It’s probably not giving too much away about the forthcoming, hyped-to-the-ether Flash movie to reveal that it plays heavily, and with great joy, on famous “almost were” castings as it delves into the multiverse. Warner Bros/DC has already confirmed that Nicolas Cage will appear briefly as Superman in Andy Muschietti’s comic book epic.
Perfect timing, then, for us to discover an all-new sliding doors moment that might have changed the face of the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a new video celebrating the 15th anniversary of Iron Man, director Jon Favreau reveals that star Robert Downey Jr was in earlier talks to play the villain Doctor Doom in the deeply average Tim Story-directed Fantastic Four (2005). In the end, the role went to Nip/Tuck’s Julian McMahon, though if you remember that, it’s probably because you’re primed and ready to go on Mastermind specialising in “obscure superhero movies” .
