You've heard the dark riffs from Black Sabbath's famous 1970s song "Iron Man" in the latest trailer for the movie Iron Man, but is the famous heavy metal song really about the comic book character? It's a question that has plagued pop culture enthusiasts for decades, even though songwriter Geezer Butler denies that he had the warmongering hero in mind when he penned some lyrics about a warmongering hero who yells, "I AM IRON MAN!" Now the Boston Globe's Joshua Glenn has written the definitive analysis of whether the song is, in fact, based on the comic. He's got conspiracy theories; he's got video; he's even got some obscure references to Queen albums. This is crucial reading for any Iron Man enthusiast, whether you are of the metalhead or comic dork variety. [Brainiac]

Send an email to Annalee Newitz, the author of this post, at annalee@io9.com.