Movies

Is Fantastic Four: First Steps Pushing Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards Into an MCU Villain Arc?

The Fantastic Four may not have four members for long.

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.

Being a superhero is all about making tough choices. At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker realizes his mistakes are putting the world in danger, which forces him to ask Doctor Strange to make it so no one remembers him, including his friends. Not wanting MJ and Ned to be in danger again, Peter also decides not to go through with his plan to reunite with them and explain everything, opting instead to move forward on his own. It’s not going to be easy for him, but at least he can rest easy knowing that he’s doing the right thing. Well, another Marvel Cinematic Universe hero is about to face a similar choice, and whichever option they choose may end in disaster.

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps is pulling out all the stops by introducing Galactus to the MCU. Like in the source material, the villain’s ultimate goal is to devour worlds. However, he’s going to give Marvel’s First Family an out that could save not only them but their world. For Reed Richards and Susan Storm, though, it’s not as simple as the needs of the many versus the needs of a few.

Reed Richards Will Try to Find Another Way in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Despite the movie still being weeks away (at the time of writing this), the marketing for First Steps paints a clear picture of its events. While the Fantastic Four are protecting Earth from threats, Galactus catches wind of the power that the planet holds, including Franklin Richards. He sends his herald, the Silver Surfer, to warn humanity about his impending arrival, but instead of getting their affairs in order, the Fantastic Four try to negotiate. The only option Galactus gives them to save their planet is to hand over Franklin, who has reality-warping abilities in the source material that are sure to make the jump to live-action. The young boy’s power could free Galactus from ever having to search for a planet again, as he would have access to an unlimited supply of fuel from the worlds that Franklin could literally imagine into being.

Giving up their son doesn’t work for Reed and Susan, and they tell the world that Galactus’ asking price is just too high. That’s not going to stop the Devourer of Worlds from cancelling his visit, though, which means the Fantastic Four may end up without a world and the baby. Losing that much would break anyone, but there’s only one member of the team who has a dark variant in the comics with the potential to destroy the multiverse: Mister Fantastic.

The MCU May Be Pushing Reed Richards to Be a Villain, Not a Hero

While Reed almost always thinks with his head, his heart is going to be pretty loud in First Steps. He has a child who depends on him, and while the world also needs his big brain, he’s not going to love the people of Earth more than his son… right? It would be hard to blame Reed for allowing Galactus to destroy his planet, especially because he’s sure to believe there’s a way to undo the damage. He may travel to Earth-616 and begin working on finding a solution. The trouble would deepen if he doesn’t find one, forcing Reed to face the guilt of letting billions of lives disappear for the sake of saving a single person. All the humanity Reed has may cease to exist, making way for The Maker, a dark version of the hero who believes he knows what’s best for everyone.

The Maker would pose a massive threat to the MCU, wanting to remake the multiverse in his image. Doctor Doom is sure to have a similar goal in Avengers: Doomsday, so the two may decide to team up and get to work building a better future. While it would be tough to see Reed working with his arch-enemy, going in this direction would allow the MCU to subvert expectations and avoid covering similar ground to its predecessors. After all, Doom and Reed have already fought multiple times on the big screen, and it’s never really worked out.

Of course, the powers that be at Marvel Studios may hesitate to make one of Marvel Comics’ biggest heroes into a villain because there’s no way to put that genie in the bottle once it’s out. An easy solution for that would be to have The Maker be a variant that First Steps‘ Reed crosses paths with, with the villain telling his doppelganger what could’ve happened if he had made a different choice with Galactus. That way, the MCU can have its cake and eat it, too, giving the franchise a new threat while still leaving its most important family intact.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters July 25, 2025.

Would you like to see The Maker appear in the MCU? Do you think Galactus is enough to push Reed Richards over the edge? Let us know in the comments below!