Filmmakers behind the series 'Wednesday' unveil surprising details about initial plans for 'Iron Man' featuring Tom Cruise in key role
In the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Tom Cruise was a contender for the role of Tony Stark, the billionaire genius behind the Iron Man armour.
Before Robert Downey Jr. donned the iconic suit, Cruise was considered and showed interest in playing the part. However, Marvel Studios and Cruise felt that the role "just didn't feel ... like it was gonna work."
The journey began when Avi Arad, founder of Marvel Studios, approached writers Miles Miller and Alfred Gough after their successful work on the story for Spider-Man 2. The meeting took place in a small office within Arad's Toy Biz company.
New Line Cinema, who owned the rights to make an Iron Man movie at the time, expressed interest in casting Cruise as Tony Stark. If they had gotten their first choice, the MCU might have looked very different today.
Miller and Gough's Iron Man script painted a complex picture of the character. He was depicted as a billionaire who sold weapons, struggled with alcohol, and was trying to make amends for past mistakes. However, concerns about Iron Man's ability to fly and a less-than-positive meeting with Kevin Feige, Avi Arad, and Robert Shaye from New Line Cinema led to the script being dropped.
Despite this, the idea of Cruise as Iron Man has remained a topic of discussion among fans and industry insiders. Even in alternate universe versions of the story, Cruise's name often comes up as a potential choice for the role.
In the end, the part went to Robert Downey Jr., whose portrayal of Tony Stark is now widely regarded as perfect for the character. But it's interesting to imagine how the MCU might have evolved if Cruise had stepped into the Iron Man suit instead.
[1] Source: Collider (https://collider.com/tom-cruise-iron-man-marvel-robert-downey-jr/) [2] Source: IGN (https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07/23/tom-cruise-almost-played-iron-man-marvel-robert-downey-jr) [3] Source: Screen Rant (https://screenrant.com/tom-cruise-almost-played-iron-man-robert-downey-jr/)
In the realm of entertainment, the MCU's trajectory could have been severely altered had New Line Cinema cast Tom Cruise as Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie, as they initially intended. This intriguing discussion about Tom Cruise as Iron Man often arises in both Marvel fan circles and industry discussions. [1] [2] [3] Movies-and-TV serve as a platform for ongoing speculation about alternative character interpretations and the potential impact on storylines in the entertainment industry.
