The MCU’s Fantastic Four Reboot Can Finally Redeem A Massive Phase 4 Character Mistake

One film from Phase 4 of the MCU included a significant character mistake, but The Fantastic Four can fix that. Marvel’s first family has officially been cast, with Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby playing Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn playing Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach playing Ben Grimm. While audiences have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of these characters, one of these heroes has already appeared in Phase 4. Reed Richards was featured as a member of the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Reed was played by John Krasinski, a popular fan-casting that was fully realized, even if he was turned into spaghetti by the Scarlet Witch. However, it wasn’t the best portrayal of the flexible scientist as it included one crucial mistake regarding the character. The MCU’s Fantastic Four needs to fix this mistake, as it involves a crucial character trait that will impact how Pascal’s portrayal will be received.

Doctor Strange 2 Didn’t Let Reed Richards Live Up To His Reputation As the Smartest Man Alive

In Multiverse of Madness, Doctor Strange is confronted by the Illuminati, an elite group of heroes from the multiverse that includes Captain Carter, Maria Rambeau’s Captain Marvel, Black Bolt, Mordo, Professor X, and Reed Richards. When Mordo introduces Reed, he declares him “the smartest man alive.” That’s certainly true about his character in the comic books, but it wasn’t expressed correctly here, especially during his confrontation with the Scarlet Witch.

The main person who could stop Scarlet Witch was Black Bolt, who could kill her simply by opening his mouth. However, Reed tells her exactly how he could do it, and she removes his mouth, killing Black Bolt immediately. This leads to the other Illuminati members being killed off by Wanda, all because Reed made a costly mistake that went against what his character would normally do. It was a stupid move by the supposed smartest man alive.

The Fantastic Four Needs To Portray Reed Richards As ‘The Smartest Man Alive’

Each member of the Fantastic Four has unique character traits, and Reed’s intelligence is essential to his character. He is a brilliant scientist, but he’s also the leader of the group, and his ability to strategize and lead, combined with his scientific mind, needs to be at the forefront of his portrayal in the MCU. It’s also important because the Avengers need another genius inventor on their team to fill the gap Tony Stark left. The MCU is looking for new characters it can place at the centerpiece of its universe, and Mr. Fantastic can be one of those – if portrayed correctly.

It can indeed be difficult to write overly intelligent characters, but the MCU has already done it well with Stark and Doctor Strange. Now, they need to do it one more time to give Mister Fantastic one of his most crucial tools. Audiences will find out if this version of Reed can live up to his moniker when The Fantastic Fourhits screens on July 25, 2025.

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