Does John Krasinski’s MCU Debut in Doctor Strange 2 Hint At More Fantastic Four Fan-Casting Wishes Coming True?

By now the whole world knows that John Krasinski appears in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Reed Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four. Getting Krasinski in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a big win for fans, as the A Quiet Place actor/writer/director has long been the fan-casting favorite for Reed Richards in Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. In fact, in some ways, the version of Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic that we got in the film looked almost verbatim like what fans had imagined and conveyed through fan art online. That closeness of concept has us asking the question: 

Does John Krasinski’s casting as Reed Richards in the Marvel Cinematic Universe hint that more Fantastic Four fan casting is coming true? 

First things first (SPOILERS): Even though we saw Krasinski’s Reed get horrifically eviscerated into spaghetti strands by Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) in the Battle of the Illuminati vs. Scarlet Witch, no Marvel fans truly expect it’s the end for Krasinski in the role. Quite the opposite, in fact. This feels like just the beginning for Krasinski as Mister Fantastic – and maybe much more. 

Marvel fans got a curious shock when it was announced that Spider-Man Home Trilogy director Jon Watts had dropped out of directing Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot. One of the immediate points of speculation (before anyone ever saw Doctor Strange 2) was that John Krasinski was being courted to direct Fantastic Four. After seeing Multiverse of Madness, that theory is more sound than ever. 

…So will John Krasinski’s wife and collaborator Emily Blunt be joining him in Fantastic Four? 

 The fan-casting of Krasinski as Reed Richards always came with the addition that Blunt plays Susan Storm Richards, aka Marvel’s Invisible Woman. Blunt has been an MCU fan-favorite casting going back to Phase I, when fans overwhelmingly wanted her to be cast as Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), before Scarlet Johansson ultimately walked away with the role. Blunt’s star has only risen higher since that time – especially working alongside her husband on A Quiet Place and its sequel. 

At this point, giving Marvel fans just a taste of John Krasinski’s Reed Richards or having Krasinski join Fantastic Four without Emily Blunt alongside him feels like it would be a big disappointment. After all, what better foundation could you start with, in a story about Marvel’s First Family? 

Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot is in development. No official director or stars have been announced yet.