Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness writer also wanted to see Tom Cruise show up as Iron Man
At least one dream MCU cameo did come true, so there's no need to be greedy anyway
Aux News Tom Cruise
[The following contains spoilers for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, but most of them are about a version of the movie that does not exist in this reality.]
Ever since officially unleashing the multiverse in Loki, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has largely used it as an excuse for payoffs and fan-service. That was basically the whole premise of What If…?, with its alternate versions of heroes and ultimate mega-villain (Ultron with the Infinity Stones), and it helped bring untold mountains of cash to Sony and Marvel by allowing for three different Spider-Mans to meet up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. So it was obvious that Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness would feature some No Way Home-esque Easter eggs even before that Super Bowl teaser first hinted that Professor X might be making an appearance.
With Professor X seemingly confirmed, all bets were off: Would Eric Bana’s Hulk be there? Would we get a nod to years of dream-casting John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as Reed Richards and Sue Storm? Would the Tom Cruise version of Iron Man from the “If they made The Avengers in the ‘90s” meme show up?
Well, one of those actually happened, and it’s not Tom Cruise’s Iron Man, but Multiverse Of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron recently told Rolling Stone that he would’ve loved to get Tom Cruise in the movie. He says Cruise was never formally approached and no footage of Cruise as Iron Man in this movie exists (despite some supposed leaks going around), but it was part of his initial plan at some point. He says he wanted to do it simply because “Tom Cruise as Iron Man” has been floating in the digital ether for decades and he thought it would be fun, but he doesn’t think anyone even reached out to Tom Cruise because of the many Mission: Impossible movies he’s making in Europe.
The rest of the Rolling Stone interview doesn’t have any other what-might-have-been teases, but it does offer some interesting insight on Waldron’s writing process for the movie (including the revelation that a confusing Fantastic Four joke was an ad-lib from Benedict Cumberbatch and is not meant to be confusing).
59 Comments
including the revelation that a confusing Fantastic Four joke was an ad-lib from Benedict Cumberbatch and is not meant to be confusingI actually clicked through to the article, since I had read other sites discussing the ‘60s line from Strange. He made a Beatles joke; “Fab Four” vs. “Fantastic Four.” Not super confusing.
No one else was confused. Look at the writer.
Yeah who was confused. I thought it was funny and maybe a nod to their origins.
Especially as Strange was established to be a music nerd in the first film. He would so make that joke.
I didn’t really see it as a Beatles joke necessarily, just that Fantastic Four sounds like the name of a ‘60s vocal group.
Still, same gag at the heart of it. Not particularly confusing.
It IS the name of a band that charted in the 60s.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)
Exactly. I guess however the kids want to interpret it is fine, as long as they laugh – it’s certainly enough that the name sounds *incredibly* “1960s”. But what it ain’t, is “confusing”.
There must be some absolutely mental contractual issues with that, given how much money Iron Man represents to Robert Downey Jr. I’d like to think he was down with the banter of a 2 minute Tom Cruise cameo, but who could blame him if not? He might get to come back in a few years and secure his great-great-grandkids as a bunch of annoying millionaires.
You motherfuckers got Black Bolt. Sit down and enjoy what you got.
God, please, no. I absolutely do not need to see Tom Cruise playing himself but in an Iron Man suit.
He was actually going to play Les Grossman in an Iron Man suit.
Councillor Les Grossman should be less gross, man, and more iron, man.
Tom Cruise as Les Grossman As Obadiah Stane in the Iron Monger suit.
Who the hell wants that?Keep that dude as far away from MCU as possible.
You know, at one point Marvel’s greatest asset was its casting department – the ability to cast just the right person for every role, even those who weren’t huge stars to begin with. It’s a shame that it’s devolved into “just get literally every big name we can,” and it’s even more of a shame that there are fans who get pissy that they’re not even worse about it.
Curious who you object to in the films we’ve gotten so far?
It’s not even necessarily “objecting” to – I’m not one of those people who fancasts for Marvel – it’s just that it all lacks a certain spark. Maybe it’s more of the writing’s fault, but like…let’s say the cast of Eternals switched roles with each other. Let’s say Salma Hayek played Angelina Jolie’s character and vice versa, or that Kit Harington was Richard Madden’s character. Would anything really change? Even with a casting I have no problem with, like Charlize Theron as Clea, it feels less like “oh FUCK YEAH that’s perfect” and more like “okay sure, she might as well be.”
