As we count down the days until Avengers: Infinity War and the beginning of the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Three, we can't help but look towards the future. Many fans are hoping that part of that future will see the Disney and Fox deal lead to the debut of the Fantastic Four in the MCU. Recently, there seems to be a bit of a groundswell forming to see John Krasinski and Emily Blunt take on the roles of Mr. & Mrs. Fantastic in the MCU. Now we have an idea of what Marvel's First Family could look like with the acting couple in the lead roles. Take a look:
Fan casting doesn't always work out, but I must say BossLogic's Twitter post and always-brilliant work makes a strong case that Marvel should go in this direction. The aesthetic BossLogic goes for in these images does evoke a darker take than most MCU characters, but still more comic-booky than Fox's last approach. John Krasinski here looks like a pensive Reed Richards with the weight of the universe and responsibility to his family on his shoulders. Emily Blunt, who has been rumored to take on a superhero role for ages, looks positively fierce as The Invisible Woman. Fans have already been calling for this husband and wife duo for the Fantastic Four, and those calls will only get louder after the debut of Krasinski's brilliant film, A Quiet Place, last weekend. John Krasinski seems up for it, and given Marvel's history of hiring up-and-coming directors, maybe Krasinski could step behind the camera as well.
Looking at Zac Efron as Johnny Storm, I had never thought of it, but it totally works. Zac Efron has shown in more than a few movies that he can bring a cool, cocky attitude to his characters, and it would be fun to see the members of the team wrangling this hothead. I think we all assume that at some point, John Cena, just like The Rock, will make his way into comic book movies, so it's just a matter of when and which one. I expect an MCU Fantastic Four to take a really fun approach to the characters, part of which would involve humor, and John Cena is continuing to prove his comedy chops in films like Blockers. The Thing would almost certainly be all CGI, but Cena is a fun choice to take on Ben Grimm.
The Disney-Fox deal isn't finalized and no new Fantastic Four film has been announced, so this is all just speculation and wishful thinking at this point, but there are reasons to think that Marvel is beginning to set up the team in the MCU. The characters are returning to comics this summer, and if Infinity War and Avengers 4 result in casualties like we expect, the MCU will need some fresh blood and new villains moving forward. And what better time to introduce the Fantastic Four in the MCU than Phase 4?
You can see John Krasinski and Emily Blunt playing another kind of family in A Quiet Place, in theaters now. As for the MCU, we are a little over two weeks from Avengers: Infinity War, which arrives on April 27.
