The wait is over! The cast for Fantastic Four has finally been revealed. Pedro Pascal is our new Mister Fantastic! There were multiple speculations in the past on who is likely going to be the next Reed Richards and the Marvel fandom had an insane prophecy about who will fit right into the character. And it’s none other than the Narcos actor. With this board decision, the set course of the path has changed for the Avengers. This could be it. Marvel might have finally found what they have been looking for. The new leader. An anchor who has the potential to lead the Avengers and be the next face of the MCU.
MCU Phase 5: A complicated mess!
Ever since the end of phase 4, truth be told MCU has been on a constant rumble mainly because of letting go of their best and most reliable foundational pillars that is Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Furthermore, they drifted into the next phase with a new threat facing the multiverse. Kang the Conqueror.
But things haven’t been quite easy for them, with releasing origin stories of multiple new superheroes and giving all of them their series. Marvel has spent a generous amount of time planting a seed for the next arc and introducing Kang was their first step. Since the actor’s arrest and after finding him guilty of two domestic violence charges, the studio decided to fire Jonathan Majors (Kang).
Analytically speaking, Kang has appeared in 3 projects so far including Loki seasons 1 &2, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The actor was also set to star in Avengers: Kang Dynasty in 2026 but things don’t always go our way. Does it? The complicated storyline of Kang with various plots all woven together has made it more difficult for the writers to make sense of everything. And now it has become a tangled mess!
Different portrayals of Reed Richards
If the comics are followed, the best superheroes who excel at leading are Professor X, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Black Bolt. Reed Richards is a wise man with great intellect who has mastered every field including aerospace, electrical, Chemistry, physics, biology, etc. His genius mind is not the only feature that makes him a great leader it’s also his compassion towards other people.
The first adaptation of the comic in 1994 was never released but some portrayals grasped our attention. Ioan Gruffudd previously played Reed Richards, he played the part for 2 installments that is Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
Another attempt was made in 2015 to reboot the franchise with the Whiplash star Miles Teller as Mister Fantastic. Tony Stark’s heroic sacrifice in Endgame surely opened the gates to the next chapter which is the multiversal war.
We came across various variants and saw a glimpse of multiple Earths in Multiverse of Madness (2022). The movie gifted us with important cameos and easter eggs like the classic yellow wheelchair of Professor X from the comics. John Krasinski was one of the variants of the smartest man alive in the 2022 film but that didn’t
last either.
When the announcement was made on February 14 about the star cast of the film through a post that gave off a 1960s vibe, a new theory arose which pointed towards a possible connection of Reed Richards with Hank Pym.
The introduction of the Fantastic Four in the MCU is going to be pivotal because we know for a fact that Victor Von Doom is coming! Pedro Pascal has an opportunity to make this beloved character his own just like how Robert Downey Jr did back in 2008.
At that time, the people weren’t that aware of this cocky genius who would one day be known as ‘The Founding Father of the MCU’. He portrayed Tony Stark with so much love and dedication
that the character is still a fan favorite. Let’s snap into the present, where the studio has announced The Last of Us star as ‘the man who knows it all’ which paves a new path for the franchise and for the fans.