I’ve actually always thought Marvel’s casting choices were weird, and takes seeing them in context to win me over. Almost every time.
I mean, sure, you’ve got some big names in the mix, but it seems like the majority of casting announcements in the last couple of years have been people like Xoxitl Gomez, Kumail Nanjiani, Will Poulter, Teyonah Parris, Simu Liu, Don Lee . . . Not unknowns, for the most part, but far from A-listers.
That said, I agree that folks like Jolie, Theron, Styles, and Hayek could have been replaced with less well known, arguably better actors to better effect. I’m sure Theron will do fine as Clea, but why not, let’s say, Andrea Riseborough, other than “Well, people won’t go ‘Oh!’ when they see her in a post-credit scene.”
I also wonder the extent to which a lot of these casting decisions are based on famous people calling Kevin Feige and saying “my kids want me to be in a Marvel movie, what do you have?”
I mean, Jolie and Hayek and Theron are all outstanding actresses – I don’t mean to imply otherwise. But none of them feel distinctive in their parts. There are exceptions, especially with the side characters: Jeff Goldblum, Kathryn Hahn, etc. But still, it’s odd. Maybe it’s more a writing issue, I dunno.
i think it goes the same with any long-running franchise. the closest thing would be the fast & furious movies, and they also used to have interesting, left-of-center casting choices that eventually devolved into ‘another movie star!’ ironically, noone who is currently in the main cast of fast & furious would be cast in it today.
What brand new casting is just some random A-lister but that also isn’t a one-off multiverse cameo?
Yah I knew someone who saw it and there reaction was literally “I’m pissed that there weren’t more cameos” – grow upppp.
That’s why I like the Snyderverse. No constant cameos of other heroes showing up and stunt casting of cameos. Just good old American Way enjoyable superhero action. Nothing meme-worthy.
I agree completely, but it’s much easier to cast an unknowns like Hemsworth and Hiddleston when the MCU was this fledging little project. Billions of dollars later and you can see why they’d want to go for bankable names.
I think their casting is still strong. Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters is *chef’s kiss*. Simu Liu was perfect casting. They’re catching Will Poulter at just the right time. They’re still “casting ahead” (i.e. casting a promising young actor before they become a star) with Xochitl Gomez, Iman Villani, Teyonah Parris, and Dominique Thorne.I think the reason you’re seeing them casting bigger names like Theron and Bale is that these performers are actively seeking to be part of the MCU machine. If Cate Blanchett or Charlize Theron comes to you and says “I love these movies, find me a role”, you fucking do it. Plus, they’ve phased out the earlier actors (who subsequently became big names) like Downey, Evans, Johansson, etc. and probably feel at least some pressure to fill the name on the poster with an equally big name. Disney also loves to double-dip, signing an actor to be in a MCU film, but also Star Wars, or one of their own productions. They look for opportunities to cross-pollenate. So they may cast a Theron in a limited role with the hopes of developing a partnership to use her across a wider spectrum than just Clea.
We’ve already had that, then Sue Storm shoots him. Many. Times.
I think we, as a society, should demand that Edge of Tomorrow win an academy award. I know it came out years ago but I don’t care. That movie is perfect
…we? As a society? I think yer crossing streams there, budday. But if that’s what it takes for us to be that much closer to a Superman vs Spidey crossover flick then I’ll allow it. All monies going to charity of course.
It’s a cliche to say this at this point but still, it really should’ve been named “Live. Die. Repeat.” from the start.
It’s the perfect video game movie that isn’t based on a video game.
Can we also get Jake Gyllenhaal and Renee Russo awards for Nightcrawler?
it’s perfect for the first 3/4ths anyway!
If I remember correctly, Tom Cruise was the original choice to play Tony Stark when the idea first surfaced around 2005. Him turning it down led to RDJ, and without RDJ the whole thing doesn’t take off. So in a way Tom Cruise is to thank, or blame for the Marvel universe. I do believe he has expressed a desire to end up in the MCU in some form as well.
They were talking about him even earlier. Very early 2000s it was Cruise and Depp as the two names put around for the role. Brad Pitt was the Captain America dream casting they were on about.Mark Millar wrote a joke about some of this into an early issue of The Ultimates on the back of the casting chat on the message boards at the time.
You guys aren’t going back far enough. Early 90s Iron Man was drawn to look exactly like Timothy Dalton from the Rocketeer.
