RUMOR: Marvel Studios Still Wants Tom Cruise To Join The MCU As IRON MAN

A new rumor doing the rounds online is claiming that Marvel Studios is still interested in enlisting Tom Cruise to play a Tony Stark variant in the upcoming Avengers movies...

By MarkCassidy - Aug 03, 2024 05:08 PM EST

Filed Under: Iron Man

Tom Cruise has been linked to the role of Tony Stark since the first Iron Man back in 2008, and is believed to have been one of the actors Marvel was looking at for to play the Armored Avenger prior to Robert Downey Jr. being cast.

Rumors persisted that Kevin Feige was eager to have the Hollywood megastar join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a Tony Stark variant, and reports have claimed that Cruise was in talks to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before a scheduling conflict forced him to decline the offer.

Cruise has generally side-stepped questions about his potential involvement with the franchise, but did share the following response when asked how close he came to playing Stark in an interview with ComicBook.com last year.

“Not close. Not close. I love Robert Downey and I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role, and I think it’s perfect for him." However, he then added: “I look at a movie and think, you know, I don’t rule anything out. It’s what’s the story? What’s the character? Does it interest me? Do I feel this is what an audience would like to see me in? What can I learn? What can I contribute? That’s really how I look at things.”

With Downey Jr. set to return to the MCU as Doctor Doom, the door is open for another actor to step into the role of Tony Stark, and MTTSH believes that Marvel Studios is still eager to enlist Cruise to play an alternate universe take on Stark for the upcoming Avengers movies.

Nobody would blame Feige and co. for wanting one of the biggest actors on the planet to bring his star-power to the MCU, but that doesn't mean Cruise would necessarily have much interest.

Would you like to see Tom Cruise play an Iron Man variant? Let us know in the comments section down below.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, followed by Avengers: Secret Wars on May 7, 2027. Both films will be directed by the Russo brothers, who also make their MCU return after helming Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

"Being able to create stories and explore characters within the Marvel Universe fulfilled a life-long dream of ours, and we discovered a powerful connection with audiences in each film that we made. We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with Kevin, Lou and the entire Marvel team to bring this epic adventure in storytelling to new and surprising places for both the fans and ourselves”, said The Russos in a statement after the SDCC panel.

Have another look at some photos Downey Jr. shared to Instagram after the big reveal below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Robert Downey Jr. (@robertdowneyjr)

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118 Comments

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harryba11zack - 8/3/2024, 5:03 PM

playa

tylerzero - 8/3/2024, 6:04 PM

@harryba11zack -

His best role to date because, for once, he wasn't playing a version of "Tom Cruise."

Case in point: Tell me Pete Mitchell and Ethan Hunt aren't interchangeable (and I say this as a big fan of both franchises).

Fogs - 8/3/2024, 6:34 PM

@harryba11zack - The 1st time I watched it I didn't notice it was him till mid-film 😂

WruceBayne - 8/3/2024, 7:45 PM

@Fogs - I had to wait until the credits rolled the first time I seen Tropic Thunder to see that was Tom Cruise. The whole movie I’m like “Who is this guy, I know I’ve seen him somewhere before”, and then felt like a moron when the credits rolled.

BeyondtheFuture - 8/3/2024, 8:03 PM

@tylerzero - sorry but American Made, edge of tomorrow, born on the forth of July and collateral are all leagues above this and they all involve cruise playing against type in one way or another.

BeyondtheFuture - 8/3/2024, 8:03 PM

@BeyondtheFuture - *fourth - darn typo

tylerzero - 8/3/2024, 8:17 PM

@BeyondtheFuture -

Good examples. I stand corrected.

RegularPoochie - 8/3/2024, 11:18 PM

@Fogs - the rant on the phone to the capturers in tropic thunder is legendary, lmfao!

Fogs - 8/4/2024, 5:50 AM

@RegularPoochie - He's epif from the get go, hahaha

"Where's the grip? Punch him i the face. REAL HARD."

BTW that last scene in the phone rant was when I noticed it was Cruise, in that final close-up shot, @WruceBayne.

Fogs - 8/4/2024, 5:51 AM

I remember something similar happened with Bowie as Tesla in The Prestige, just noticed mid-movie, and because of his voice.

RockerTodd - 8/4/2024, 1:08 PM

@harryba11zack - Looks like he's perfect to play the role of Doctor Druid!! lol

WhenTheyRise - 8/4/2024, 3:53 PM

@harryba11zack - incredible role! I still laugh whenever I see it! I love it when actors established actors just do this type of thing. Thor Ragnarok (excuse the spelling if it is not right - more of a casual fan here) killed with matt damon just being silly... Love thunder not so much with russel crow but hey, to each his own, I guess.

SonOfAGif - 8/3/2024, 5:04 PM

He should still be Universe 838's Tony Stark coming back for revenge for what Wanda did.

