Has ‘The Flash’ fan Tom Cruise ever been in a Marvel movie?

DC’s The Flash already has several mega-fans, and Tom Cruise is among their ranks.

The A-list actor recently made his very, very positive thoughts on the upcoming flick known, after reportedly phoning the film’s director Andy Muschietti to share high praise. Muschietti gleefully reported, in early June, that Cruise called up the crew and gushed for a full 15 minutes about how much he enjoyed his early screening of The Flash. He was reportedly joined by far more trustworthy storytelling source Stephen King, who likewise heaped praise on the upcoming film.

News that Cruise is such a big Flash fan took plenty of people by surprise, and quickly got the masses to wracking their memories for former superhero performances from the leading man. Cruise loves him a good action flick, and superhero films are nothing if not action-packed, so it seems guaranteed that he’s cropped up in a Marvel flick at some point in his career.

Is Tom Cruise in the MCU?

Nearly every prominent actor out there has appeared in a Marvel release at one point or another, even if their talent was relegated to a background, bit, or voice-only role. Even Brad Pitt had his moment in the Marvel sun in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment from Deadpool 2, but one actor that’s yet to make his big Marvel debut is Tom Cruise.

Despite rampant rumors, which persist to this day, that Cruise is poised to enter the cinematic universe, no such claims have come to fruition — yet. People remain convinced that we are mere weeks, months, or years away from finally welcoming Cruise into the MCU, but none of those rumors have panned out before, and there’s really no reason to think they will now.

The popular actor was almost a mainstay in the franchise, back when it first started, but his near-miss with the first Iron Man led to a Robert Downey Jr. casting, and we all know how that turned out. While Cruise is clearly beloved by a section of the franchise’s viewer base, it seems impossible to think that anyone — even the most die-hard Cruise fan — would argue for anyone but Downey Jr. landing the role of Tony Stark. It was his work that helped define the franchise, and without him, it’s hard to say if the MCU would boast the success it currently has.

So, there you have it. We may eventually get a Cruise cameo — even if it’s as minor as Pitt’s Deadpool appearance — but we haven’t yet. There are plenty more MCU releases to come (and the franchise is on the lookout for a Kang replacement), but don’t hold your breath for Cruise’s big MCU break.