With Downey Getting Cast as Dr. Doom, It’s Finally Time for Tom Cruise to Join the MCU & We Have a Perfect Way of How That Could Happen

Robert Downey Jr. played Iron Man in the eponymous Marvel Studios film released in 2008. The film was a critical and commercial success, but it is now better known for being the first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, becoming the first film in what would ultimately become a major moment in the history of modern cinema.

And while Downey made the role his own, there are still fans who would have liked to see Tom Cruise in the role, and you probably know of the many “90s fan castings” which put Cruise in the role of Tony Stark / Iron Man. Not that long ago, we reported how the fans are still pushing for Cruise’s inclusion, and with the current state of affairs being as it is, there is a good chance that it could happen.

Namely, Downey’s casting as Doctor Doom and the MCU’s entry into its most ambitious multiversal storyline to date open up the possibility of an alternative version of Iron Man appearing in the movies. We think that the Secret Wars storyline would be a perfect place to bring Cruise into the MCU, even if just for a cameo appearance.

So, how could this actually happen? Well, as you probably know, fans have been wanting to see a Tom Cruise version of Iron Man for years, and there have been rumors that Marvel had either tried to or is still trying to organize a cameo appearance of the legendary actor in an MCU movie. And while this did not make much sense when Downey was still playing the iconic character, the current state of things allows it.

Namely, several things have led to this. First, it is Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame, which established that Tony Stark is dead in the main MCU canon, i.e., that Downey won’t be getting back to the role, as the character is dead. On top of that, and that is the second factor we are considering here, he has been recast and will be playing Victor von Doom in the upcoming MCU movies, meaning that the actor has moved on from his original role and is now tackling a new one.

The third factor that allows for this is the multiversal nature of the MCU’s current movies. We have seen that this opens up endless possibilities—No Way Home and Deadpool & Wolverine are the prime examples—which means that a story in which we see an alternative version of Iron Man played by Tom Cruise is more than possible! And the fans would love it.

So, where’s the catch? Well, first of all, it would probably cost a lot of money, as Tom Cruise is an A-list actor and someone who is very busy and very meticulous about his projects. He would probably want more creative control, and it is debatable whether Marvel would allow that for a simple cameo. This is another issue: Would Tom Cruise do a cameo like that? Would he simply appear for a few seconds or even in the same manner as the Deadpool & Wolverine cameos? This is a question that we cannot answer at this moment.

There is also the possibility of Marvel bringing Cruise in on a more permanent basis, but that opens up even more questions and is a topic that deserves a separate article. Until then, you could tell us what you think of this theory—would you like to see Cruise or not? Let us know in the comments below!