diff --git a/builtin-run.c b/builtin-run.c
index 1ad574d..ec783f6 100644
--- a/builtin-run.c
+++ b/builtin-run.c
@@ -594,6 +594,7 @@ static int kvm_cmd_run_init(int argc, const char **argv)
 	}
 
 	kvm->cfg.vmlinux_filename = find_vmlinux();
+	kvm->vmlinux = kvm->cfg.vmlinux_filename;
 
 	if (kvm->cfg.nrcpus == 0)
 		kvm->cfg.nrcpus = nr_online_cpus;
@@ -642,11 +643,14 @@ static int kvm_cmd_run_init(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (!kvm->cfg.vnc && !kvm->cfg.sdl)
 		kvm->cfg.vidmode = -1;
 
-	r = term_init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("term_init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
+	memset(real_cmdline, 0, sizeof(real_cmdline));
+	kvm__arch_set_cmdline(real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.vnc || kvm->cfg.sdl);
+
+	if (strlen(real_cmdline) > 0)
+		strcat(real_cmdline, " ");
+
+	if (kvm->cfg.kernel_cmdline)
+		strlcat(real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.kernel_cmdline, sizeof(real_cmdline));
 
 	if (!kvm->cfg.guest_name) {
 		if (kvm->cfg.custom_rootfs) {
@@ -657,49 +661,6 @@ static int kvm_cmd_run_init(int argc, const char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	r = kvm__init(kvm);
-	if (r)
-		goto fail;
-
-	r = ioeventfd__init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("ioeventfd__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
-
-	r = kvm_cpu__init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("kvm_cpu__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
-
-	r = irq__init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("irq__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
-
-	r = pci__init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("pci__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
-
-	r = ioport__init(kvm);
-	if (r < 0) {
-		pr_err("ioport__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-		goto fail;
-	}
-
-	memset(real_cmdline, 0, sizeof(real_cmdline));
-	kvm__arch_set_cmdline(real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.vnc || kvm->cfg.sdl);
-
-	if (strlen(real_cmdline) > 0)
-		strcat(real_cmdline, " ");
-
-	if (kvm->cfg.kernel_cmdline)
-		strlcat(real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.kernel_cmdline, sizeof(real_cmdline));
-
 	if (!kvm->cfg.using_rootfs && !kvm->cfg.disk_image[0].filename && !kvm->cfg.initrd_filename) {
 		char tmp[PATH_MAX];
 
@@ -730,25 +691,61 @@ static int kvm_cmd_run_init(int argc, const char **argv)
 		strlcat(real_cmdline, " root=/dev/vda rw ", sizeof(real_cmdline));
 	}
 
+	kvm->cfg.real_cmdline = real_cmdline;
+
+	printf("  # %s run -k %s -m %Lu -c %d --name %s\n", KVM_BINARY_NAME,
+		kvm->cfg.kernel_filename, kvm->cfg.ram_size / 1024 / 1024, kvm->cfg.nrcpus, kvm->cfg.guest_name);
+
+	r = kvm__init(kvm);
+	if (r)
+		goto fail;
+
+	r = term_init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("term_init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+
+	r = ioeventfd__init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("ioeventfd__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	r = kvm_cpu__init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("kvm_cpu__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	r = irq__init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("irq__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	r = pci__init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("pci__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
+	r = ioport__init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0) {
+		pr_err("ioport__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
+		goto fail;
+	}
+
 	r = disk_image__init(kvm);
 	if (r < 0) {
 		pr_err("disk_image__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
-	printf("  # %s run -k %s -m %Lu -c %d --name %s\n", KVM_BINARY_NAME,
-		kvm->cfg.kernel_filename, kvm->cfg.ram_size / 1024 / 1024, kvm->cfg.nrcpus, kvm->cfg.guest_name);
-
-	if (!kvm->cfg.firmware_filename) {
-		if (!kvm__load_kernel(kvm, kvm->cfg.kernel_filename,
-				kvm->cfg.initrd_filename, real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.vidmode))
-			die("unable to load kernel %s", kvm->cfg.kernel_filename);
-
-		kvm->vmlinux = kvm->cfg.vmlinux_filename;
-		r = symbol_init(kvm);
-		if (r < 0)
-			pr_debug("symbol_init() failed with error %d\n", r);
-	}
+	r = symbol_init(kvm);
+	if (r < 0)
+		pr_debug("symbol_init() failed with error %d\n", r);
 
 	ioport__setup_arch();
 
@@ -848,17 +845,6 @@ static int kvm_cmd_run_init(int argc, const char **argv)
 		goto fail;
 	}
 
-	if (kvm->cfg.firmware_filename) {
-		if (!kvm__load_firmware(kvm, kvm->cfg.firmware_filename))
-			die("unable to load firmware image %s: %s", kvm->cfg.firmware_filename, strerror(errno));
-	} else {
-		kvm__arch_setup_firmware(kvm);
-		if (r < 0) {
-			pr_err("kvm__arch_setup_firmware() failed with error %d\n", r);
-			goto fail;
-		}
-	}
-
 	r = thread_pool__init(kvm);
 	if (r < 0) {
 		pr_err("thread_pool__init() failed with error %d\n", r);
diff --git a/include/kvm/kvm-config.h b/include/kvm/kvm-config.h
index 5e7dc28..df36a76 100644
--- a/include/kvm/kvm-config.h
+++ b/include/kvm/kvm-config.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ struct kvm_config {
 	const char *sandbox;
 	const char *hugetlbfs_path;
 	const char *custom_rootfs_name;
+	const char *real_cmdline;
 	struct virtio_net_params *net_params;
 	bool single_step;
 	bool vnc;
diff --git a/kvm.c b/kvm.c
index b950c08..7a6e15e 100644
--- a/kvm.c
+++ b/kvm.c
@@ -246,6 +246,21 @@ int kvm__init(struct kvm *kvm)
 
 	kvm__arch_init(kvm, kvm->cfg.hugetlbfs_path, kvm->cfg.ram_size);
 
+	if (!kvm->cfg.firmware_filename) {
+		if (!kvm__load_kernel(kvm, kvm->cfg.kernel_filename,
+				kvm->cfg.initrd_filename, kvm->cfg.real_cmdline, kvm->cfg.vidmode))
+			die("unable to load kernel %s", kvm->cfg.kernel_filename);
+	}
+
+	if (kvm->cfg.firmware_filename) {
+		if (!kvm__load_firmware(kvm, kvm->cfg.firmware_filename))
+			die("unable to load firmware image %s: %s", kvm->cfg.firmware_filename, strerror(errno));
+	} else {
+		ret = kvm__arch_setup_firmware(kvm);
+		if (ret < 0)
+			die("kvm__arch_setup_firmware() failed with error %d\n", ret);
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 
 err_vm_fd: