Robert Downey Jr.’s cheeseburger scene in Iron Man held a much deeper meaning than initially thought. The 2008 movie, directed by Jon Favreau, served as the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over a decade later, Downey would be known as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars for continuously reprising his role as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. The character gave his life in a heroic sacrifice to take down Thanos in Avengers: Endgame but there’s still a chance Downey could return to the MCU.

The memorable scene from Iron Man took place after Tony finally escaped the prison cave after being held captive by a group of terrorists. While he was in military custody, Tony had two requests: a press conference and an “American cheeseburger.” The recently freed man was then shown chowing down on a Burger King cheeseburger ahead of the big press conference.

Most viewers probably took this scene as the movie’s effort to humanize Tony. After being held prisoner for so long, all he wanted was some comfort food, something not uncommon with people in that situation. Others saw the moment as simple product placement. Burger King was a sponsor of the film so it was no surprise that one of their burgers made an appearance in the film. The fast-food chain, however, holds a more significant connection to Downey. In fact, the actor credited Burger King for helping to turn his life around.

How Burger King May Have Saved Robert Downey Jr.’s Life

Downey has been public about his struggles with drug addiction in the past. As his life was going off the rails, he once visited a Burger King and ordered an unappetizing meal before pondering his life choices. Upon this visit to Burger King, Downey had a moment of clarity that he needed to change his life around before it was too late. He then gathered all of his drugs and tossed them into the ocean. After years of struggling with marijuana, heroin, and cocaine, which resulted in several arrests and jail time, Downey went to rehab and has been sober since 2003.

The Burger King scene from Iron Man was meant to pay tribute to his admittance that the company had a hand in saving his life. Of course, Downey credited many other influences including his family, therapy, yoga, and meditation but that shouldn’t downplay his cheeseburger story. Downey’s character held on to his love of cheeseburgers throughout the MCU. During Tony’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, Happy asked Morgan if she was hungry and the young Stark said she wanted cheeseburgers. Happy commented that her dad also loved cheeseburgers in a special nod to 2008’s Iron Man and the man behind the character.

Next: Every Upcoming Robert Downey Jr. Movie

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