Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, commonly known as Tom Cruise, has tried almost every role, from an anti-Hitler coup plotter to a vampire. Surprisingly, he has never sprinted across the set of a superhero movie. Jimmy Kimmel asked him about it in 2016, and, at that time, he appeared to be on the “superhero isn’t cinema” bandwagon. His response? “I really enjoy those films a lot. But I make the ‘Missions’ and the ‘Reachers.’ Just different kinds of films.”

However, Tom Cruise isn’t as anti-superhero as it may seem. He has wanted to play certain comic book characters, but a deal couldn’t be made. There were also instances where the actor was earmarked for specific roles, but it just couldn’t happen. He is a busy guy, and an expensive one too, so anyone who signs him on can consider themselves lucky. On top of that, Cruise hardly ever stars in a movie that he doesn’t have some control over when it comes to production.

Here are 5 superhero roles Tom Cruise almost played.

5Captain Planet

‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ (1990)

Younger superhero fans might be unfamiliar with Captain Planet, but in the ‘80s, the character was a big deal. Originating from the animated show, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the hero was basically an environmentally conscious version of Superman, so much so that his weaknesses were pollution and smog.

The show’s senior staff writer, Phil Harnage, spilled some behind-the-scenes details, disclosing that Tom Cruise auditioned but didn’t make the cut. He recalls: “We had to face the unpleasant realization that he did not have a superhero voice.”

It Could Have Been a Rare Voice Role for the Actor

Tom Cruise is quite experimental and daring, yet he has never had a voice role in an animated production. The role of Captain Planet could have opened the door for him into this space. Regrettably, he was blocked from entry, and it would be reasonable to speculate that this discouraged him from ever auditioning for a voice role again.

But what prompted him to make such a move? In the ‘80s, Cruise wasn’t the biggest star on the planet. Many people were ahead of him, so he couldn’t afford to be choosy. Working on such a show also felt noble as it was primarily created to encourage kids to recycle and take good care of the planet. The good news is that a Captain Planet live-action movie is in the works, starring Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-star Glen Powel.

4Rorschach

‘Watchmen’ (2009)

Tom Cruise was very keen on the role of Walter Joseph Kovacs, aka, Rorschach in Watchmen, according to Zack Snyder. Created by writer Alan Moore with artist Dave Gibbons for Watchmen #1 (1966), Rorschach is the only masked vigilante who still operates on his terms, as opposed to other former superheroes who are now covertly employed by the U.S. government. He believes in moral absolutism — good and evil, with no shades of gray— hence he is always ready to punish miscreants.

Snyder Had a Different Role in Mind for Cruise

Snyder explained that there was a conflict of wants and needs. He wanted Cruise to play Ozymandia, but the actor wanted Rorschach and Rorschach only. Unfortunately, Snyder had already cast Jackie Earle Haley, and because he is a man of his word, he didn’t want to switch anything up to accommodate the Top Gun: Maverick star.

Cruise’s desire to play Rorschach is understandable, considering that the character stands out from the ensemble, so much so that he is often considered the story’s hero. As someone used to portraying leading men, the Mission Impossible star didn’t want to settle for less. And we can blame both Snyder and Cruise for not finding a way around this quagmire. After all, Bruce Willis and Quentin Tarantino faced a similar problem during Pulp Fiction’s production phase.

3Holden Carver, aka, The Conductor

‘Sleeper’

Shortly after Tom Cruise missed out on the chance to play Iron Man, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that he was in talks to play Holden Carver, aka, The Conductor, from the Sleeper comic book series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, published by DC under their Wildstorm imprint.

In the comics, Carver is an agent of International Operations, unable to feel any pain. This is all thanks to a strange artifact he touched during a mission in South America. Unfortunately, the project got stuck in development hell. It was later reported that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were also interested in adapting the comic for cinema but nothing materialized.

Carver Is Similar to Ethan Hunt.

Unlike other superhero projects the Mission Impossible star has been linked with, Sleeper would have been the most ideal for him because it sidesteps the genre tropes and mostly remains grounded in the crime and neo-noir space. Carver is simply Ethan Hunt with powers. Additionally, he fights like Jack Reacher. For that reason, the role would have been perfect for Tom Cruise.

Even better, Sam Raimi had been tapped to produce the film. With the Darkman movies, the filmmaker had proven he could handle a dark superhero story. Add his work in the Spider-Man movies, and you have the perfect person to oversee things.

2Spider-Man

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse’ (2018)

Tom Cruise almost played Spider-Man twice. The first near-casting happened in the ‘80s when the Hollywood A-lister was a rising star and still had the youthful looks to match what Peter Parker ought to look like. Back then, the now-defunct Cannon Films (responsible for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) had the rights to the character. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper was hired to direct, only to be replaced by Missing in Action director Joseph Zito. However, the movie never happened. Unfortunately, the company ran out of money and the film was abandoned.

Besides that, Slash Film divulges that a deleted scene from Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse featured Tom Cruise as an actor named Todd Crews. In this particular universe, Crews is a famous actor known for playing… Spider-Man. And his movies were directed by none other than James Cameron.

Cannon Might Have Made a Terrible Spider-Man Movie

Spider-Man fans will be glad that the Cannon movie never happened as the studio wasn’t known for making critically acclaimed films. Superman IV is the worst in the film series. The studio was also looked down upon for lacking class, given its tendency to make low-budget, violent, low-budget horror flicks and softcore. We wouldn’t want to imagine what the visuals would have looked like given the studio’s shoestring nature.

The Into the Spiderverse role might have been better since it fits perfectly into the story. The initial plan was to have Miles Morales learn how to be Spider-Man by watching movies made by Cruise’s character. Not bad.

1Iron Man

Untitled Movie

MCU fans will painfully remember 2022 as the year when a Tom Cruise cameo was endlessly teased before the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness only for them to see John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic get shredded like a fraudulent company’s documents before an FBI raid. Still, Marvel Studios execs cannot be blamed for this, since the speculation originated from fan circles.

However, not all stories surrounding Cruise and Iron Man are mere tittle-tattle. The actor was meant to play the original Earth-616 Iron Man when Marvel Studios hadn’t acquired the rights to the character yet. According to the book, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, “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 Right Person Got the Job… At the Right Time

Few will disagree that Robert Downey Jr. was the right person for the job. He perfectly brought out all the superhero’s best attributes, from charisma to assured speech. Casting Cruise might have had major repercussions on the superhero landscape. If the movie had been successful, Fox might have held on to the character for a while, the same way they did with X-Men. Consequently, the MCU wouldn’t have had such a perfect underpinning.

Interestingly, Cruise wasn’t the only person considered for the role. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) was strongly shortlisted with Timothy Olyphant (Santa Clarita Diet) emerging as the person “everyone was rooting for.” Director Jon Favreau is also reported to have picked Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) as his top choice for the part, but quickly changed his mind once Downey Jr. stepped into the audition room.