John Krasinski is officially the first Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four team member to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor played Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, just as rumors claimed he would. That’s despite Marvel not announcing details about the first MCU Fantastic Four movie until recently.
Fast-forward to Comic-Con 2022 when Marvel finally revealed the film’s release date. We know the Fantastic Four movie coming is one of the first Phase 6 projects, with two Avengers movies set to conclude the Phase. However, we still don’t know who will play the Fantastic Four heroes and Krasinski, who is finally talking about his Doctor Strange 2 role, isn’t ready to confirm a return. Mind you, some spoilers might follow.
Krasinski as Reed Richards in Multiverse of Madness
John Krasinski, a fan favorite, playing Mister Fantastic, was one of the fans’ most popular MCU casting choices and one of the most exciting Multiverse of Madness rumors. It turned out that the famous actor was hired to play Reed Richards, which is the character fans wanted him to play. And they confirmed it all happened because many fans asked for him.
Ultimately, they gave us Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic with a huge twist. He played Reed Richards of a different reality, and we don’t know who the other Fantastic Four team members are.
More importantly, Krasinski’s character died minutes after appearing on screen, as Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), aka Scarlet Witch, had no problem turning Earth-838’s Mister Fantastic into spaghetti.
Krasinski playing a variant of Mister Fantastic isn’t a guarantee that the actor will also play the MCU’s Reed Richards. That’s something we already know from various multiverse projects. Spider-Man: No Way Home established that Spider-Man variants can look different. Loki did the same thing before that.
Will John Krasinski return to the MCU’s Fantastic Four?
Since the Fantastic Four detail in Multiverse of Madness was such a big secret, Krasinski was never a part of the Doctor Strange 2 press tour. He didn’t have to field questions about his MCU role and what it might mean for the future of the MCU’s Fantastic Four franchise.
Still, it was only a matter of time until the actor had to address speculations about his Reed Richards role. It happened on The Tonight Show, starring Jimmy Fallon, where he had to carefully dodge the host’s questions about the MCU’s central Fantastic Four team.
Fallon brought up the Fantastic Four announcement at Comic-Con, asking John whether he’ll return to the MCU.
“Seriously, what have you heard? I need to know,” the actor quickly joked.
He then offered the same remark MCU actors often have to deliver during interviews. “They don’t tell you anything about it,” Krasinski said.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four cast announcement must be imminent
Fallon pressed on whether Emily Blunt will play Sue Storm, aka Invisible Woman, alongside him. That’s the other popular Fantastic Four fan-cast.
John Krasinski had to feign surprise before getting into another gag about Marvel snipers in the audience. He did this by saying, ”No, it’s actually a Marvel dart. That’s a Marvel dart; there’s a guy walking around.”
The The Office star might not be ready to say anything on the record, but we might not have to wait that long. Marvel plans to release Fantastic Four in theaters in November 2024. That means the clock is ticking. Production will start soon, so Marvel’s cast announcement shouldn’t be long.
While you wait, you can watch Krasinski’s interview below.
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FAQ
While MCU projects like Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home dipped their toes into Marvel’s Multiverse, Multiverse of Madness took a running jump off the diving board and did two front flips as it dove in; introducing characters like John Krasinski as Reed Richards and Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter.
Krasinski fulfilled the fantasies of devoted Marvel fans by portraying Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Officially, John Krasinski is the first member of the Fantastic Four team to appear in the MCU. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the actor played Mister Fantastic, precisely as rumors had it. Despite this, Marvel has only recently revealed some information regarding the first Fantastic Four movie to be part of the MCU.
In an audio commentary for Multiverse of Madness, director Sam Raimi said that Kevin Feige cast Krasinski as Reed Richards in response to fan demand.
It’s unclear. Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, from the Fantastic Four comics, makes an appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a cameo by Krasinski.
The new Fantastic Four movie officially launches MCU Phase 6 in November 2024, according to a revelation by Marvel at San Diego Comic-Con in July. Though there were reports that the director and the entire cast would be revealed, no additional information has been provided.
