Why Didn't Tom Cruise Play Iron Man? Kevin Feige Explains

The would-be involvement of Tom Cruise in the role of Iron Man is like with the existence of Yeti - no one has officially confirmed it, but most believe that something is up. And while we still have to rely solely on legends when it comes to the snow creature, the issue of Marvel Studios hiring the Hollywood star has finally been officially clarified.

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In the recently released book titled MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios it's revealed that as early as the 1990s, 20th Century Fox was working on a project about Iron Man, and Tom Cruise was "flirting with the idea of playing [Tony] Stark" (via Comic Book Movie).

In an interview with the authors, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige explained that the star didn't don Iron Man's armor because of the salary. It turns out that the popular actor expected a pay that was beyond the studio's financial capabilities. At the time, Tony Stark was not as recognizable as other superheroes, so company representatives did not want to risk investing so much money in a franchise that did not guarantee success.

When, after many years, Marvel Studios eventually decided to bring the story of Iron Man to life, it still couldn't engage a top star (according to rumors, one of the candidates to portray the title role was Johnny Depp). So the final bet was on Robert Downey Jr, who, after numerous scandals, was just beginning to recover.

Despite the fact that the actor proved over the course of subsequent movies that he was made to play Tony Stark, Cruise's fans did not give up hope that their idol would finally appear in the MCU. The chance for his debut was seen by audiences in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. According to rumors circulating at the time, Cruise was to play one of the alternate versions of Stark from another dimension. However, these reports were dismissed by screenwriter Michael Waldron.

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Kamil Kleszyk

Kamil Kleszyk

At Gamepressure.com deals with various jobs. So you can expect from him both news about the farming simulator and a text about the impact of Johnny Depp's trial on the future of Pirates of the Caribbean. Introvert by vocation. Since childhood, he felt a closer connection to humanities than to exact sciences. When after years of learning came a time of stagnation, he preferred to call it his "search for a life purpose." In the end, he decided to fight for a better future, which led him to the place where he is today.