In 2023, YouTube sensation Markiplier announced his first steps towards the big screen. As he took the simulation game under his wing, the gear-shifting required an ensemble to put the movie into action. Now, with the audience navigating theatres instead of remote controls, the names behind Iron Lung's players have heightened intrigue. 

Anyone familiar with the brutality connoted by Iron Lung is bound to look for a cast that suffices the game's grit on screen. 

While he occupies the director's seat, Mark Fischbach, or Markiplier, fills the gaps by playing the main character of the film, a convict named Simon. Isaac McKee, Caroline Rose Kaplan, Troy Baker, Elsie Lovelock, and Elle LaMont join Fischbach as the supporting cast. They play the roles of young Simon, Ava, David, the Speaker-slash-SM-8 research lead, and the Whisper, respectively. 

Elle Lamont appears as an SM-8 research assistant as well. 

The ensemble is rounded up by David Pettitt, who plays the Father, and Seán McLoughlin, or YouTuber Jacksepticeye, as Jack. Creator of the game Iron Lung, David Szymanski, also takes up a role in film, although it is a fictionalized rendering of himself. 

'Iron Lung' Movie: Release Date, Cast, Plot, Streaming Details of the Upcoming Science Fiction Horror

Racing past its contenders from the White House, Markiplier's Iron Lung has brought more than just the YouTuber's feature film debut to the big screen. 

Iron Lung was released alongside the First Lady's dabble in cinema, Melania, Sam Raimi's blockbuster Send Help, and the action-thriller film Shelter. While Melania opened with $7.1 million, as of February 1, 2026, Iron Lung followed the 2026 big hit, Send Help, closely. The indie number has earned $21.5 million compared to Raimi's psychological thriller comeback, which earned $28 million globally. 

Markiplier's venture onto the big screen has earned him a good number, sure, but also a mixture of critical responses. Whether praised for its head-first dive into a horror plot, or Mark Fischbach's own acting being a blend of hits and misses, Iron Lung has opened a new gateway for YouTubers shifting gears as their audiences mature beyond the video gamer tag.

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Have you watched Iron Lung yet? What do you think of the cinematic players in the video game adaptation? Let us know in the comments.