10 Behind The Scenes Reasons For MCU Characters' Quirks
2. Tony Stark Doesn't Like Being Handed Things
In addition to relentlessly eating, Tony Stark's other big quirk is that he doesn't like being handed things - this is mentioned twice in Iron Man 2 and once more in The Avengers when Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) attempts to hand him a folder.
This wasn't simply something that the filmmakers or even Robert Downey Jr. himself invented, though - it's actually a callback to the real-life figure who inspired Tony Stark's conception in the comics.
Stan Lee originally modelled Stark on legendary business magnate, billionaire, playboy, and defense contractor Howard Hughes, who was well known for his eccentricity and later his mental illness, particularly his debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Hughes was a germaphobe, going as far as wearing tissue boxes on his feet in later life in an attempt to protect them, and so Tony's distaste for being handed objects is an homage to this.
Originally the movies hammered the point home further, as a deleted scene from the first Iron Man sees Pepper following him around a Dubai party with hand sanitiser.
We're left to assume that Tony eventually got a handle on his germaphobic tendencies, which is probably a good thing when you've got a kid.