In Iron Man 3, the sardonically villainous Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley, mentions the cookie's origin, stating: "True story about fortune cookies—they look Chinese, they sound Chinese. But they're actually an American invention, which is why they're hollow, full of lies and leave a bad taste in the mouth." Later his character says "Did you know fortune cookies aren't even Chinese? They're made by Americans, based on a Japanese recipe."