It appears Michael Waldron ended up pitching Tom Cruise as Iron Man in Doctor Strange 2 but it wasn’t meant to be. Possible spoilers ahead. Consider yourself warned.
Doctor Strange 2 fully breaks the multiverse after the weakening of the barrier from Spider-Man: No Way Home. Variants or versions of different characters of the MCU can actually be in the movie. It was just that a lot of plots can be possible. There was no actual plans to include Tom Cruise in the film at all. The idea actually came from rumors circulating the internet. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the Doctor Strange 2 writer confirms that was never going to happen. However, the idea stuck to him and he asked if it can actually be done.
Michael Waldron Lightly Pitched Tom Cruise To Be In Doctor Strange 2
In response about the query, Waldron says:
Yeah, that was totally made up. I mean, there’s no cut footage of Tom Cruise! But I love Tom Cruise, and I said to [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] at one point, I was like, ‘Could we get Tom Cruise’s Iron Man?’
However, it seems that the question was already answered even before they simmered on the idea. Time was of the essence. During the time Doctor Strange is in development and production, Tom Cruise was also shooting his own projects under the IP Mission: Impossible.
Michael Waldron even shares that he doesn’t think anyone even reached out to Tom Cruise about Doctor Strange. He claims:
I just don’t think it was ever an option, because of availability.
In terms of cameos, Doctor Strange 2 was not actually left wanting. Apart from Captain Carter, especially Professor Xavier, there are other characters that graced the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screen. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, we will just say there were many and the scenes were shocking.
Michael Waldron Lightly Pitched Tom Cruise To Be In Doctor Strange 2
Image: Marvel Comics Group
Michael Waldron practically authored the multiverse and time variant concept of the MCU. It brings together many characters seamlessly and it will put forth more characters into the fold. At this point, without question. Sam Raimi delivered the superhero horror in the movie. And it all ultimately is within the keen watch of Kevin Feige.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is still in theaters. Don’t miss the chance to see the multiverse unfold. Make it so.
