“Iron Man 4”: Tom Cruise stuns as Tony Stark in jaw-dropping “first look” trailer

MCU fans have been discussing the possibility of Tom Cruise playing an Iron Man variant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This amazing video highlights why fans would love to see it.

In 2021, the movie world was abuzz with rumors all about Spider-Man: No Way Home. Almost all of those rumors had something to do with one character appearing or a Marvel veteran returning (or, sometimes, it was both).

The subsequent arrival and release of that movie did not end those rumors (they never do with Marvel movies), because like the ever-growing beast that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, those rumors have continued to grow, resulting in even greater excitement for both the present and the future of the MCU.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came next, premiering in movie theaters last year. To say there were even more rumors about that would be an understatement. And one of those rumors in question suggested that Tom Cruise might don that familiar Iron armor as the Superior Iron Man instead of the one and only Robert Downey Jr.

That ultimately did not happen in the movie, but a lot of fans haven’t been able to get enough of the idea of the Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning star playing an alternate version of Tony Stark, especially since the MCU’s Multiverse Saga is now in full flow.

This fan video has given us an idea of what that could look like.

Tom Cruise becomes Iron Man in stunning fan trailer video

YouTube user Stryder HD certainly knows about creating epic fan videos that utilize Deepfake technology to capture an actor’s likeness and place it over another’s. We have seen this technique applied to a number of the creator’s amazing videos (including an awesome imagining of Liam Hemsworth replacing Henry Cavill in The Witcher). And this jaw-dropping video is just another example of that.

Using footage from Iron Man, the video acts as a concept teaser for a fictional Iron Man 4 and it places Tom Cruise’s face over Robert Downey Jr., imagining what the Hollywood star could look like if he were to play a variant of Tony Stark in an MCU movie.

It’s an incredibly convincing video that suggests Cruise would be able to nail the charm that RDJ’s Tony is known for (even though we all know RDJ is irreplaceable).

Is Tom Cruise playing an Iron Man variant in the MCU?

Tom Cruise was only rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as reports of Doctor Strange reshoots has been making their way around the internet, with some fans wondering if this would result in even more cameos in the film. It ultimately turned out to be just that: A rumor.

Even though he didn’t appear in the multiversal film, those rumors have persisted as fans have wondered if we could see him cameo in a future MCU film. Nothing has been confirmed or even suggested by Marvel, but given that the multiverse will continue to play a role throughout Phase Four, Five, and Six (a.k.a. The Multiverse Saga), there is quite the possibility that we could see alternate versions of many classic MCU heroes. Could Cruise’s Iron Man be one of them?

If this were to happen, it would be a nod to the fact that Cruise was among the early possibilities to play the role in 2008’s Iron Man before RDJ was cast.

Will more variants pop up in the MCU in Phase 5?

There are more opportunities for an Iron Man variant to surface in the MCU than ever before. As Kevin Feige confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, the franchise’s fourth, fifth, and sixth phases are all considered part of “The Multiverse Saga”, meaning that what we’ve seen so far is only beginning of what’s coming.

Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opened the door for other variants of beloved Marvel characters to surface, and now it’s just a matter of time until they do. And this would allow for a lot of fan-service and nods along the way. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicking off Phase 5 and Loki season 2 set to continue the multiverse shenanigans in October, anything is possible.

With all of that in mind, don’t be surprised if we really do see Tom Cruise’s Iron Man variant appear at some point or another throughout The Multiverse Saga.

Would you like to see Tom Cruise could show up as the Superior Iron Man/Tony Stark variant in a future MCU project? Would you prefer to see Robert Downey Jr. back in the iconic role?