Spoiler Warning: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may be receiving a polarized response from the critics, but the film was a treat for Marvel fans despite its troubles with the pace and story. Owing to its responsibility of anchoring the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the multiverse, the film introduced fans to the wide variety of stories happening in the alternate realities and treated fans with several characters’ cameos that took everyone by awe.
The trailers had previously teased Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier and Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter appearing in the film, reprising their roles from X-Men Series and MCU’s animated anthology What If…? respectively. Both made cameos as members of the Illuminati, an organization protecting Earth-838 from potential threats. The Illuminati also brought back Anson Mount as Blackagar Boltagon from Inhumans, while Lashana Lynch appeared as that universe’s Captain Marvel. However, even these weren’t the most surprising character reveals.
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Multiverse of Madness introduced Reed Richards in his first appearance in the MCU. The character, Mister Fantastic, is the founding member of The Fantastic Four in the comics. Reed Richards had earlier been portrayed in Fantastic Four Series (2005-2007), played by Ioan Gruffudd, and in Fant4stic Four (2015), played by Miles Teller. After the character’s copyrights reverted to Marvel Studios after Fox’s acquisition by Disney, the character was set to lead Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four (2023). But, Marvel gave his small glimpse to the audience in Multiverse of Madness, bringing in fan-favorite John Krasinski to portray Richards.
Fans have been rooting for Krasinski to take over the role, and Marvel serviced them by giving them what they wished for. Though fans were happy to see Krasinski playing Richards, it certainly took away the character’s impact that he would have had in his own film next year. Due to lack of screen time, research, and confusion surrounding his multiversal variant, Reed Richards’ appearance felt incomplete, making a sect of fans disarrayed from him.
Marvel Studios needed a better way to introduce Reed Richards. Here’s why!
Why Reed Richards’ Cameo Didn’t Create the Intended Impact
Marvel Studios / Disney
Reed Richards’ introduction to the franchise in Multiverse of Madness attracted traction and praise from the audience, but the reveal wasn’t as impactful as any Fantastic Four would have intended. There was a big scream in the theater upon seeing John Krasinski in that iconic uniform, but soon, the tide turned. After Illuminati interrogate Strange, the base is attacked by Wanda, dream-walking into her Earth-838 self. The Illuminati respond to the emergency and confront Wanda, where Reed tries to convince her to stop. But, in her rage and obsession, Wanda first kills Black Bolt and then, a few seconds later, disintegrates Reed as well. And that was the end for Reed Richards in that particular reality.
Marvel may have made Krasinski’s iteration of Reed Richards a massive marketing stint for Multiverse of Madness. Still, it failed to acknowledge that he and The Fantastic Four are way more significant than that. The problem was that this wasn’t some old character returning from a different Marvel film or a revitalization of an existing character such as Peggy Carter as Captain Carter and Maria Rambeau as Captain Marvel. This was a new character, intended to lead a major release within the franchise soon, and had never been explored before in the MCU setting. For a character so important, he needed to be introduced with a proper backstory.
But, Multiverse of Madness added this iteration of Mister Fantastic to the MCU in retrospect. Nothing about his powers or origin had any chance or opportunity to take precedence in the story. It was just a cameo, and the story essentially focused on Doctor Strange. Fans, of course, are aware of who Reed Richards is, but they aren’t aware of other aspects of his existence in the vast MCU timeline, which has now crossed into the multiverse.
Reed Richards’ strength as a comic book character involves his team, Fantastic Four, and his enmity with Victor Von Doom. Marvel for sure has taken a different approach with all characters, but each of them has received a proper arc, where the audience witnesses them come of age as a person as a superhero. Reed, however, has not received that arc yet in the MCU.
Without tapping into his past, work, integrity as the most intelligent man alive, and relationship with his peers, Reed Richards in Multiverse of Madness was not as prolific as his comic counterpart is. For everything John Krasinski’s appearance as Mister Fantastic meant, the character’s introduction without delving into his origins made it incomplete and far less impactful than it could have been.
The Cameo May Dull The Fantastic Four’s Debut
Marvel Comics
Fantastic Four (2023) is set to introduce the eponymous superhero team into the MCU, thus, bringing the team into this vastly expanded cinematic universe. The group, previously featured in two Fox Studios adaptations, came late to the MCU after the rights to feature it in a film reverted to Marvel Studios in 2019. Kevin Feige first announced Fantastic Four at the 2020 Disney Investors Day event, later announcing the film as a possible conclusive entry to Phase Four. Up until Multiverse of Madness, fans believed that the said film would be an origin story, introducing the team with a fresh take and new faces into the franchise. But that didn’t happen.
Instead, the team’s lead, Reed Richards, was introduced in an anticlimactic manner in Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati. The character’s sudden appearance as a fully evolved variant of Mister Fantastic will now take away the surprise element from the team’s debut in the forthcoming film.
Yes, the character in this film was not his accurate version set in the MCU but a variant of him residing in an alternate reality. But, now that fans have been teased with the pre-existence of The Fantastic Four in the franchise, the team’s first set up in the MCU through its own film will become a bit dull. Surprises in the form of Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm still await, and so does the reveal of Doctor Doom. But now, there’s this subtle hint (gathered from Krasinski’s cameo) to the team’s future with Marvel Studios, and there’s also this awareness of The Fantastic Four being a part of the multiverse for long before. That takes out the craziness of getting to know the team from the beginning.
Reed Richards and Fantastic Four probably needed an origin story, depicting Reed Richards working his way off to the Baxter Foundation and going through a journey of becoming the most brilliant man alive. Fantastic Four could have delved into a specific adventure from the comics centered only around the team and then slowly integrated them into the MCU lore, just as the studio has done with several other films previously and most recently with shows like Moon Knight. And origin stories work well if everything about the involved characters is unknown, unprecedented, and surprisingly unique.
