The MCU has a lot of releases to get through before fans can even begin to look forward to the next iteration of Marvel’s beloved first family, the Fantastic Four. WandaVision, though, has already sparked some hype about the long-awaited group after a side comment about a certain aerospace engineer.
Out of the options of who this person could be, many are hoping for Reed Richards to make his cinematic universe debut. And this, of course, has led to the reemergence of a push for the endlessly fan-cast John Krasinski to assume the role of Mister Fantastic.
So, in addition to some other people who seem born for the roles of the Fantastic Four, Krasinski seems like the perfect starting point for the dream cast of this Marvel team.
Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) — John Krasinski
Sometimes, the most obvious answer is the right answer. In the case of Krasinski, though he’s been the most widely picked to play the role, he does seem to fit the mold of Reed Richards just right. He’ll have the heart and charm, and he’s shown the world that he’s not just Jim from The Office anymore through his roles in projects like Jack Ryan and A Quiet Place.
Not to mention, it helps that he looks pretty spot-on to the current version of the character. At this point, it would honestly feel wrong if anyone else was even brought in to interview for the part.
Susan Storm (The Invisible Woman) — Emily Blunt
After their showing in A Quiet Place, Blunt and Krasinski have proven themselves as a power couple on and off the screen. It only makes sense to bring them both on board to play the super couple of Sue and Reed. Even aside from that, Blunt’s got enough acting chops to pull off and represent this role extremely well.
Charlize Theron is a very close second, but if Krasinski is assumed to be Reed in this case, Blunt makes a lot more sense to pair with him chemistry-wise. If they do overlook him, though, Theron could be an alternate path to consider with the characters.
Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) — Zac Efron
Efron seems almost as clear an answer as Krasinksi does for Reed Richards. He’s clearly proven he can play the fiery personality and humor that Johnny Storm is known for, on top of the fact that his skills in acting have only gotten better as he’s aged past his days of High School Musical.
The sarcasm, the quips, the flames, it all just feels like it’d be natural for Efron. He’d be a worthy successor to the portrayals from Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan, for sure. And it seems it’s really only a matter of time before he gets his spot in the ever-growing group of stars involved with the MCU.
Ben Grimm (The Thing) — Laz Alonso
It’d be easy to immediately think of some big name stars for this role, from Dwayne Johnson to John Cena to a couple former big bads on The Walking Dead — looking at you Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Ryan Hurst.
Instead, a smaller performance from the Amazon Prime series The Boys, stuck out as a contender. Laz Alonso, who plays Mother’s Milk, has all the markings and emotions of the quintessential Ben Grimm. He’s big and intimidating but with a soft heart of gold. Really, all Alonso would have to do is adapt his role from one superhero family to another.
Victor Von Doom (Dr. Doom) — Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Over are his days portraying the endearing yet troubled Jaime Lannister on Game of Thrones. It’s time for the former fantasy star to bring the charisma and charm of a Lannister to the Marvel cinematic world while doubling down on the villainous intent.
Others could definitely take this role, whether it be Giancarlo Esposito or even Adam Driver, but Coster-Waldau has enough acting power to perhaps even assume the role of the MCU’s next big bad after Thanos.
No matter what, though, plenty of trust should be instilled in Marvel to pick the right people for the roles. Whether fans do in fact get a quick introduction to Reed Richards in the next couple episodes of WandaVision, or there’s still a year wait to even get rumors of who has been cast for what, it’s clear the MCU has been doing something right for the past decade.
There might just be a few tears and riots if John Krasinski doesn’t show up at some point in some capacity soon, though.
Jackson Horvat is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
