It’s the kind of enticing trivia that makes us contemplate the countless “what-ifs” of the MCU…

Well, for fellow Marvel aficionados and movie buffs, let’s delve into a little-known snippet of Iron Man lore—the curious case of Robert Downey Jr. mimicking Tom Cruise in a scrapped romantic scene from Iron Man 2 that we, the fans, will never forgive Marvel for omitting.

Yes, there was a sequence loaded with Tony Stark’s (Downey Jr.) trademark sarcasm, the ever-tenacious Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), & a heartfelt homage to an iconic moment from Cruise’s Jerry Maguire that didn’t see the light of the final cut. Did you know this deleted opener for Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 could’ve shown an uncharacteristically vulnerable side of Tony Stark?

When the movie was first released, Iron Man was shown jumping out of a plane and avoiding fireworks at the Stark Expo. But initially, this was supposed to depict Tony’s anxiety before leaving for the event.

The Unseen Chemistry Between Tony Stark & Pepper Potts in Iron Man 2 Deleted Scene

Imagine Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark / Iron Man, the charming and witty billionaire playboy, huddled over a toilet, vomiting. It sounds like a scene straight out of a comedy, right? Well, it almost was in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2.

You may remember the opening scene of the movie, in which Iron Man dodges fireworks at the Stark Expo by leaping out of an aircraft. In a deleted romantic scene from the flick, Tony shows his vulnerable side as he nervously prepares before leaving for the event. He was actually curled up over a toilet, vomiting continuously.

But Tony is forced to chase his helmet after Pepper Potts, who is trying very hard to help him and tell him it is time to leave, tosses it from the plane. In a moment that mirrors Tom Cruise’s iconic line from Jerry Maguire, Tony tells Pepper, “You complete me”, before flying down from the aircraft.

This sequence, which was ultimately cut from the film, reveals a different side of Tony Stark. It shows that even superheroes have their moments of weakness and that behind the confident facade, there lies a man struggling with his own insecurities.

So why did Marvel decide to axe this scene from the movie? It’s likely that the dark humor and the jokes about Tony’s mental state were a bit too much for the studio’s taste at the time. However, for fans of the MCU, this removed scene is a missed opportunity to see a different side of Iron Man.

However, this was not the only moment when Cruise was connected to the Marvel project.

Tom Cruise Almost Suited Up as Marvel’s Iron Man?

Rumors of Tom Cruise playing the title role in Iron Man have been circulating since the film’s 2008 release. It was not until over ten years later that it was finally revealed why Robert Downey Jr. was cast for the role instead of Cruise.

That being said, the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, authored by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, goes in-depth on the inner workings of the MCU over the past twenty years or so. It revealed, among other things, why Downey Jr. was chosen for Iron Man rather than Cruise:

Ten years earlier, when the Iron Man rights were at 20th Century Fox, Tom Cruise, then thirty-four, had flirted with the idea of playing Stark. According to Feige, however, 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.

Cruise talked with Phase Zero about the intense rumors that he nearly portrayed the title character in Iron Man. Although there had been speculation that the actor was the front-runner for the role, he downplayed it. The Jerry Maguire star confessed: Not close. I love Robert Downey Jr., and I can’t imagine anyone else doing that role, and I think it’s perfect for him.

Even though Cruise was unable to join the wildly popular Iron Man series, he has not ruled out the possibility of appearing in a superhero flick: I look at a movie and think, you know, I don’t rule anything out.

The actor has never starred in a superhero film, despite having a well-received history of portraying action heroes like Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible series.

Recently, Cruise starred in the hugely popular movie Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which brought in over $567.5 million at the box office worldwide (Box Office Mojo). The movie also received two Academy Award nominations.

Iron Man 2 is streaming on Disney+, & Jerry Maguire can be rented on Apple TV.