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(#1) Tom Hanks
- 62
Tom Hanks isn't the first guy you think about when the phrase "billionaire in a robot suit who fights a bio-engineered sentient computer to save the Cosmic Cube" comes to mind. But that's okay, because everyone loves Hanks. He's a relatable goof who grounds his work in a wholesome reality that makes the audience believe everything is going to be fine. If he'd been given the chance, he would have turned cocky science playboy Tony Stark into an endearing simpleton, and that's what the world needed in 1997.
A decade after the untimely death of Pepper Potts, a bumbling Tony Stark learns to love again when his son teaches him it's okay to give his heart away. When Stark realizes his newfound love works at Stane International, he has to choose between romance and getting into fist fights with other robot suit-clad billionaires.
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(#2) Brad Pitt
- 55
Brad Pitt's roles from the 1990s can be split into two categories: "hunky sad guy with long hair," and "hunky angry guy with short hair." His turn as Iron Man would have brought together all of his short-haired angry roles to produce the greatest outraged hunk in comic book history.
Pitt could have worn his tuxedo from Meet Joe Black, tossed around some nihilistic jokes from Fight Club, and brought in his on-screen love of Gwyneth Paltrow from Se7en to form a potentially good movie.
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(#3) Val Kilmer
- 59
Val Kilmer would have made a perfect Tony Stark, but a lackluster Iron Man. Even when he's not costumed in tights, Kilmer has established action movie credentials. He believably flies fighter planes and plays volleyball in Top Gun, and brings a cold intensity to his role as a gambling addicted bank robber in Heat. Then there's his lead role in Batman Forever. However, the same problem that kept Kilmer from becoming your favorite Dark Knight would likely have popped up in his performance for Iron Man.
When Kilmer's playing a billionaire in a tuxedo, he brings an effortless cool to the role, as he seems realistically detached from the troubles of the less wealthy. However, when Kilmer puts on a superhero outfit, nothing changes. His inflection stays the same regardless of whether he's attending a gala or fighting the Riddler. Assuming the film kept its focus locked on Tony Stark's day job, Kilmer would have had the role in the bag.
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(#4) Tom Cruise
- 56
In the late '90s, the idea of an Iron Man movie was being tossed around, and Tom Cruise was reportedly enthusiastic about playing Tony Stark. This continued into the 2000s, and in 2004, Iron Man producer Kevin Feige even said, "There have been discussions [with Cruise] over the past several years and there are a number of factors involved."
While the reason why Robert Downey Jr. got the role over Cruise was never publicly stated, some speculate the "factors" Feige referenced predominantly involved money. Since the MCU was not yet established, creators had to be conservative with their budget, and Downey Jr. was likely a cheaper, less risky pick than Cruise.
If Cruise's Iron Man had come to fruition, it would have likely featured Cruise rappelling out of helicopters, barrel-rolling under moving vans, and running (rather than flying) into dangerous situations.
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(#5) Mel Gibson
- 63
Mel Gibson's output of crowd-pleasing action films in the late '80s and early '90s is unparalleled. From Lethal Weapon, to Bird on a Wire, to Air America, much of Gibson's work strikes a balance between epic conflicts and goofy good times, so it's safe to assume he'd have nailed the role of Tony Stark. If Lethal Weapon writer (and Iron Man 3 director) Shane Black had been on board, the movie could have ushered in the MCU 20 years earlier.
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(#6) David Duchovny
- 58
By 1997, American television viewers were in love with David Duchovny. The X-Files helped define the era's paranoia and distrust of the government, and the show also gave Duchovny a chance to be handsome and smarmy, two requirements for whoever is cast to play Tony Stark.
Duchovny's got the all-American look, the head full of hair, and he never seems to take himself too seriously in his roles. To get audiences on board with Duchovny's Stark, the film would have to involve a mystery. As the opening credits flash by, a shadowy figure steals the blueprints for Stark's new and improved Iron Man suit. From there, Stark goes on a manhunt to discover who took his blueprints, and embarks on a personal journey to discover who, if anyone, he can trust.
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(#7) Nicolas Cage
- 55
It's frankly ludicrous the MCU never made an Iron Man movie starring Nicolas Cage. So what if he got to be Ghost Rider? Cage is essentially Tony Stark in real life, aside from the fact that he's probably not exceptionally gifted at math and science. He's charismatic, and has the money to buy whatever he wants, all of which gives him a Stark-like quality.
Cage's unhinged performances from the '90s and 2000s earned him a reputation as an actor who goes all-in when the camera starts rolling. You know he'd have given an inspired monologue as he watched Stark Tower burn, though admittedly, the movie would probably have gone straight to VHS.
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(#8) Bill Paxton
- 63
Bill Paxton never got a chance to shine outside of character actor roles in films like Aliens and Twister, but the idea of a goof with a heavy Texas twang playing billionaire superhero Tony Stark is fascinating.
The best version of a Bill Paxton Iron Man film would have been about Tony Stark fighting a villain who creates tornadoes. Pepper Potts would obviously have been played by Helen Hunt, and her character would just so happen to be very interested in tornadoes. How hard would it have been to get Twister 2: Iron Man off the ground? That sounds like money in the bank.