However, now that Marvel dropped this hint to The Fantastic Four in the form of Krasinski’s cameo, it seems Marvel isn’t exactly heading for an establishing origin story for the first family. This could make the team’s debut into the MCU an understated phenomenon unless the studio plans something vastly different to retrospectively introduce the team into the franchise.
The Problem With the Retrospect Inclusion
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The timing of Marvel getting rights for The Fantastic Four is indeed awkward. Over a decade, Marvel Studios thoroughly and carefully weaved together the cinematic universe. They maintained a cohesion between stories and characters, which led the studio to culminate a big saga with Avengers: Endgame. But, post that, the studio has a responsibility to bring in new characters and new superheroes in a world where discussion around super-beings has vastly evolved. People are now aware of superhero identities and have undergone a major social shift. Now, the process of developing stories comes with limitations in writing and setting up the character backdrops. It was something Marvel faced with Eternals.
In Eternals, the film showed the eponymous team to have existed in the MCU for seven millennia. A series of flashbacks established the team’s background, and the story gave them pre-existence and a reason for their secrecy in the franchise. The film was good but was not received by Marvel fans with the same enthusiasm as before. When establishing characters in retrospect in a franchise, writers must ensure that their scope doesn’t escape the previous installments’ boundaries. And in case Marvel decides to go on the same route with Fantastic Four, the film will be met with the same limitations.
Furthermore, it has been a while since Marvel Studios has produced an origin story feature movie. No film besides Captain Marvel really delved into a character’s origin in the past few years. Even Black Panther justified the character’s heritage through a small monologue at the movie’s beginning. Though an origin story, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also mysteriously altered the timeline and established the legend retrospectively. Not that these movies were any lesser, it’s been long since a true origin story of a character from Marvel has made it into a solo feature film.
Fantastic Four could have been that movie. But, as per Krasinski’s look and hinted backdrop (he mentions his kids), in the forthcoming film, Reed Richards will have a mature and grown-up arc, possibly with flashbacks unraveling his origin as it was in Eternals.
Should Ioan Gruffudd Have Played Reed Richards?
20th Century Fox
It might be an unpopular opinion, but it felt like Ioan Gruffudd’s inclusion in the film would have been a wiser choice after watching the movie. Patrick Stewart’s presence made the X-Men Series canon to the new Marvel Multiverse. It proved that mutants exist among the alternate realities and that the previous X-Men installments were never in vain. With Ioan Gruffudd, the Fox’s Fantastic Four Series would have also become canon to the multiverse, and the actor’s presence would have added up to the nostalgia. Gruffudd would have been like a call back to previous Marvel Entertainment associations and would have truly brought all last Marvel properties into the same fold.
There were fan speculations that Gruffudd could appear in the film ever since the Illuminati was confirmed for Multiverse of Madness. However, Marvel chose to go a step ahead and brought a fan-favorite choice for Reed Richards to essay the variant character. Gruffudd’s version of Reed Richards received praise and appreciation for the actor’s portrayal at the time. Ioan Gruffudd and his team may exist in the same unified multiverse, but unfortunately, he was never thought of to grant an appearance in the Doctor Strange sequel.
Why John Krasinski Should Have Debuted in Fantastic Four (2023)
Marvel Studios
Fans have been photoshopping John Krasinski in a Fantastic Four uniform for years. The actor who once was in line to play Captain America became fans’ number one choice to become the next Reed Richards. His on-screen chemistry with Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place made everyone fall for the real-life couple, and fans started rooting for Blunt to take on the role of Sue Storm/Invisible Girl. Watching him on Multiverse of Madness was indeed a fan service, but his casting in Fantastic Four (2023) (possibly beside Emily Blunt) would have made for far more excitement for fans.
Kevin Feige or any other Marvel exec has not confirmed Krasinski’s involvement in the Fantastic Four movie, which is yet to confirm a new director. But guess that announcement is not too far away. For what it may be, Krasinski has received all the praise from his fans, and they all are in awe of him donning his costume against Doom in a much more pivotal role.
Will Fantastic Four Be the MCU’s First Family?
Marvel has always planned its projects with a long-term future in mind. Perhaps Krasinski’s Reed Richards could have been better, but Marvel may have some idea to have The Fantastic Four included within the MCU in retrospect. Marvel earlier added Captain Marvel to the loop via a prequel film set in the ’90s. With The Marvels and Secret Invasion, the studio is now planning to continue that storyline, which may occasionally tap into the events between Captain Marvel and the current MCU year. Marvel may include The Fantastic Four in the same way in the franchise.
Marvel may set Fantastic Four years before Iron Man featuring a story that will truly make the team Marvel’s first family. Of course, there’s still the question of making their presence valid in the current timeline and establishing why the team never showed up to fight Thanos. Speculations suggest that Marvel may put the team in the same situation as it put Carol Danvers and Scott Lang. While Danvers was on the other end of the universe, Lang got caught in the Quantum Realm. Earlier, the franchise took a seventy-year leap into the present to have Captain America join in. However, it poses the issue of using a repetitive angle in an attempt to put retrospective stories in the MCU. It would be interesting to see how Marvel Studios plan to fit in The Fantastic Four and make their story canon to the ongoing lore.
Fantastic Four is an essential entry in the MCU and focuses on central characters from the comics. It has been nothing less than a dream for fans to see all the stories from Marvel Comics become coherent in the live-action format, making the MCU a true counterpart of the Marvel Comics universe. And Fantastic Four would be the beginning of that cohesion.
