Many years ago, there was a possibility that Tom Cruise would take on the role of Iron Man. As we know today, nothing came of it. Kevin Feige has now finally given the answer why they decided against the “Top Gun” star.
Tom Cruise (“Top Gun: Maverick”) is not only one of the most successful actors of our time, for many cinema lovers the “Mission: Impossible” icon is even the last dazzling superstar of Hollywood. Not only does Cruise always go all out to bring the best possible spectacle to the screen. He also succeeds in drawing crowds to movie theaters with his name alone. A rarity in this day and age.
Would Tom Cruise’s popularity have soared even higher if he had played a Marvel superhero like Iron Man? In any case, the possibility existed in the mid-1990s, when 20th Century Fox was working on bringing an “Iron Man” project to life. In the recently published book “MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios”, in which everything revolves around the background of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one can now also find interesting statements regarding the Tom Cruise/Iron Man causa.
Kevin Feige, as well as Kathleen Kennedy were pressured by Disney during Disney’s Investor Day 2020 to announce new Marvel Studios/Lucasfilm projects, even though they were far from ready.
via MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios pic.twitter.com/7K2wg9yydL
– Marvel | Star Wars News (@CinematicxNews) October 21, 2023
The movie Spider-Man 4 by Sam Raimi was planned with a $400 million budget, but unfortunately, it was canceled.
(via: MCU – The Reign of Marvel Studios)SpiderMan4 TobeyMaguire SpiderMan Marvel pic. twitter.com/kOdn980uo3
– MarvelVerse (@MarvelVerse___) October 17, 2023
TOM CRUISE WAS JUST TOO EXPENSIVE
In any case, the book by Joana Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards makes it clear that Tom Cruise was already associated with an “Iron Man” many years before Robert Downey Jr. According to the book, the actor is said to have been interested in portraying the Avengers member. Why it ultimately did not come to that, however, has not yet been clarified. Until now.
Kevin Feige is said to have explained to the writers of “The Reign Of Marvel Studios” that Tom Cruise was simply far too expensive: “Cruise’s fee at the time was larger than even a very profitable studio like Fox was willing to spend on an unproven superhero project. “
So they were desperate to minimize the risk should the planned “Iron Man” not bring in the desired success. That’s exactly what happened when Marvel Studios finally made the decision to finally bring the iconic superhero to the big screen. They couldn’t afford an A-list actor (which included Johnny Depp, who was also in the running for the role). In the end, the decision was made (with a known outcome) between Timothy Olyphant (“Justfied”), Jim Caviezel (“Sound Of Freedom”), and Robert Downey Jr.
Of course, no one doubts today that Kevin Feige and Co. made the right choice in the end with Robert Downey Jr. After all, Downey Jr. created one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. Whether we’ll still get to see Tom Cruise as Iron Man (or in a comic book blockbuster at all) at some point is hard to imagine, but not out of the question. Even though Cruise’s schedule is probably pretty booked up, the MCU has always provided surprises in the past. Especially now, where through the multiverse really everything seems possible and so sometimes already speculated about a Cruise cameo.
