If there is one actor who is the face of the MCU for many, it is Robert Downey Jr. He always seemed like the perfect choice for Tony Stark aka Iron Man. But Tom Cruise was originally considered for the role, but he was too expensive.
Which actor is it about? Robert Downey Jr. is now the face of Iron Man. The character looks exactly the same in many current comics. Originally, however, Tom Cruise was supposed to play the role of the billionaire.
This was before the MCU and the planning of a large universe. As Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, explains in the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the original plan was to hire Tom Cruise, but he was simply too expensive. In the end, it was Robert Downey Jr. who was able to save his career. (via CinemaBlend)
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English trailer for Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr.
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Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t doing well before Iron Man
Why did they choose Robert Downey Jr.? In the book, Feige says that at the time when Fox still had the rights to Iron Man, the plan was to cast Tom Cruise as Iron Man. But he wanted a high fee. At that time, Marvel wasn’t as big as it is today. Fox didn’t want to take the risk.
Ten years earlier, when the rights to Iron Man were owned by 20th Century Fox, Tom Cruise, then aged thirty-four, had toyed with the idea of playing Stark. According to Feige, however, Cruise’s fee at the time was higher than even a profitable studio like Fox was willing to take a risk on an untested superhero.
Kevin Feige in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (Source: CinemaBlend)
That was back in the 90s, as filmstories.co.uk reports. The studio New Line snapped up the Iron Man rights from Fox in 2000. New Line was planning its own Iron Man film for 2006. But because production didn’t start until 2005, New Line couldn’t renew the rights. That was good for Marvel, who were already planning to produce their own films at that point.
In 2008, Marvel Studios’ Iron Man was released, starring Robert Downey Jr. The film marked the start of the MCU.
How much was Robert Downey Jr.’s salary? As CBR shows, Robert Downey Jr. received just under $500,000 as a fee for the first film. However, thanks to the success and a 0.05 percent share, he was able to earn $2 million.
According to CBR, Robert Downey Jr. has earned between $386 and $421 million from all of his film appearances in the MCU up until Endgame. It is doubtful whether an Iron Man film from Fox would have paid off as well for Tom Cruise, as Fox of course did not have the rights to the entire Marvel universe. Robert Downey Jr. will never return as Iron Man, but as Dr. Doom. You can see why that could be exciting here: 5 reasons why Dr. Doom is scarier than Thanos in Marvel.