The Marvel Cinematic Universe still runs the superhero show, despite what a few naysayers might say. The franchise’s movies bring in hundreds of millions of dollars and dominate headlines for weeks after release, with everyone and their mother trying to figure out which direction Kevin Feige and Co. are heading next. At the moment, all eyes are on Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four together for the first time on the big screen to fight Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. It’s been six years since Downey Jr. last appeared in a Marvel Studios movie, as his original character, Tony Stark, lost his life in the battle against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.
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Marvel Studios took a huge risk by casting Downey Jr. to play the titular character in its first movie, Iron Man. The actor had some issues in the past, and there was no guarantee that he would be able to be the leading man the MCU needed. Well, he took the opportunity and ran with it, becoming the face of a franchise that would change cinema forever. However, there was a time when he wouldn’t have gotten the chance because a different Iron Man movie was in the works.
New Line Cinema Had Its Chance to Turn Iron Man Into a Household Name
It’s not a secret that Marvel sold off the movie rights to most of its major characters. 20th Century Fox got its hands on the X-Men and built a massive franchise that had just as many wins as it had losses. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Fox was responsible for handing over the Wolverine claws to Hugh Jackman, who is still playing the character to this day. Sony had similar success with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and Marc Webb’s duology before cutting a deal with Marvel Studios to collaborate on the next iteration of the Wall-Crawler. One studio that doesn’t get mentioned much when discussing this era of superhero films is New Line Cinema, which produced the Blade trilogy.
For a time, New Line had access to Iron Man’s movie rights, and a film was in development in the early 2000s. There were rumors that Tom Cruise was in talks for the lead role, and The Notebook director Nick Cassavetes was set to get behind the camera. The project fell apart in 2005, though, because New Line executive Bob Shaye didn’t believe Iron Man could fly because his suit would be too heavy. That strange thought-process aside, it’s probably for the best that New Line didn’t make the movie because it could’ve thrown a wrench in Marvel Studios’ future plans. But that doesn’t mean the idea was all bad. In fact, if it plays its cards right, the MCU could give it a second chance.
The MCU Is Going to Reboot Iron Man Eventually
If there’s any character that feels untouchable in the MCU, it’s Tony Stark. His story is perfect from start to finish, and it has such an impact that the powers that be believe they can extend it through Doctor Doom. However, according to Feige, death isn’t the end, as he plans to recast Iron Man in the future. The multiverse, of course, opens up countless worlds full of possibilities, such as one where the Avenger is evil or another where he’s a zombie controlled by the Scarlet Witch. However, the one idea that stands out among the competition is bringing a version of the hero into the fold that looks like Cruise.
The MCU has tipped its cap to the fans in the past by having John Krasinski play Mister Fantastic and Henry Cavill play Wolverine, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Cruise is still in the running for Iron Man. And with the Mission: Impossible franchise seemingly done, there’s an opening in the actor’s schedule that his first superhero project could fill. Cassavetes hasn’t been working as frequently as he was when he landed Iron Man, but his resume is still impressive enough to make him a worthwhile option to work with Cruise. If not him, frequent Cruise collaborator Christoper McQuarrie has discussed his love for comic books in the past. No matter who’s behind the camera, revisiting this Iron Man project 20 years later could be what helps the MCU stay on top.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
