Although the MCU glossed over Tony Stark's comic book alcoholism, Spider-Man: Far From Home might have confirmed his behind-the-scenes struggles with substance abuse. Iron Man has one of the most cathartic arcs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He starts as a billionaire playboy who often succumbs under the weight of his own over-ambitiousness but eventually becomes a leading figure for the Avengers by putting everything on the line for the greater good.

Unfortunately, this approach intentionally skips one essential comic book element of Tony Stark's arc: his alcohol addiction. Spanning nine issues, Iron Man's "Demon in a Bottle" depicts how after a series of misfortunes, Tony Stark uses alcohol consumption as a dangerous coping mechanism. He eventually makes a solid comeback and manages to curb his drinking habit before it is too late, but his vulnerability to substance abuse still remains an important aspect of his storyline. While Iron Man 1 and 2 have moments where it is evident that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark has issues with alcohol, by Iron Man 3, the MCU takes Iron Man's storyline in a new direction.

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Far From Home's Tony Stark Addiction Clue ExplainedJake Gyllenhall as Quintin Beck (aka Mysterio) in the MCU.

After Iron Man 2, Spider-Man: Far From Home is the only movie in which the MCU points towards Tony Stark's "Demon in a Bottle" arc. In the Homecoming sequel, after Mysterio successfully deceives Peter Parker, Jake Gyllenhaal's villain goes off on an anti-Iron Man rant and describes Tony Stark as a "boozy man-child." Mysterio's Iron Man insult seems blatantly directed towards Tony Stark's unhealthy relationship with alcohol and comes off as a clear nod to the major comic book storyline that the MCU did not adapt. This confirms that even though the MCU abstained from highlighting a very human element of Iron Man's comic book narrative, deep down it was still ingrained in his complex big-screen personality.

Why The MCU References (But Never Confirms) Stark's Alcoholism

Tony Stark looking at a glass of alcohol in Iron Man

According to reports (via Vulture), screenwriter Justin Theroux was all set to adapt "Demon in a Bottle," but Marvel Studios — acquired by Disney by then — nixed these plans. As Iron Man 3 director Shane Black revealed in an interview (via CBM), the studio asked them to "paint Tony Stark as being kind of an industrialist and a crazy guy, or even a bad guy at some points," but not as an alcoholic from the "Demon in a Bottle". One of the primary reasons behind this Iron Man change was that the studio was concerned about how depicting Tony Stark's alcoholism could negatively affect the overseas marketing and merchandise sales of Shane Black's Iron Man 3.

As a result, instead of treading the same path as the comic books, the MCU took a more family-friendly route in Iron Man 3 by depicting Tony Stark's struggles with trauma. In the grand scheme, not adapting the comic book alcohol plot did not hurt Tony Stark's overall narrative since the Marvel Cinematic Universe still managed to paint him as a relatable, loving family man before his tragic Avengers: Endgame death. However, considering how the MCU still made a reference to Tony Stark's unexplored alcohol storyline in Spider-Man: Far From Home shows that the studio wanted to subtly acknowledge the dark yet crucial aspect of his comic book personality without harming his legacy.

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