AI Reimagines Tom Cruise As Marvel & DC Superheroes - The Results Are Perfect
Hollywood may not yet have found a place for Tom Cruise in a DC or Marvel movie, but that hasn't stopped fans from dropping him in the dream roles they'd love to see him handle. Esh-El (@esheffects), whose Instagram bio reads, "Exploring the fusion of art and artificial intelligence," pondered what Cruise might look like if he were to be cast in a superhero movie, leading to a post featuring a collection of iconic heroes as played by the "Mission: Impossible" star.
The first image is Cruise as Captain America, which seems like a pairing that hasn't been pushed by fans enough. Both are legendary heroes who don't seem to age and are often seen hanging from helicopters or dodging traffic on a motorbike at high speed. Others depict Cruise in equally celebrated roles, including Superman and Batman. He's also shown as Green Lantern, one of the five characters Cruise should play in James Gunn's DCU. Esh-El even proves that if the actor wanted to, he could pull off some younger crime fighters as well. Almost.
Tom Cruise is a dream as Nightwing but brings back nightmares as Spider-Man
Not to state the obvious, but Tom Cruise has a few years on Nightwing, aka Dick Grayson. The former Boy Wonder is around his mid-20s, which would make things difficult for an actor in their 60s — although that doesn't stop Cruise from looking awesome in Nightwing's domino mask. Another entry that seems almost a perfect fit, but just ever so slightly off, is the Flash. Sure, Cruise might be the fastest film star alive, but the longer you look, the more former Flash Grant Gustin starts staring back through Esh-El's work. Similarly, Green Arrow also posits an option for Cruise, demanding the kind of physical role the action star is known for, but he too is in his mid-20s (and blond).
The character in the lineup Cruise might seem the most mismatched with is actually the one he came closest to being — he might not be a great fit now, but the action star is among the many actors who were almost cast as Spider-Man. Back in 1985, B-movie machine Cannon Films hoped to make its own Spider-Man movie with a Cronenbergian twist, with the proposed picture directed by Tobe Hooper seeing Peter Parker become a giant tarantula. On a web and a prayer, Cruise was approached to take the lead. Unfortunately, he was heading in a different direction, eventually starring in "Top Gun" only a year later. Who knows? Maybe his spider-sense was tingling.