Vigor - 8/3/2024, 5:19 PM

@SonOfAGif - yes

SonOfAGif - 8/3/2024, 6:25 PM

@Vigor - Imagine him as the Superior Iron Man with an army of Ultron sentries coming to reign hell on Scarlet Witch in Battleworld after his sentries detect her hiding out with survivors.

ImNotaBot - 8/3/2024, 6:35 PM

@SonOfAGif - idk why Marvel did not follow up with the 838 plot line. I really don't like MOM but the 838 plot was perfect to start Secret Wars.

After what Wanda did it would be perfect for the 838 FF4, X-Men and Inhumans went to the 616 seeking revenge and that caused an huge incursion from the amount of heroes invading the 616 setting up battleworld.

Deadpool 3 Logan could even be from the 838 where Charles was the sole survivor until Wanda killed him. For me that would be a Thanos level setup with post credits showing the 838 plotting the attack just like Thanos did.

CaptainFlapjaks - 8/3/2024, 7:19 PM

@SonOfAGif - and ed norton could be the bruce banner to toms tony. I think they would have good chemistry together. Get simon pegg as hank pym for that universe too. Maybe the void from deadpool 3 is gonna be the battleworld where secret wars is fought. So no universes are damaged in the process. Oh shit we could get leo spidey too.

SonOfAGif - 8/3/2024, 11:58 PM

@CaptainFlapjaks - I mean if we are gonna go that route, they should make the TVA afraid of 838 because the Illuminati figured out their existence and blocked their tech from interference of Universe 838. Make 838 a wildcard in the Multiversal War and the most advanced against every universe.

SonOfAGif - 8/4/2024, 12:09 AM

@ImNotaBot - I agree. Now I won't say they should have continued with it in Deadpool 3. But it should be a focal point in Secret Wars. Where the Avengers vs. X-Men battle comes from. And I think Superior Iron Man should come from Universe 838 and should be one of the primary enemies in Battleworld for Universe 616.

ImNotaBot - 8/4/2024, 1:29 AM

@SonOfAGif - 100% agree.

kingjoeg - 8/4/2024, 1:43 AM

@SonOfAGif - Exactly imagine Tom Cruise Iron Man saying to Wanda "You took everything from me." And her replying "I don't even know who you are."

hazapez - 8/4/2024, 3:56 AM

@SonOfAGif - does superior iron man stand a chance against scarlet witch ? she took the bots down like nothing. genuine question.

RegularPoochie - 8/4/2024, 1:06 PM

@SonOfAGif - This would have been cool also,but I prefer him as Victor von Doom, because they will show people his face only in the beginning just to let people know it's RDJ. I mean depending how melted they will make him look. I say...

CaptainFlapjaks - 8/4/2024, 1:52 PM

@SonOfAGif - i would say the tva should be scared of wanda cause she soloed the illuminati. However i do think secret wars will showcase the formation of a multiversal avengers headed by hugh wolvie and tobey/andrew spidey. Or maybe a new illumati was formed after wanda killed the last team. Or maybe we do see that team return due to tva involvement. If they knew about the tva, chances are cerebrum played a role in how they knew about it. If all the deadpools were sent to the void, along with the fox-men, charles could probably sense them and how the tva were placing people in the void.

CaptainFlapjaks - 8/4/2024, 1:54 PM

@hazapez - maybe they werent created by iron man, maybe instead by rdj doom and he was apart of the illuminati.

ProfessorWhy - 8/3/2024, 5:04 PM

Young Tony after RDJ please. We need him to last 30 or more years

CaptainFlapjaks - 8/4/2024, 1:57 PM

@ProfessorWhy - no. Tony is dead. Bringing that character back for anything outside of a surprise cameo just ruins the sacrifice imo. If you wanna do young iron man, then do iron lad.

2013venjix - 8/3/2024, 5:09 PM

I'm Down with it!

WruceBayne - 8/3/2024, 7:47 PM

@2013venjix - should’ve said “I’m Downey with it”, ehh, missed opportunity. 🤣😂

2013venjix - 8/4/2024, 2:01 PM

@WruceBayne - I'll say it. Give it time! 😉

TheRogue - 8/3/2024, 5:11 PM

I would have prefered superior iron man to doom ngl.

Vigor - 8/3/2024, 5:18 PM

@TheRogue - me too! But for the story I guess we need doom

But man imagine Tom Cruise coming in as the next villain

TheRogue - 8/3/2024, 5:24 PM

@Vigor - Yeah, Tom Cruise alone as the villain gets me excited. He's only taken what? 1 villain role?

theBlackSquare - 8/3/2024, 5:27 PM

@TheRogue - 100%. He was the tits in Collateral.

0bstreperous - 8/3/2024, 5:11 PM

Dead beat Dad

ForceofWakanda - 8/3/2024, 5:33 PM

IT HAS TO BE DONE

ModHaterSLADE - 8/3/2024, 5:36 PM

If they wanted to do their own Superior Iron Man he would've been a great choice.

ObserverIO - 8/3/2024, 5:36 PM

Tom Cruise's Iron Man on Battleworld fighting RDJ's Doom?

[frick] and YES!

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