If there is an actor who is the face of the MCU for many, then it is Robert Downey Jr. He has always seemed like the perfect choice for Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man. However, Tom Cruise was originally intended for the role, but he was too expensive.
Which actor are we talking about? Robert Downey Jr. is now the face of Iron Man. In many current comics, the character looks exactly like him. But originally, Tom Cruise was to play the role of the billionaire.
This was before the era of 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. Ultimately, it was Robert Downey Jr. who was able to save his career. (via CinemaBlend)
Avengers: Endgame will likely be his last appearance as Iron Man: Marvel chief explains why Robert Downey Jr. will never return as Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. was not doing well before Iron Man
Why was Robert Downey Jr. chosen? In the book, Feige recounts that at the time when Fox still held the rights to Iron Man, there were plans to cast Tom Cruise as Iron Man. However, he wanted a high fee. At that time, Marvel was not as big as it is today. Fox did not want to take that risk.
Ten years earlier, when the rights to Iron Man were with 20th Century Fox, the then thirty-four-year-old Tom Cruise 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 risk for an untested superhero.
Kevin Feige in MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios (Source: CinemaBlend)
This was still in the 90s, as filmstories.co.uk reports. New Line acquired the Iron Man rights from Fox in 2000. New Line planned its own Iron Man film for 2006. However, since production did not begin until 2005, New Line could not extend the rights. This was good for Marvel, who by that point were already planning to produce their own films.
In 2008, Iron Man from Marvel Studios featuring Robert Downey Jr. was released. The film marked the start of the MCU.
How much was Robert Downey Jr.’s paycheck? As CBR shows, Robert Downey Jr. received nearly 500,000 dollars as a fee for the first film. However, due to the success and a participation of 0.05 percent, he was able to rise to 2 million dollars.
According to CBR, Robert Downey Jr. has generated earnings of 386 to 421 million dollars with all his film appearances in the MCU up to Endgame. Whether an Iron Man film from Fox would have paid off for Tom Cruise in the same way is questionable, as Fox obviously did not have the rights to the entire Marvel universe. Robert Downey Jr. will never return as Iron Man, but as Dr. Doom. Why that could be exciting, you can see here: 5 reasons why Dr. Doom is more terrifying than Thanos in Marvel.
