Love them or hate them, it sounds like they're doing something right.

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