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There was almost a world in which Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise played Iron Man for Marvel, and his Final Reckoning star Hayley Atwell is an MCU veteran, playing Peggy Carter in several projects.
Speaking to ClutchPoints at the press junket for Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, I asked Atwell her thoughts on Cruise almost being in the MCU. While she could have shared the screen with Cruise a lot earlier, she is happy with Robert DowneyJr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man.
“ Oh, it's so hard. Robert Downey Jr. is so extraordinary in that role,” Atwell reasoned. “So much of why we love that world [the MCU] is what he was able to bring as Tony Stark. Again, it's so distinctive.”
She explained that Downey is the anchor of the MCU, much like Cruise is of the Mission: Impossible franchise. So, she thinks things worked out for the best, with both actors leading their respective franchises.
“I think it's absolutely his in the way that this franchise [Mission: Impossible] belongs to Tom. It's an expression of everything that he loves in terms of making movies,” Atwell explained.
The next two Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars, will continue Marvel's use of the multiverse. Perhaps Cruise will make an appearance as a Tony Stark variant. Previously, Marvel enlisted the heavily fan-casted John Krasinski to play Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so there is precedent for these kinds of roles.
Did Tom Cruise almost play Iron Man?
Years ago, Cruise almost played Iron Man for Marvel. However, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios revealed the financial reason it didn't occur.
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“Cruise's asking fee at the time was more than even a profitable studio like Fox was willing to risk on an untested superhero property,” the book read.
Granted, Cruise was a big name at the time Iron Man was being made. He had already starred in several Mission: Impossible movies and was also known for starring in Risky Business, Rain Man, and and Top Gun.
Instead, they went with Downey to play the role. While he was an Oscar-nominated actor, he was not at the height of hs powers at that time. The rest is history, as he became the anchor of the franchise.
Hayley Atwell's role in Mission: Impossible
Atwell has starred in the last two Mission: Impossible movies, Dead Reckoning and The Final Reckoning, as Grace. Initially a thief, Grace eventually joins forces with Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the rest of the IMF team.
Previously, she was known for playing Peggy Carter in the MCU. Atwell made her Marvel debut in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Shortly after her MCU debut, Atwell appeared in two episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before leading two seasons of Agent Carter. She also voices the role in What If?
She would reprise the role in The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Avengers: Endgame. In 2022, she made a cameo as a variant of Peggy Carter called Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She will soon reprise her role of Peggy in Avengers: Doomsday. It is unclear which version of the character she will be playing.
