Here’s why Tom Cruise doesn’t play Iron Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness despite all the online rumors about his potential cameo.
Screenwriter Michael Waldron reveals why Tom Cruise doesn’t appear as Iron Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Marvel’s latest film in their cinematic universe released last Friday after several years of anticipation and speculation. Doctor Strange 2 has received generally positive reviews and has already grossed over $451 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing movie of 2022.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness takes audiences through numerous universes to meet the various characters living in them. Because of the opportunity to showcase different takes on classic superheroes, rumors quickly swirled as to which Marvel multiverse characters would appear in Doctor Strange 2 before it premiered. These rumors even speculated over which actors would portray those characters. One such rumor involved Cruise donning the Iron Man suit made famous by Robert Downey Jr. as an alternate Tony Stark; however, to many fans’ disappointment, it seems that was never going to happen.
Speaking with Rolling Stone magazine, Waldron, who wrote Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, explains why Cruise does not appear as Iron Man in the film. When asked if Cruise playing Iron Man was just a fan rumor, Waldron responds, “Yeah, that was totally made up.” However, it seems the writer was interested in the idea after hearing it online. As he explains:
I mean, there’s no cut footage of Tom Cruise! But I love Tom Cruise, and I said to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] at one point, I was like, Could we get Tom Cruise’s Iron Man? I remember reading about that in Ain’t It Cool News back in the day, that Tom Cruise was going to be Iron Man.
However, the idea was never actually floated by Cruise, as he was busy filming Mission: Impossible 7 and 8. As Waldron says, “I just don’t think it was ever an option, because of availability.” Interestingly enough, before Downey was asked to play Tony Stark in Jon Favreau’s 2008 mega-hit Iron Man, Cruise was rumored to be the top choice to play the character. While he did enter talks to play the superhero, it never came to pass. Nevertheless, the idea of having Cruise play Iron Man in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was so appealing to fans that the rumor ran rampant on the internet for months. Now it is clear that it was just that: A rumor.
Love him or hate, there is no denying that Cruise is an action star, considering the lengths he goes to perform his own stunts in films. Due to his thirst for extreme stunts, it seems he would have made a great Iron Man. While fans will always praise Downey’s portrayal of the character, having Cruise appear as an alternative Tony Stark in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would have been interesting to say the least. Unfortunately, it was little more than a fun concept for the people at Marvel Studios.
Source: screenrant
