20 actors who were almost in cast in Marvel movies

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 08: Director, writer, producer John Krasinski and Emily Blunt attend the World Premiere of "A Quiet Place Part II" presented by Paramount Pictures, at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall on March 08, 2020 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures) /

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Tom Cruise as Iron Man

It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Tony Stark other than Robert Downey Jr. Downey is able to capture Tony’s complexities so well. He brings charm, wit, and also the depth of Tony’s issues with anxiety to the screen.

An Iron Man movie was being thought about and develop long before the MCU become a thing. In fact, during one point in the ’90s, the franchise rights belonged to 20th Century Fox. During this time, Tom Cruise was one of the actors who was a contender to play Tony Stark. Feige has even confirmed that there were talks with Cruise taking on the role over the years. It didn’t work out, however. Cruise, however, seems to agree the Downey was the right choice in the end.

“I love Robert Downey Jr. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role, and I think it’s perfect for him,” Cruise said to Comicbook.com in April 2018, roughly ten years after the movie first came out.

We have to say we also agree with Cruise on his point. Tom Cruise wouldn’t be able to bring the attitude and nuance to Tony Stark that Robert Downey Jr. has so skillfully been able to do. Since Iron Man set off the entire world of MCU, it’s hard to imagine anyone else taking on that role. Plus, Tom Cruise has been the face of a lot of big action franchises, and it seems like he wouldn’t have been able to carry the franchise because of all of his other big-name projects.

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