Before Marvel made the unconventional decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, there were a number of actors (all of whom were doing much better than him at the time) who they considered choosing. Nicolas Cage and Timothy Olyphant both auditioned, but the fact that Paramount Pictures were distributing the movie meant that Tom Cruise was seriously considered for the lead role and actually came close to landing it. Things could have also been drastically different behind the scenes too. Before Jon Favreau was handed the reigns for Iron Man (a decision which baffled many due to the fact that his last movie was Elf), a number of other filmmakers were considered. Those included rather unexciting candidates like Len Wiseman and Nick Cassavetes, but also some far more exciting names like eventual Avengers helmer Joss Whedon and Quentin Tarantino. The latter would have no doubt brought something very unique to the table, but the selection of Favreau marked a different approach for Marvel to their films. Rather than choosing recognisable names or those with blockbuster experience, they would instead continue to make unexpected choices by looking at those who were ultimately the best choice for the character at hand. This is a strategy which has continued to pay off for them.
