As you may have noticed, the first full-length trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness dropped a few hours ago, and it’s instantly plunged social media into a constant state of rampant speculation.
We haven’t seen this many theories pop up so quickly since… well, since the last multiversal Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster was gearing up for release, but Benedict Cumberbatch’s return as the Master of the Mystic Arts looks to have a scope and scale that paints Spider-Man: No Way Home as a quaint drama by comparison.
The sonorous tones of Patrick Stewart ratcheted the hype levels up tenfold, but given some of the other footage on display, fans are growing increasingly convinced that Tom Cruise is on board to make his MCU debut as a Tony Stark variant.
Cruise as an alternate Iron Man has been a regular part of the rumor mill, but all of the supposedly ‘leaked’ photos to have made the rounds online have been laughably Photoshopped. That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen, and if there’s one star with enough wattage to inhabit an iconic role first played by Robert Downey Jr. without drawing unwanted comparisons, you couldn’t do much better than Cruise.