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(#9) Daniel Day-Lewis
- 61
Daniel Day-Lewis isn't in a lot of movies. He takes his roles incredibly seriously, and he spends years preparing to inhabit his characters. Why Day-Lewis was never asked to play Tony Stark is a mystery, as his Iron Man would have crafted a dour story of sadness and existential pain.
To really get into the mind of billionaire tech genius Tony Stark, Day-Lewis would have started his own tech company. In the beginning, DDL Industries would manufacture household electronics, but then quickly move into the weapons business. Day-Lewis would, of course, be kidnapped by a terrorist group, at which point he'd escape by building a rudimentary power armor out of random scraps and old Oscars. Back home, he'd construct a sleeker, more agile version, murder his surrogate father figure in a climactic fight, and then head out for the first day of filming.
Day-Lewis's portrayal of Tony Stark could have garnered the first Academy Award for a comic book movie. Directed by Jim Sheridan (My Last Foot, In The Name of the Father) it would have been a perpetually bleak tome chronicling Stark's fall from grace.
Fifteen years after Pepper Potts broke things off to live out the rest of her life in the Rocky Mountains, Stark spends his days slumped in his parlor, playing backgammon with JARVIS and cursing at the moon. In a drunken attempt to regain his former glory, the billionaire suits up and tries to save some children who are stuck in a burning orphanage. After a suit malfunction, Stark realizes he's become immobilized, which can be taken as a metaphor for his life. Rather than address the problem with his suit, Stark decides to lay down and die in the burning orphanage.
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(#10) Kevin Costner
- 64
No one thinks of Kevin Costner as an action guy. After filming Waterworld, Costner probably doesn't even think of himself as an action guy. However, if you wanted a '90s star to write, direct, and act in a film about a hero who's upset with his station in life, then you'd definitely hire Costner.
Between 1987 and 1995, Costner had an iron grip on the film industry. During that time, he made The Untouchables, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood, JFK, and The Bodyguard. None of those movies have anything in common, aside from Costner's role in the production. In short, Costner was a money printing machine for Hollywood.
Costner's Iron Man would have been three hours long, and when it inevitably aired on TBS with commercials, it would have taken up an entire afternoon. The movie would not have featured a specific villain, and Tony Stark wouldn't turn into Iron Man until the last 20 minutes. The first part of the film would have detailed Stark's journey to learn the importance of iron while portraying zero redeeming qualities.
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(#11) John Travolta
- 65
How badly do you want to see Tony Stark dance to a Chuck Berry song? Throughout the '90s, John Travolta careened between memorable performances (Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty) and misfires (Look Who's Talking Now, Boris and Natasha), depending on the skill of the director.
The closest Travolta ever came to playing a wisecracking badass like Tony Stark were his two John Woo-helmed roles: Vic Deakins in Broken Arrow and the dual role of Sean Archer and Castor Troy in Face/Off. These performances prove he could have been a major player in the non-existent '90s Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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(#12) Jim Carrey
- 57
Jim Carrey as Tony Stark would have been a train wreck, but after the success of Ace Ventura and The Mask, he should have at least been considered for the role of Iron Man. Carey was at the height of his power in the '90s, and he would have molded the film in his image.
The too cool for school Tony Stark would be forgotten as Carrey's Stark designs a robot butt from which he can project his voice. When Justin Hammer (played by Ben Stiller) attempts to infiltrate Stark Industries, he's locked in a port-a-potty by JARVIS (voiced by Tone Loc) and shot to the moon.
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(#13) Al Pacino
- 78
In the '90s, Pacino was into playing loudmouth crazy people (The Devil's Advocate, Scent of a Woman, Heat), so Tony Stark arguably fits the bill. Since Pacino was 55 years old in 1995, he wouldn't have been able to perform any of his own fight scenes, so his never-made Iron Man film would follow an aged Tony Stark teaching a young Keanu Reeves the ropes of being Iron Man. Winona Ryder would have made a special appearance as Black Widow.
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(#14) David Hasselhoff
- 63
David Hasselhoff was born to play Tony Stark. While in the 2010s, Hasselhoff is allegedly broke, in the early '90s, he owned 50% of the rights to Baywatch, which was licensed across the world for up to $425,000 an episode per region. At his height, Hasselhoff would have barely had to act to assume the role of a billionaire playboy, and his 1998 portrayal of Nick Fury gives him superhero credentials.
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(#15) Ted Danson
- 71
Admittedly, Ted Danson is more of a TV guy, but after 11 years on Cheers, he might have been looking for a change, and fighting villains in a robot suit is about as far from tending bar as one can go. Danson might seem like a guy who's more suited to playing Reed Richards, but if you've seen his work on Bored To Death or The Good Place, you know he's got the comedy chops to handle what would have been a great made-for-TV Iron Man movie. Since '90s television budgets weren't quite up to the standards of the modern-day MCU, Tony Stark would have spent most of the film building an immobile Iron Man suit.
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In most cases, successful superhero movie roles are associated with individual actors. When you hear Iron Man, you think about Robert Downey Jr., when you hear Wolverine, you think about Hugh Jackman, which is normal. Since the 21st century, superhero movies have dominated the current development of Hollywood movies, and many outstanding actors have been famous for their super influential roles.
However, when people look back at the shining stars of Old Hollywood in the 90s, people still witness the rise of many outstanding actors, and they can also be a good cast choice for the role of Iron Man. The random tool lists 15 famous actors who would play Iron man if it was made in the 90s.
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