After we consider Iron Man, we consider Robert Downey Jr. His efficiency is so in sync with the character that it principally constructed the Marvel Cinematic Universe from scratch. However what if Tony Stark had belonged to a different Hollywood large? What if Tom Cruise—Mr. Ethan Hunt himself, the person who hangs off airplanes for enjoyable—had been the one to don the red-and-gold armor? It virtually occurred. And in that alternate actuality, the MCU we all know in the present day would possibly look very, very completely different.
Again within the late ’90s, the concept of a cinematic Iron Man was already bouncing round Hollywood. Fox held the rights, and at one level Cruise was in severe talks to star and even produce. It made sense on paper: he was one of many largest field workplace names on the planet, and Iron Man was a personality who wanted star energy to beat his standing as a “B-list” comedian guide hero. However there was an issue: Tom Cruise got here with a price ticket. And in an period earlier than Marvel films have been assured moneymakers, Fox balked on the value. The undertaking stalled.
From there, the Iron Man rights have been handed round like a sizzling potato. New Line picked it up within the early 2000s and had writers like Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame) and even Joss Whedon take swings at drafts. Al Gough and Miles Millar, who later created Smallville and Netflix’s Wednesday, spent a 12 months engaged on an Iron Man script with Cruise nonetheless on the prime of the wishlist. However studio execs scratched their heads on the idea. “Iron Man can fly? But Superman flies,” one allegedly stated. That model crashed earlier than it may take off.
By 2005, the rights returned to Marvel, Jon Favreau signed on to direct, and a special form of star was ready within the wings. The remainder is historical past.
So what would a Tom Cruise Tony Stark appear like? Robert Downey Jr. gave us a Tony Stark who was damaged, humorous, and improvisational. He was a genius who didn’t simply construct his fits, but additionally constructed his persona round sarcasm and deflection. Favreau inspired Downey to riff and improvise, giving the primary movie a free, jazzy really feel. It labored, and no one knew precisely what sort of universe Marvel was constructing.
Cruise, against this, is the king of management. As a producer, he designs films like precision machines. His Stark would have been much less about messy brilliance and extra about tactical genius. Think about Mission: Not possible’s Ethan Hunt in a flying go well with of armor, each repulsor blast and cave escape choreographed to the millisecond. The humor would nonetheless be there—Cruise would have given his trademark smirk—however it could be a leaner, steelier Tony Stark. That cave escape sequence? As a substitute of fast cuts and a splash of CGI, Cruise would insist on constructing a practical flamethrower and staging it in a single insane shot.
What in regards to the battle with Obadiah Stane? Overlook two clunky CGI robots duking it out. It might be an industrial cat-and-mouse chase throughout cranes and smokestacks with Cruise sprinting, leaping, and dangling off actual equipment. The MCU’s first chapter would have regarded extra like a techno-thriller than a freewheeling hangout film—not that there’s something improper with that.
If Cruise had strapped into the Mark I, the ripple results on the MCU would have been huge. Cruise’s Iron Man would have set the franchise on a extra severe path from the start. The free, improvisational comedy that grew to become Marvel’s signature would possibly by no means have taken root. As a substitute, the MCU might need leaned tougher into spycraft and smooth motion.
With Cruise because the face of Marvel, the franchise would have turn into a star car instantly. The “no one believed in him” underdog story of Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback could be erased, and so would the scrappy vitality that outlined Marvel’s early gamble. As a substitute of a miracle alignment of danger and reward, it could have been a calculated Cruise manufacturing—full with immaculate set items however maybe much less soul.
Tony’s arc would have shifted as nicely. Downey’s Stark was compelling as a result of he was deeply flawed. His ego, addictions, and recklessness made his journey towards heroism messy and human. Cruise’s Stark possible would have been hyper-competent. Even his flaws would play as obstacles to beat by way of sheer willpower. As a substitute of a spiraling alcoholic, you’d have a person who disciplines his manner out of it—and it simply wouldn’t be the identical.
The concept of Cruise as Iron Man by no means absolutely went away. For years, followers imagined what it could appear like. When Marvel’s Physician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity hit theaters, rumors swirled that Cruise would cameo as a variant Iron Man. Author Michael Waldron admitted he pitched the concept, but it surely by no means materialized. No footage was shot, no secret cameo left on the cutting-room flooring. It remained a “what if” within the truest sense.
Cruise himself has been candid about the entire saga. He’s stated he was “not close” to taking part in Iron Man and that Robert Downey Jr. was good for the position. Coming from one of the crucial calculating stars in Hollywood, that’s as near a definitive reply as we’ll get.
So, wouldn’t it have labored? Sure, however it could have been a really completely different MCU. Cruise would have delivered breathtaking motion and grounded set items, and the franchise would possibly even have launched larger on the field workplace proper out of the gate. However the tradeoff would have been tone. As a substitute of the playful, improvisational vitality that made the MCU really feel alive, we’d have gotten a colder, extra technical persona.
Robert Downey Jr. was the embodiment of Tony Stark at a time when his personal profession was in tatters. There’s a purpose that Downey gave us a cultural phenomenon.
So what occurred to Tom Cruise’s Iron Man? The brief reply is cash, timing, and style. The studios weren’t able to bankroll Cruise’s model, and by the point Marvel was, the celebs had aligned for Downey as a substitute. Nonetheless, it’s enjoyable to think about.
“I am Iron Man” grew to become an iconic line—and it belonged to Robert Downey Jr. In one other timeline, it belonged to Tom Cruise, and the MCU might need regarded like a two-hour IMAX stunt reel. Both manner, the fits fly, the crowds roar, and Hollywood historical past will get made—simply in two very completely different instructions.
