The Most Disappointing Exclusion From Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Warning: This article contains spoilers for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"

There were a handful of exciting cameos in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Unfortunately, several were revealed by Marvel Studios themselves in the trailers and TV spots for the film — Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), and Professor X (Patrick Stewart), to be exact. There were two total surprises in the movie — if you managed to avoid those major leaks on Twitter — which came in the form of Reed Richards (John Krasinski) and Black Bolt (Anson Mount). Krasinski was fan cast as Mr. Fantastic years ago, and finally seeing him in the blue suit on the big screen was a dream come true for many. Mount's reprisal of his character from the highly-criticized "Immortals" television series was quite the shock, as we've all pretty much decided to forget the ABC show permanently. The fivesome, plus Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), collectively made up the famous Illuminati which had long been rumored to appear in the MCU.

Before "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" premiered, many MCU fans were guessing who might cameo in the film. Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, and Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man were just some of the guesses as to who we'd see. While it was a bummer they didn't show up, there was one rumored appearance that sets itself apart as the most disappointing exclusion.

While it would have been one heck of a surprise, Tom Cruise did not show up as Superior Iron Man in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." The speculation for this cameo really took off when one of the trailers for the film showed a character in a metal-looking suit charging at Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) mid-flight. Some believed this was Cruise as an Iron Man variant, but it was quickly debunked as a second teaser for the film showed better quality, and it appeared to be Lashaha Lynch sporting the suit.

Nevertheless, people didn't give up. There was still hope that Cruise would appear in the film. The actor was almost cast as an Avenger, as Marvel Studios reportedly talked to Cruise in the 90s about playing Iron Man. This would have made the "Mission: Impossible" star the greatest cameo by far in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" because, let's face it, he probably is playing Iron Man in another universe. Another Iron Man appearance in the MCU would have been incredible to see, but we're fine with Robert Downy Jr. being the only one.

There is no confirmation or even rumors that suggest Cruise was in talks to appear in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." This was a creation in the minds of fans that took off and would have felt like a full-circle event. We can only dream for the future now that hopping around the multiverse is a very real thing these days.