Credit: Marvel Studios (L) / Paramount Pictures (R)Could Tom Cruise enter the MCU very soon?
Iron Man is one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture. Beginning life on the pages of Marvel Comics, Iron Man became a central figure in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe 45 years after his inception in 1963.
It would be Robert Downey Jr. who would bring the arrogant and intelligent Tony Stark to fans everywhere when he starred in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man in 2008, thus commencing Feige’s long-term interconnected world of the MCU.
Downey Jr. became a staple part of the MCU, starring in Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Downey Jr. would play his final performance in the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame after Iron Man sacrificed himself to save the universe from Thanos (Josh Brolin).
Since his departure and that of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America, many fans have started to switch off from the MCU, which has seen a general downtrend in interest, viewership, and box office receipts throughout Phase Four and the recently concluded Phase Five.
There was Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), of course, which netted close to $2 billion, and the follow-up, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), which caught the tailwind of the Multiversal exploits of No Way Home, and brought in $900+ million.
Overall, however, Phase Four and, more recently, Phase Five have seen superhero fatigue set in, so much so that Marvel Studios called for a complete overhaul of its TV business.
In terms of the film fare, Marvel Studios recently wrapped its Phase Five with the back-to-back release of Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Thunderbolts* (2025). Next up to launch Phase Six will be the Pedro Pascal-starrer The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).
So, it begs the question: Can the MCU survive long-term without its legacy actors and characters? Iron Man is gone, Captain America is gone, and Black Widow is gone. These superheroes are part of what made the MCU successful in its early history, and without them, can the so-called Multiverse Saga ever be as popular and beloved as it once was?
Related: Tom Cruise Ends ‘Pirates’ Star Johnny Depp’s Career With Franchise
Well, it seems that Marvel got the message as both Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) are going to “reboot” the MCU, with Robert Downey Jr. making his franchise return as one of the most well-known and celebrated villains in the history of Marvel Comics: Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom. That said, it may not be the end of Iron Man on the big screen.
Over the years, there have been theories that Tom Cruise, an actor with ties to the part of Iron Man, will make his MCU debut as a Variant of Iron Man in Secret Wars.
In a 2023 interview, Tom Cruise’s casting decision for Iron Man was revealed.
“In the newly released “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios” [by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards), it’s explained that a then-34-year-old Cruise ‘flirted with the idea of playing [Tony] Stark,'” writes Comic Book Movie.
According to the book, “Cruise’s asking fee at the time was more than even a profitable studio like [20th Century Fox] was willing to risk on an untested superhero property.”
Related: ‘Iron Man 2’ Star Vulgarly Trashes Hollywood Legend Tom Cruise Live on Air
It seems evident that Cruise would require a high fee, thanks to his work in franchises like Mission: Impossible, and, yes, despite Iron Man being heavily featured in Marvel Comics, the character had yet to make the transition to the big live-action screen. Alas, fans may one day get to see even a cameo of Tom Cruise as Iron Man if the Multiverse Saga closes out with a bang in Secret Wars.
Tom Cruise recently starred in the climax of his beloved Mission: Impossible series, Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning (2025), directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
As for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the movies helmed by the Russo Brothers were recently delayed. They will now arrive in movie theaters on December 18, 2026, and December 17, 2027, respectively.
Would you have liked to see Tom Cruise as Iron Man in the MCU? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!