While it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role other than Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Cruise had reportedly been linked to portray Iron Man on the big screen before the cinematic licensing reverted back to Marvel Entertainment.
In a new deepfake video by Collider, Downey Jr.'s face has been digitally replaced with Cruise's in pivotal scenes throughout the Armored Avenger's extensive history in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to unnerving effect.
Everything from 2008's Iron Man, the inaugural MCU film, to Tony Stark's heroic sacrifice at the end of this year's Avengers: Endgame is covered in the video across Tony's 11-year and 10-film history in the shared cinematic universe.
While the fan-edit of Cruise into the various clips is uncanny, Downey Jr.'s hairline and body make some the moments a bit unsettling, especially to hear the familiar lines from the films come out of Cruise's mouth instead. Since stepping down from his long-running role, Downey Jr.'s original screen test to audition for the superhero role in 2006 has surfaced online, with director Jon Favreau endorsing the actor for the role to studio executives.