"Tomb Raider" icon Lara Croft was originally called...

The answer is not Laura Cruz, but rather Lara Croft. The iconic Tomb Raider character was created by Toby Gard and was originally named Lara Cruz, but the character's name was changed to Lara Croft to sound more English and be easily pronounced globally. This change in name helped make the character more marketable and memorable, ultimately leading to the tremendous success and cultural impact of Lara Croft as we know her today.