Director Sam Raimi has shed some light on the decision to cast John Krasinski as Reed Richards forDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, leaving those who created the fan-casting to worry about his future with the MCU.WhenDoctor Strange 2featured Krasinski as Reed Richards, fans wondered if this meant he would play the role inMarvel Studios’Fantastic Fourfilm. Others, however, felt it was possible that this small role was merely a nod to the fans who have long wanted to see Krasinski play the role.RELATED:How Multiverse of Madness Sets Up a Possible WandaVision Season 2During the audio commentary forDoctor Strange 2, Raimi discussed the fact that so manyfans wanted to see Krasinski in that role, which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige really took to heart. “It’s so funny that Kevin [Feige] cast John [Krasinski] because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be,” he shared. “And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, ‘Let’s make that dream come true.’ I’ve always really enjoyed all of his performances.”
Fans have taken Raimi’s wording and questioned whether Krasinski was a serious consideration for the role, or if they just wanted to provide fan service. Since his casting was based on the fact that hisMultiverse of Madnessperformance was in “an alternate universe,” fans have begun to wonder if he will return for an Earth-616 appearance as Richards. “Sam Raimi said he putJohn Krasinski’s Reed RichardsintoMultiverse of Madnesssince the fans wanted it? Yet he literally took the thing we’ve been asking for and killed it with only five minutes of screen time if that,” tweeted one MCU fan.
Marvel Studios announced their plans to release anewFantastic Fourfilmback in December 2020, but the film still does not have a release date or its core cast of characters. It seems as though Marvel Studios is still in the early developing stages of the project, especially now that Jon Watts has stepped down from directing the reboot. While Marvel Studios did announce their plans to host a panel next month at San Diego Comic-Con, fans believe it to be very unlikely that enough progress has been made on theFantastic Fourfilm to announce anything yet. However, this will not stop fans from watching the news from the events regardless, if just to see Marvel Studios change their minds on the Krasinski front.
DuringDoctor Strange 2’s run in theaters, fans were over the moon that Krasinski was appearing as the Illuminati member Mister Fantastic. While his character was short-lived (and perhaps contributed to Black Bolt’s death), fans were happy that their voices were heard. Fan edits and deep fakes of Krasinski as Richards have existed for years, and only grew once Marvel Studios announced their plans to produce a newFantastic Fourremake. Even though Krasinski’s future with the MCU remains unknown, many fans are happy that they at least got a full-screen version of him in the iconic suit.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessis now streaming on Disney Plus.
