10 Potential Castings We're SO Glad Didn't Happen
8. Tom Cruise As Tony Stark (Iron Man)
Back when Marvel launched their MCU, there were a few names in the frame to be the leading man. Considering how iconic Robert Downey Jnr’s Tony Stark has been, it’s safe to say they made the right choice.
Even without RDJ, Tom Cruise feels like a big swing and a miss. He’s a talented actor, no doubt, but casting him would have replaced arrogance and cockiness for smarminess and would have lost Tony’s self deprecating edge.
Not to mention robbing the MCU (which itself might not exist) of RDJ’s natural charisma and improv. Cruise is great at delivering lines, but he’s not an easy going actor who gels with big groups. Cruise feels like Ed Norton and Terrence Howard; all talented guys who just didn’t fit the Marvel vibe the way RDJ, Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle do.
Robert Downey Jnr, along with Chris Evans and Tom Holland has often been held up as evidence Marvel grow their actors on a farm; he just fits the role that well.
The studio though was initially unsure on RDJ, given his previous personal troubles and lack of blockbuster leads. However, director Jon Favreau convinced them to take the risk, and the rest is history.