5 Marvel Characters We'd Love To See Tom Cruise Play

Tom Cruise as Superior Iron Man? That's what everyone thought would happen when "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" revealed its first official trailer.

A glimpse of several multiversal characters gave fans hope –- that we would finally see Tom Cruise suit up as a version of Iron Man we had never seen before. Back in 2008, Cruise almost appeared as the now-iconic Marvel hero. That's right, he was in the running for "Iron Man" long before Robert Downey Jr. was in the picture.

And a "Doctor Strange 2" cameo would have finally seen Cruise clinch the role.

Unfortunately, rumors of his casting were greatly exaggerated ... and it turned out we wouldn't get a Tom Cruise Iron Man after all.

"As you saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, some rumors ended up being true, some did not," said "Multiverse of Madness" producer Richie Palmer. "I would love to see Tony again, but some rumors are just rumors."

Although Cruise has played plenty of heroic characters throughout his career, he's never quite landed a superhero role ... and it sounds as though he's not too interested at this point, either:

"Look, I really enjoy those films a lot. I enjoy them. But I make the Missions and Reacher. Just different kind of films."

Whether or not Cruise will eventually give in and suit up remains to be seen ... but we've got some ideas about which Marvel character he should play.

Spider-Man has one of the best rogue's galleries in comic book history, with the likes of Dock Ock, Electro, and Lizard regularly squaring off against our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. But what about some of his lesser-known adversaries?

A classic Spider-Man villain, Chameleon hasn't been seen on the big screen ... yet. And if you ask me, it would be a great role for Cruise.

Chameleon (aka Dmitri Smerdyakov) first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 back in 1963 and has since appeared alongside some of Spider-Man's heaviest hitters as part of the Sinister Six. He's a master of disguise and half-brother of Kraven the Hunter ... but more importantly, he's renowned for his ability to act like just about any other comic book character, regularly taking on the appearance of heroes and villains alike.

Exactly the kind of role that would really stretch Cruise's acting abilities.

Interestingly, when de-masked, he still appears in his very own "Vanilla Sky" style mask, giving Cruise something to work with after his role in the off-kilter sci-fi flick. After all, his particular brand of acting beneath a mask went down rather well.

Unfortunately, the chances of Cruise appearing as Chameleon are extremely slim.

Although Chameleon is set to appear in the upcoming "Kraven the Hunter" film, the role was recently cast with Fred Hechinger becoming the classic Spidey villain. I just can't help thinking that Tom Cruise would have been perfect for it.

After tearing open the multiverse in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," it looks as though Doctor Strange has opened the Marvel Cinematic Universe to infinite possibilities — and one of the most intriguing is the arrival of the "X-Men."

"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" sees Professor X return as one of the Illuminati, so surely it won't be long before the rest of Marvel's iconic mutants follow him into the MCU, right? It's certainly not a big stretch, and with alternate versions of those classic comic book characters on the table, we've already recommended Joaquin Phoenix for the role of Wolverine.

But what about Cyclops?

The long-time X-Men leader was previously played by James Marsden in the original "X-Men" movies and was recast as Tye Sheridan in "X-Men: Apocalypse." Born Scott Summers, Cyclops has the unique ability to fire laser beams from his eyes. His clean-cut image has made Cyclops something of a foil for Wolverine in both the movies and comic books, and so it's easy to see a clean-cut actor like Cruise suiting up as the iconic superhero.

There were rumors that Cyclops would return in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" but they ultimately didn't pan out. Either way, it's unlikely that Cruise would have been up for it. Still, it's an interesting thought to put Cruise behind the visor.

Even if there's a character close to Cyclops that could prove even cooler.

Introduced in "The Uncanny X-Men" #104 in 1977, Corsair is a swashbuckling pilot and leader of the Starjammers –- a "Guardians of the Galaxy" style team of cosmic heroes with a penchant for pirate-themed costumes.

And while "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" has already wrapped, it could have been the perfect place for a little Tom Cruise cameo.

Corsair has no superhuman powers — he's more of a Peter Quill figure, swashbuckling his way around the galaxy with a team of friends and heroes at his side. Oh, and he's also the father of X-Men's Cyclops ... not to mention Havok and the supervillain Vulcan.

Why would Corsair be a great fit for Cruise?

Well, for one thing, Corsair may not have any superpowers, but he's an incredible pilot of both terrestrial and Shi'ar aircraft and spacecraft. An excuse to clamber back into a cockpit could be the perfect way to heighten Cruise's interest in the MCU –- especially after his recent turn in "Top Gun: Maverick."

Of course, Corsair has also teamed up with Captain Marvel in the past ... and a cameo in her upcoming sequel might well make a great addition. There's also plenty of opportunity to bring Corsair into the mix via the X-Men's eventual appearance.

If indeed that's ever going to happen.

But there are plenty of other Marvel characters who would be a great fit for Cruise.

I know, I know. Samuel L. Jackson is fantastic as the current incarnation of Fury. But what if the multiverse introduced another one?

We've seen a more traditional Nick Fury before, in the much-derided 1998 film "Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." starring none other than David Hasselhoff as the infamous Marvel spymaster. Now, what if Cruise donned the infamous eyepatch?

He's certainly got the look of an old-school Nick Fury, made even better with a little age and a good cigar. Equally, Cruise's time in the IMF in the "Mission: Impossible" movies makes him the perfect all-action hero to take on a classic action-led spy thriller set within the MCU.

The only problem is where that might fit in. Samuel L. Jackson is already heading up "Secret Invasion" –- the upcoming Disney Plus series which sees Jackson reprise the role of Nick Fury as the former S.H.I.E.L.D. leader takes on the shape-shifting Skrulls. Sure to be packed full of intrigue and subterfuge, it's likely that's the closest we're going to get to an MCU spy thriller for some time.

So, it's unlikely there's room for Tom Cruise to appear as Fury ... unless the shape-shifting Skrulls have a sense of humor.

Of course, there's one more Marvel hero who might suit Cruise a little better.

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man, but that wasn't always the case. Before his 2008 debut, Marvel actually wanted Tom Cruise for the role. Thankfully, director Jon Favreau was super keen on casting Downey Jr. after a phenomenal screen test.

And after fighting for his leading man, Iron Man was born.

Since then, Cruise has been reluctant to take on a superhero role, instead focussing on the "Mission: Impossible" series alongside his other projects.

But with Superior Iron Man rumored for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," it looked as though he might finally have his chance to become Tony Stark.

Unfortunately, the rumors were just that –- there was no way Cruise was ever going to be in the film. Screenwriter Michael Waldren cleared it up:

"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? I remember reading about that in Ain't It Cool News back in the day, that Tom Cruise was going to be Iron Man."

Although Walden admitted he pushed for a Tom Cruise cameo after being impressed by the fan's casting, it just wasn't going to happen. After all, Cruise was busy filming "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One."

But it's still an absolutely perfect bit of casting.

It's no secret that Cruise is one of the last big action heroes in Hollywood and suiting up as Marvel's flagship hero makes sense. The fact that Superior Iron Man is a twisted version of Tony Stark is a nice touch -– especially considering Cruise's history with the role.

Whether or not Cruise would be game is another matter entirely. After all, it's likely that he's simply done with the role and wouldn't even consider it. But with the multiverse burst wide open, it's still a possibility. Tom Cruise starring as Iron Man? It wouldn't be the worst thing we've caught him doing.