Some superhero actors out there make it nearly impossible to replace them. Despite getting a swan song in Logan, dying in the arms of his “daughter,” Laura, Wolverine returns in Deadpool & Wolverine, played once again by Hugh Jackman. Even as the Marvel Cinematic Universe prepares to reboot the X-Men, all signs point to Jackman sticking around, at least for a little while. The MCU will also have difficulty recasting Iron Man when it comes time for someone else to don the armor. Bringing Robert Downey Jr. back as Doctor Doom might help that transition, as seeing the actor play a villain could help soften the blow of his original character being recast.
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Not every character gets a Jackman or Downey Jr., though. Sometimes, a role goes to someone who, either due to tough circumstances or poor performance, gets one or two shots at it. Mister Fantastic certainly fits into the category, as he’s been played by a few actors on the big screen. Without counting Alex Hyde-White, who appeared in the unreleased ’90s The Fantastic Four film, here’s every actor to play Reed Richards in live-action, ranked.
4) John Krasinski (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness)
When it became clear that the MCU was acquiring Marvel’s First Family in the deal with Fox, the Internet started to put together fancasts, which almost always included Emily Blunt as Sue Storm and her husband, John Krasinski, as Reed. Well, Marvel Studios decided to appease fans by having Krasinski play Earth-828’s Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
A member of the Illuminati, Mister Fantastic is part of Doctor Strange’s trial, helping decide what to do with the variant. Scarlet Witch makes sure that Reed doesn’t make it home for dinner, though, shredding him to pieces after a tense conversation. While Krasinski does fine with his material, there isn’t enough juice in his performance to put him any higher than last on this list.
3) Miles Teller (Fan4stic)
The production of the 2015 Fantastic Four film, aka Fan4stic, was tumultuous, to say the least. Director Josh Trank and some of the writing team didn’t get along, leading to disagreements about the movie’s direction. By the time Fan4stic hit theaters, it was a mess, but its cast wasn’t to blame.
Miles Teller does his best to lead a cast full of talented actors, and with the movie’s darker tone, there are opportunities for him to flex his acting chops. While the only thing anyone seems to remember about Teller’s Mister Fantastic is his interaction with Ben at the end of the film, where they come up with the team’s name, there are a couple of moments worthy of consideration for the actor’s highlight reel.
2) Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps)
Rather than bring Krasinski back, Marvel Studios decided to go in a different direction when it was time to cast the Fantastic Four. The search led the powers that be to Pedro Pascal, best known as Joel on HBO’s The Last of Us and Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. Agreeing to tackle the role of Mister Fantastic for The Fantastic Four: First Steps and beyond, Marvel had its man.
First Steps is an ensemble movie, and if there’s a call for an MVP vote, the honor goes to Vanessa Kirby’s Invisible Woman. However, Pascal’s character still brings a lot to the table, using his big brain to come up with a solution to the world’s Galactus problem. The only knock on the MCU’s Reed right now is that he leaves something to be desired in the power department.
1) Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four & Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
Following the success of the first couple of X-Men movies, Fox decided to expand its horizons, releasing two Fantastic Four movies that pit Marvel’s First Family against some iconic Marvel villains. While the franchise didn’t feature a bunch of household names, the cast, including Ioan Gruffudd’s Mister Fantastic, embraced the campiness.
Despite having the greatest mind in the world, Reed can’t read the room when it comes to his personal relationships in Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, struggling to understand what his friends want. The disconnect opens the door for plenty of melodrama but also real growth on Reed’s part. And when it comes time to fight, Gruffudd’s Mister Fantastic is always leading the charge.
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