I can see the end of the cave battle in the Depp version of Iron Man 1 now: “This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Tony Stark.” *Iron Man flies off drunkenly*
I personally would have preferred this alternate universe version. https://youtu.be/khlkDS0d00M
I always thought that Cruise would be perfect as a Cyclops from X-Men.
I honestly thought James Marsden was a very good fit for that role, but yeah, with the budget, Top Gun era Cruise would have been perfect.
The only people who want Tom Cruise as Iron Man are Tom Cruise’s agent’s assistants.
It sounds more like this was a throwaway joke about a meme and not something that was ever going to happen.
I kinda get the feeling Tom wouldn’t do a little cameo(at least not without a BIG pay check) and it would risk angering RDJ, who is suspect isn’t done with the role yet
Tropic Thunder
Well Atwell might have been able to talk him into in for a lark.
He would. All it would take is for one producer, star or director involved in the movie to be friends with him.
Why would RDJ get upset? It’s pretty much guaranteed that if he ever wants back in the MCU, they’ll be happy to have him. Meanwhile Cruise has been working nonstop between the two M:I movies he’s got in production and promoting Top Gun 2, with at least one injury and one bout of Covid thrown in. It’s most likely the schedules just didn’t line up for this to happen.
Yeah, RDJ isn’t going to get angry at the people who paid him nine figures over the years.
the main reason I thought a Cruise cameo was plausible was his cameo in Austin Powers Goldmember. Old precedent but still valid.
Honestly… I would’ve rather had Tom Cruise as the evil ‘Superior Iron Man’ show up as the primary villain of No Way Home. Since the other villains weren’t Peter 1’s having an evil version of his mentor would’ve given him his own antagonist and provided closure on the Stark mentorship. Then again, I also wanted Venom to actually show up to the final fight and freak out Tobey!Parker.
My headcanon is that 838 Tony died in the same Winter Soldier incident that killed his parents. In that universe, he went with them.
Yes, there were working Ultron robots, but no reason Reed and 838 Banner can’t do that. And if no evil Ultron, then no Vision.
That means 838 Wanda had those kids some other way. Maybe she magicked them herself using midic… I mean, chaos magic. Or she did it the traditional way and Simon Williams or Dane Whitman or some non-super rando is those kids’ father and they are divorced or he’s dead. Or she went to the sperm bank.
The 838 kids are cute and they have a good relationship with Wanda, but it’s not sitcommy shit. That indicates to me that this is real and not a hex.
It helps explain why 616 Wanda fixated on her. 838 Wanda got it all, without enslaving a suburb. She never meets Agatha and never gets the Scarlet Witch powers triggered/manifested. Which explains why Reed and the rest don’t realize she’s a major threat until it’s too late.
It would also explain why there was no Iron Man presence at all at that meeting. The tech doesn’t exist. So, no Rhodey. No grown-up Morgan. No Pepper. No Justin Hammer. No Obadiah. Not even that Kilmonger variant that got the suit.
As for Wanda and Pietro, Obadiah takes Stark International for a bit and the bombs still kill her parents and she still signs up for HYDRA experiments and the Mind Stone still gives them powers. They make it to the U.S. and get revenge on Stane and become fairly minor players in the superhero doings.
They got to the U.S. with the help of a mysterious benefactor. Wanda overheard someone talking about it and thinks she heard the name “Erik”
Tom Cruise as Iron Man:Help me! Help you! Hap-py!
That would have been fun. But it also would speak to the funny feeling I’m getting that this phase of the MCU has become more fan servicey because they don’t have anything else to lean on. Harry Styles pops up as a character in Eternals why?
Because they are using Starfox sometime.I am a fan. I have a raging, throbbing, pulsating fanhood. Every time I go to an MCU movie or watch a show, I whip it out in all its veined glory.I expect service
Even if I utterly hated this movie, I would still have popped the hell out if Tom Cruise had appeared as Iron Man.
I think that makes sense. Its a little weird that all the other Stranges were Cumberbatches while none of the other Spider-men were Tom Hollands.
Well, we only met, what, three alternate Stranges? Loki established that some variants look the same and some don’t. We just didn’t happen to see any that didn’t (though I suppose it would’ve been cute to have a Joaquin Phoenix Strange appear briefly).
if you include the what if ones they were also all played by cumberbatch.
As long as there is NEVER a Jared Leto Dr. Strange, I’m good.I mean, gimme a Wilford Brimley Dr. Strange first. Or Bea Arthur.