The action superstar of Hollywood is undoubtedly Tom Cruise, the face of the most well-known spy action thriller movie of the movie making industry- Mission Impossible. Tom Cruise is an actor that has aged like wine. He gets better and better with more and more time. But action thrillers are not the future of Hollywood anymore. It is Superheroes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe are the most profitable franchises in the current decade. Can Tom Cruise get a piece of that action? Is Tom Cruise even capable of playing a Superhero character and pulling it off in an efficient manner? If yes, then what roles would suit him the best? Presenting – 10 Superhero roles perfect for the action superstar Tom Cruise.
Tom Cruise can only play a certain aspect of the superhero. We know how charismatic he can be on screen. No matter how shitty the movie might be, Tom Cruise would never fail to give the best of his acting chops when he does his thing in front of the camera. So only a few heroes who could actually have shoes big enough for Tom Cruise to fill could be included in this list. Feel free to leave what superheroes you would want Cruise to play in the comments.
1. Wonder Man
He can fly, he can shoot energy beams and he has super strength. He can dodge bullets and he can also take them on as his skin is as hard as a rhino’s. Wonder Man is one of the most powerful Avengers in the Avengers’ roster. And he also happens to be a movie star in the comic itself. Tom Cruise will be perfect for the role of Wonder Man as he is already an actor with a charming screen presence. Apart from having a kind of relation to the character’s backstory itself, it will be perfect for Cruise as he is already ahero both an and off screen, and so is Wonder Man.
2. Adam Warlock
Warlock is the quintessential Marvel cosmic superhero. He was born out of a technologically advanced race’s desire to create the perfect organic specimen. Adam Warlock is an artificially created organic life form who has a range of powers in the comic books. Provided that the movie is funny enough and has comic overtones like the MCU, it stands no reason to believe that Cruise won’t excel in this role. Adam Warlock has already been introduced into the MCU at the end of GOTG Vol. 2. Now all we need is Cruise declaring he is going to play it on screen.
3. The Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a character filled with agony, regret and anger. He was originally known as Norrin Radd, an inhabitant of a distant alien planet who Galactus invaded to harvest and satiate his limitless hunger. Norrin made a deal with Galactus that if he will spare his planet, then the former will become his herald and look out worlds for him to eat. The Silver Surfer has a complex past and is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Given the direction that the MCU is facing which is space, a space based surfer dude coming to save the Avengers from harm is most welcome. But the Silver Surfer portrayal would require a lot of CGI. This could be a gift in disguise given Tom Cruise’s advancing age.
4. Hal Jordan – Green Lantern
The Green Lantern Corps will welcome Cruise with open arms. Alan Scott may be the first Green Lantern, but it was Hal Jordan that brought it to the masses. Hal Jordan is hailed by most as the one true Green Lantern. He is smart, funny and has a rich background history. And so is Tom Cruise. What is even more interesting is the fact that Hal was a mentor figure to the other Green Lanterns. Kyle Rayner, Jon Stewart, Guy Gardner are all Green Lanterns that were at one time guided by our very own Hal. Tom Cruise can fill that role and still keep his pride as the one true Green Lantern of the DCEU.
5. Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce was the primary antagonist in one of the most acclaimed X-Men comic book series of all time – X-Men: Second Coming. In that story arc, Donald Pierce, a member of the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle and secretly a mutant hater, kidnaps Professor X and Tessa in a bid to instigate hostilities between the two. His plan failed and he was later captured with half his body replaced with cybernetic parts. Pierce is a charismatic leader with a dark heart, something Tom Cruise won’t have trouble playing at all. Donald Pierce is perhaps the only mutant villain we know that Cruise could pull off flawlessly.
6. Eternal Warrior
The Eternal Warrior is an immortal human being cursed with immortality and is forced to fight for his life till the end of time. The Eternal Warrior is neither Marvel not DC, he is a product of Valiant Comics and has been featured extensively in their story arcs. The Eternal Warrior is a guy who relies on stunts and acrobatics along with his weaponry to kill his enemies. If Cruise does not mind a bit of mid-air action, we will most certainly be the next Eternal Warrior. In addition to that, making Cruise the poster face for their first ever live action adaptation will make Valiant Comics really happy and profitable.
7. Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic is the leader of Marvel’s First Family – the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards and team have been a part of the Fox-verse and their failed Fantastic Four movie franchise. The Disney-Fox merger will finally allow the Fantastic Four to come back to the MCU where they belong. Reed Richards is going to be recast for that role. And who is a better choice than Tom Cruise!!! Reed Richards is a genius and a guy who is arguably older than the rest with lots of experience.
8. Corsair
Corsair is Scott Summer aka Cyclops of the X-Men’s father. He was kidnapped by the Shi’ar Empire and later joined a rag tag group of space outlaws to oppose the Empire and its ruler, Vulcan (who also happens to be Scott’s brother and thus Corsair’s son). Corsair is good at cracking jokes and using his sarcastic charm to its fullest. If things go well with Dark Phoenix, we could expect a Corsair cameo. The guy is known for his excellent piloting skills. Tom Cruise has become Hollywood’s most popular pilot after the release of Top Gun.
9. Mister Sinister
If Cruise does indeed decide to go fulol evil, it has to be mister Sinister. Both him and Cruise are extremely charismatic, funny and intensely passionate at the same time. Mister Sinister also has a complex backstory and is actually centuries of years old. Mister Sinister has been a part of the X-Men universe since ages and it would be cool to watch the X-Men team take on Tom Cruise as the bad guy.
10. Samaritan
The Samaritan is an older version of DC Comics’ Superman. He first appeared in the issues of Astro City. There are currently developments within Hollywood that point top the fact that Astro City is being made into a movie. This means Samaritan is coming to the Big Screens. Superman used to mean hope and all things good within DC. But with the DCEU’s new darker version of Superman, it has become essential that a superhero of the same calibre exists that radiates light, not shadows, throughout the day. Enter Samaritan. With the character’s profile fitting perfectly to Cruise, we have no doubt that it could be a big hit.
Tom Cruise was last seen in Mission Impossible Fallout, the sixth instalment to the Mission Impossible movie franchise. Mission Impossible 6: Fallout is already in theatres. The official synopsis reads:
Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
