New ‘Tom Cruise as Iron Man’ pics land online from Doctor Strange 2 sets. Fans debate how real they are

New pictures have emerged to strengthen the claim that superstar Tom Cruise is indeed playing a variant of Marvel’s iconic superhero Iron Man aka Tony Stark in the upcoming Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

The pictures show Tom–with a goatee–walking in front of a green screen. Another picture shows him wearing a kind of mechanical armour suit in front a green screen.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness deals with the titular character trying to contain the fallout of his multiverse-fracturing spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home. With Marvel having introduced the concept of multiverse and variants, it is expected that several actors will play variations of popular characters already seen on screen. Tom is expected to have a cameo fitting with the theme. His casting could be a nod to the fact that he was among the first actors considered for the role almost two decades ago before Robert Downey Jr. was eventually cast as Iron Man.

However, not all fans are convinced that the pictures are genuine. A Twitter user shared the new pictures along with older pictures of Josh Brolin as Thanos and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange from the sets of MCU’s previous films, showing how similar they were. The accompanying text in Spanish read: “The “leaked photos” of Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ are FAKE.”

Another user shared all the supposed leaks of Tom Cruise from the film’s sets and wrote, “If this is your proof that Tom Cruise is in Doctor Strange 2, then I think its safe to say you’ll believe anything.”

But still, there are many believers of the pictures, primarily because many had claimed Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s pics from Spider-Man: No Way Home as fakes too. However, in the end, they turned out to be genuine and both the actors appeared as their versions of Spider-Man in the film.

Rumours have been floating around that Tom Cruise is set to play a version of Iron Man in Doctor Strange sequel. Earlier, a set of pictures had purported to show the star dressed in a motion capture suit on the film’s sets. However, there is no official confirmation on it.

Also read: Is that Tom Cruise as Iron Man? Leaked pic from Dr Strange 2 has shocked fans

Some reports have also claimed that Tom’s version of Tony Stark will be unveiled in the film’s upcoming TV spot teaser, which is likely to be unveiled next weekend during the Superbowl. However, like always, Marvel has kept its cards close to its chest.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, directed by Sam Raimi, is set to release on May 6. Apart from Benedict in the lead role, the film also stars Elizabeth Olsen and Xochitl Gomez.