Marvel fans have been talking about the possibility of Tom Cruise taking on the role of Iron Man in MCU conversations for over a year now, and this amazing video highlights why.
Tom Cruise has been at the center of a lot of legendary movies in his career. He is still leading the Mission Impossible movies after two decades (the next of which comes out this summer) and the long-awaited Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, which made history at the box office last year, grossing an unbelievable $1.5 billion.
However, could we ever see him appear in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie? That’s a question Marvel fans spent a lot of last year asking, specifically as there were plenty of rumors that suggested he would. And with Marvel Studios exploring their Multiverse Saga, fans have been wondering if he will finally play the role of an alternate Iron Man in any of the saga’s upcoming films or TV shows.
That’s something one YouTube user has decided to bring to life using some incredibly convincing technology, imagining what it would look like if Tom Cruise portrayed Tony Stark in upcoming film Armor Wars. Starring Don Cheadle, that film will see James “Rhodey” Rhodes attempt to recover some of his late best friend’s stolen technology when it falls into the wrong hands.
This awesome fan video gives us a chance to see what Cruise would look like if he appeared in the movie as Tony Stark.
Tom Cruise becomes Iron Man in Armor Wars concept video
YouTube user StryderHD has produced many convincing videos in recent years. Those videos usually consist of taking one actor’s likeness and digitally placing it over another through the use of Deepfake technology, bringing a lot of dream fan-casts to life in a video.
This one, titled a “First Look” clip, imagines what Tom Cruise might look like if he were to appear in the upcoming Armor Wars movie, which is all about Tony Stark’s legacy. Using footage from the first Iron Man movie (and very first MCU movie), the video replaces Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark with Tom Cruise.
What makes this one even more impressive is how the voice has also been altered so that the lines of dialogue sound more like Cruise than Downey Jr.
Will Tom Cruise appear in the MCU as Iron Man?
The rumors of Tom Cruise’s arrival in the MCU all all began last year in the build up to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, when it was speculated that he could appear as a variant of Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man. It wouldn’t be the same Stark as Robert Downey Jr.’s version. No this rumor suggested that Cruise would play the more antagonistic Superior Iron Man from the comics.
This ultimately did not happen, but it hasn’t stopped the speculation that Cruise could turn up in the MCU as an alternate version of Stark at some point in time. And there’s an irony in there because he nearly played the role in 2008’s Iron Man before RDJ was ultimately cast in the role.
If Cruise does appear in the MCU in the future, it likely won’t be in Armor Wars. That movie is all about the legacy of the MCU’s main Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), so unless the multiversal theme plays into what appears to be a more grounded project, we shouldn’t expect to see him in that one.
But with Marvel Studios exploring the Multiverse Saga, we will likely see more variants of many beloved Marvel heroes. And there’s always the chance that Cruise could be among them as Iron Man. Anything can happen in the MCU!
Armor Wars updates
Revealed during Disney Investor Day 2020, Armor Wars was initially planned as a six-part TV series for Disney Plus with Don Cheadle set to return as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, reprising the role he has played for nearly 15 years in the MCU movies. However, it was subsequently announced that it would evolve into a theatrical movie instead. It’s unknown what sparked the change, but fans hoping to see War Machine shine certainly wouldn’t argue with Rhodey finally getting his feature length film.
The film is expected to be a sequel to the events of Secret Invasion and Ironheart, with the character attempting to preserve the legacy of Tony Stark when Iron Man’s tech falls into the wrong hands. Cheadle recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the movie, teasing fans with what they can expect:
"“The fun part about it is that we’re going to continue to explore Rhodey and — in some ways for the first time — get to see what makes him tick,” Cheadle explains. “We understand his physical challenges, but we haven’t really yet dug into a lot of his emotional and psychological [challenges].”"
Marvel Studios has yet to announce a release window for the movie, but we can theorize based on what the current Phase 5 and 6 slates look like. The former is stacked, with releases confirmed for all of it, meaning that Armor Wars will probably fall into Phase 6. Currently, Fantastic Four is the first movie of Phase 6 with a November 2024 release date, so the earliest we could expect Armor Wars would be 2025.
If it does remain part of the Multiverse Saga, there is always a chance we could see Cruise pop up as an alternate Iron Man. Wouldn’t that be something?!