Is John Krasinski Playing Mr. Fantastic In The MCU?

After Disney Studios bought 21st Century Studios, Marvel Studios have regained exclusive rights for many characters, opening a window for the Fantastic Four to get into the MCU. Rumors suggest that a Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) cameo is happening very soon – with a fan-favorite actor playing the role. So, is John Krasinski playing Mr. Fantastic in the MCU?

Rumors suggest that John Krasinski will have a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange 2 as a variant of Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. Whether the rumors are true or whether Krasinski will play Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four MCU reboot is still unknown.

Krasinski has been a fan-favorite to portray Mr. Fantastic for years, while his real-life wife, Emily Blunt, is the frontrunner to portray Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman – Reed Richard’s wife. With all the rumors, fan art, and leaks coming out left and right, it’s time to put the pieces together and see what we actually know about Krasinski and the MCU’s Fantastic Four.

Is Fantastic Four In The MCU?

The Fantastic Four has had several big-screen adaptations throughout the years, and every time they tried to make a movie about Marvel’s First Family, it flopped hard both in box office numbers and critics’ reviews. That being said, none of those adaptations were indeed a Marvel Studios production, nor a part of the MCU.

There have been four different Fantastic Four movies from 1994 to 2015, but none have been in the MCU. They were all just plain bad – not because of the cast, but the story and the tone of the films were just a complete failure.

Chris Evans – the guy who would later become the iconic Captain America – first appeared in a Marvel movie as the Human Torch in the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies. Luckily for him, fans don’t remember him in those terrible roles. In short, the Fantastic Four is not in the MCU. Well, not yet, at least.

Will There Be A Fantastic Four Movie In The MCU?

Things are about to change – probably somewhere in 2023 – as Kevin Feige confirmed the film is in the early stages of development at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. Later, in late 2020, Feige announced that Jon Watts would direct the film – the same guy who nailed the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy.

We don’t know what the plot will revolve around, and no cast members have been announced yet, but one thing is certain: if the Fantastic Four ever get a good movie adaptation, then it’ll be this one, under the brilliance of Jon Watts. It’s safe to say the movie is in good hands, and the fans believe so, too.

As for the cast, we don’t quite know who’ll portray certain roles, but again, Feige gave some hints that encourage fans to believe their favorite for Mr. Fantastic, John Krasinski, might really play Reed Richards in the upcoming movie. Feige said:

“I think the MCU is a beautiful combination of both (established actors and new faces). I think you look no further than Simu in Shang-Chi, like Chris Hemsworth, like Tom Hiddleston, like Tom Holland, an actor that hadn’t been seen by a tremendous amount of people before, or you have a Benedict stepping into Doctor Strange or Christian Bale stepping into Gorr in our Thor film. It is always a beautiful combination of both, and it really is about the search for the best actor for the job whether that actor is known to the world yet or not.”

Therefore, John could join the team even though he-s an established actor in Hollywood. Will it really happen, though? We can’t know – but we can dissect the rumors.

Will John Krasinski Play Mr. Fantastic In The MCU?

There have been countless rumors about John Krasinski playing Mr. Fantastic in the MCU. Those rumors inspired a ton of fan art, which only heated the rumor pot even more. So, will Jon Krasinski play Mr. Fantastic in the MCU? The answer will blow your mind:

Maybe.

Numerous rumors, including the one from The Illuminerdi, claim that John Krasinski will appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a variant of Reed Richards from another universe. In that universe, Reed is a member of the Illuminati, a superhero team formed by Doctor Strange to fight not only Earth-bound threats but interdimensional threats, too.

It seems that Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic (if the rumors are true) will be a Reed Richards from a universe where the Fantastic Four are already an established group of superheroes.

However, recent cosmic events and activity in the MCU (like the arrival of the Celestials in the Eternals) could possibly foreshadow pulling the Fantastic Four out of the shadows in this particular universe.

Whether John Krasinski’s Mr. Fantastic will be from the main MCU universe or just a variant in the Multiverse of Madness remains to be seen. If he’s just a variant, however, that narrows the possibility of the actor portraying Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four film, which is confirmed to be MCU canon.

Who knows? Maybe the Fantastic Four movie will be a prequel to Doctor Strange 2. It could show Marvel’s First Family as established heroes in their respective universe, and then the events leading to them getting pulled into the main MCU universe due to the Multiverse of Madness.

Another possibility is that Krasinski won’t be a variant, but Reed Richards from this particular (main MCU) universe. That would make his role in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie much easier to implement. Take all this with a grain of salt, though, as I’m simply speculating – the MCU is always full of surprises, so who knows what will eventually transpire.

Whether the rumors about John Krasinski being Mr. Fantastic are true or false, one thing is certain – the fans would love to see that happening. 

Also, if the rumors about Emily Blunt playing Susan Storm turn out to be true, it would be like icing on a cake – one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples leading the way for Marvel’s First Family in the MCU. 

We’ll just disregard the fact that Emily had previously shut down those rumors, saying superhero movies aren’t “up her alley.” Hey, Andrew Garfield swore he wasn’t in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and look where THAT brought us.

John and Emily as Reed and Sue? A fan couldn’t ask for more.