Who should play Mr. Fantastic in the MCU?
With the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four movie set for 2025, as soon as the writer's strike comes to an end, we will likely get our cast for the film dropped. Before that time comes, I thought I would give me two cents for who should play each role, starting with our leading man.
Perhaps the most over fan casted character in the past year, Reed Richards is a particularly hard nail to hit on the head. While the characteristics are simple enough, smartest man in world, leader of the fantastic, emotionally distant, maybe a bit awkward, borderline mad scientist, all of those traits can easily be attributed to a number of different actors.
Depending on how you want to play it, there has been a number of fantastic (pun intended) options thrown around the rumor mill: Penn Badgley, John Krasinski returning, Glenn Howerton, William Jackson Harper, Adam Driver, Matt Smith, and oh so many more.
While I like a lot of these and really wouldn't be upset with most of them, I thought I'd throw my three ideas in the ring.
I will also say, my initial pick was William Jackson Harper, but twitter and one of my favorite Fan Casters Nando V Movies (go check out their YouTube channel) already casted him. But if he got it, I would be very pleased.
Finally, I'll preface, I am going for originality. There have been SO many picks for Mr. Fantastic. I tried so desperately hard to pick actors I haven't heard brought up who can do an amazing job.
First, as always, let's look back and three renditions we got:
I don't have strong feelings about this particular version of the character. He hit the notes he needed to but there really wasn't alot for him or Jessica Alba to do in the film.
Gruffudd did a solid job at playing the straight man, letting Evans and Chiklis play off of him fairly well.
He was also fairly good at playing a realistic nerd. He didn't feel like someone who was on the football team, which other Fantastics lacked. We need someone who can feel believably awkward. More Maguire less Garfield.
*sigh* Fan4stic is definitely a movie.
Miles Teller and the cast do what they can with what they were given, but there isn't much for me to dissect here. Teller does a good job with the awkward nerdiness, but he lacks the believable confidence to be a leader. Fantastic should be confident in his intelligence, Teller wasn't there yet.
We need someone who can believably be a leader.
I think for what he is given, Krasinski does a solid job at a particular kind of Mr. Fantastic. That is to say, he is a Mr. Fantastic who has done his three movies and has learned the importance of family and connecting with people and taking care of others.
That being said, as a flawed Fantastic, he's boring. Yes he is strong, confident, and feels like a leader, but that's all I'll give him.
So clearly, we don't have a lot to work with as far as definitive versions of the character goes.
What ethnicity is Mr. Fantastic?
Mr. Fantastic does not have a particular ethnic identity in the comics. There is one piece of comic lure that I think is interesting when discussing Mr. Fantastic, particularly in the MCU.
You see one of Reed Richards descendants is Nathaniel Richards, a time travelling super-genius from the 31st century, wo becomes a supervillain warlord known as..
While his lineage is sometimes questionable, I think this wrinkle puts a potential for people of color playing this role.
However, Kang could be mixed, and with the fact Mr. Fantastic isn't really any particular ethnicity, I think casting anyone is okay.
Mr. Fantastic may be one of the major leads of the MCU moving forward. We are casting the main enemy of Galactus, Doctor Doom, and maybe even Kang. We are looking for a Downey or Evans, someone great.
As the leader of the Fantastic Four, we need someone who can believably be the smartest person in the room. With his powers, his intelligence, and his borderline madness when it comes to science, Mr. Fantastic should feel like a threat to someone like Doom.
I'm looking for someone in their mid 30s to mid 40s. He needs to feel older than Johnny but young enough to keep this going for awhile.
We need someone confident who could lead the team but can be a little awkward to be around. Almost Batman like.
I'd like taller and lanky as far as look goes, and if they can grow a nice beard that's a plus. Any ethnicity is good.
As always, I'm looking for someone who hasn't played a major superhero role.
Kicking off our list with the safest choice, Dev Patel is one of those actors you're surprised isn't already a superhero. From roles in the Green Knight, Slumdog Millionaire, and Modern Love, Patel is a fan favorite actor with range to compete with the big names. At 33, He is the youngest person on my list and most qualified for the job.
He has played intelligent in roles like in Chappie, has done dangerous in the Green Knight, and villains in roles like Zuko (sorry I had to bring up The Last Airbender).
My worry with Patel is he may be a little too likeable. I want a character we can warm up to, which is hard balance. He also seems like an actor who could potentially be great as a different character. Maybe even Doctor Doom.
I definitely think he has the chops and the potential to be a great lead, not just for the Fantastic Four but the MCU.
When casting in Sci-Fi, it's always good to cast someone who has pull in nerd circles.
Known for roles in Star Trek, Heroes, American Horror Story and Invincible, Zachary Quinto is always a treat to watch.
He was originally my top choice to play Doctor Strange in the MCU, but I think for those same reasons, he could do an excellent Mr. Fantastic.
Zachary Quinto is great at playing characters just a little off from human. Spock is a great example of this, but I'd look closer at Robot from Invincible. He displays real emotion through a robotic voice throughout the show, and quickly became my favorite character. I think bringing a little humanity to Reed can help us follow and grow with him as the movies progress.
Quinto also has a solid background in playing villains. He has voiced Lex Luthor, and even played a superpowered serial killer, Sylar, in the hit NBC series Heroes. I think having someone who can play a villain be beneficial to Reed, as he often feels closer to a villain than a hero.
My biggest concern with Quinto is age. At 46, he feels a bit older than I would prefer. Not that that should be a problem, but a younger Reed we can see grow into Mr. Fantastic is preferred.
Quinto also isn't typically a leading man. I'm not sure if I can see him leading the MCU in the same way I see Patel.
I think it would be a curveball pick that fans could get behind and end up loving.
If I had a nickel for every time I casted a comedian known for stand-up over acting as my leading man, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
Jerrod Carmichael is one of my favorite comedians and writers working today. Known for his stand-up specials, the Carmichael show, and smaller roles in The Disaster Artist, Mid90s, and Transformers the Last Knight, Carmichael really came on my radar as an actor and a writer in his amazing movie On the Count of Three.
Also Directed by Carmichael, the film centers around two friends who decide they want to kill themselves after one last day of righting wrongs and tying up loose ends. It's an incredibly bleak, well acted, and at times funny movie, full of sadness and pain.
In the film Carmichael taps into a sadness and alienation I think would be perfect for Reed. In the film, he feels dangerous and alone.
We also known Jerrod can do comedy and likeable, which could eventually translate to a more balanced Reed Richards.
He also has a talent for writing. His stand-up special Rothaniel won him an Emmy in 2022. Imagine what he could do with Fantastic Four Screenplay.
Carmichael will also be starring in Poor Things, a new movie starring Emma Stone which appears to be getting buzz. Clearly he is expanding his acting portfolio, and the MCU is a great place to start.
I think if you want a surprise pick who can act, direct, do comedy, and write, Carmichael feels like the choice that would get people talking. I think he is the type of artist who should be leading big things like the MCU, and would look damn good wearing the 4 on his chest.
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