Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has officially come to an end, and it was a doozy. The studio threw a ton of twists and turns at the fans, thanks to new movies, TV shows, and special presentations. Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness definitely came with some surprises, including the introduction and prompt massacre of the MCU Illuminati. This sequence featured John Krasinski, who recently addressed whether he’ll return as the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards.
When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its properties, it finally opened the door for the X-Men and/or Fantastic Four to finally join the MCU. Fans theorized for years about what actors could play these beloved heroes, with John Krasinski being the most popular for Mister Fantastic. Sam Raimi subverted expectations by featuring the Office alum as the hero for Doctor Strange 2, before he was brutally killed off by Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch. Krasinski recently shared with The Wrap about whether or not he’s expecting to return to the shared universe, speaking frankly with:
There aren’t any discussions at all, the only discussion I had was actually in the second-to-last week of Jack Ryan. Kevin Feige called and said would you ever fly to L.A. and play in our sandbox for a day? I was honored to do it. I flew right from Budapest when we wrapped and went right to the Doctor Strange set. I’m a big fan of all those characters and that world, so to get to play in that sandbox for one day was a real thrill.
Well, that was definitely honest. While John Krasinski’s brief role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness broke the internet and inspired applause from audiences, it was actually a super brief interaction for the acclaimed actor/director. What’s more, he seemingly hasn’t had any real chatter with the studio about returning to play the role again. Does this mean the role will be recast for Matt Shakman’s developing Fantastic Four movie?
John Krasinski’s comments help to peel back the curtain on what it’s like from within the MCU, specifically for a guest actor popping in for a brief cameo. His role as Reed Richards wasn’t planned all that far ahead of time, although he was clearly down to clown. And as such, fans might not want to put too much stock on the events of Doctor Strange 2 to inform the forthcoming Fantastic Four film.
Later in that same interview, John Krasinski further explained what it was like filming his brief but memorable role in the Doctor Strange sequel. He even addressed the grisly way that his character was killed off by the Scarlet Witch. In his words,
It’s totally insane. To be in a room with all those people, and again to be a part of that narrative is crazy. But yeah, being turned into spaghetti wasn’t my end goal in life as far as how it goes in the Marvel universe, but you know what it was fun nonetheless.
Given the spaghetti of it all, fans are wondering whether or not John Krasinski might get the chance to play Reed Richards again in the MCU. Although the actor himself seemingly hasn’t been contacted, which might be a bad sign. Technically the Illuminati from Doctor Strange 2 were from Earth-838, while the main MCU timeline is Earth-616. So Marvel Studios could easily bring another actor in to play the role, especially now that fans have accepted variants as part of the lore.
The next installment of the MCU is Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania on February 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. We’ll just have to wait and see if John Krasinski ends up popping up again as Mister Fantastic. Fingers crossed.
