Dr. Strange 2 almost had a Fantastic Four post-credits scene
Screenwriter Michael Waldron was bound and determined to get Reed Richards into the movie, one way or another
Aux News Fantastic Four
[This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.]
The relationship between this year’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, and Marvel’s plans to finally, at long last, bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU fold, has always been a strange one. Sam Raimi’s film, co-written by Michael Waldron, finally settled on something of a half-measure: Briefly introducing frequent fan-cast actor John Krasinski as Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards in a mid-film scene—only to have him get swiftly killed off in a way that would allow Marvel to re-cast the part very easily if they end up changing their minds down the line. (Even if they don’t use the easy “Alternate universe!” escape hatch, who knows what that face might look like after they finish re-assembling it from Dude Spaghetti, right?)
As it turns out, getting Reed in there in some form had been part of the plan for the film for a good long while, according to Waldron—who gave an interview to Empire this week in which he revealed that, once upon a time, the Fantastic Four would have intruded, not into the middle of Strange 2, but into its coveted after-credits slot.
“I always wanted Reed Richards in this thing,” Waldron told Empire, to the point that he apparently wrote a scene including the character even before he’d gotten authorization from Marvel to do so. “In my very first draft, I wrote a tag just for the hell of it, of the events of the movie being recorded and reviewed by somebody in the Baxter Building, and a stretchy hand coming into frame to run it back. Reed is probably my favorite Marvel comics character, so I was always gunning to get him in here somewhere.”
Of course, the film itself ended up including quite a bit more of Richards than this original plan, even if he does go down pretty easily once the magic starts flying. Meanwhile, the film’s actual, plot-relevant credits scene—not counting a last-minute appearance by Bruce Campbell’s Pizza Poppa—points away from the wider MCU, and back toward the Strange sub-franchise, introducing Charlize Theron as the good doctor’s eventual wife, Clea.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness came out back in May; the new Fantastic Four movie (cast still extremely TBD) is currently scheduled for November 8, 2024.
18 Comments
I was 100% in the camp of “let’s cast The Fantastic Four with non-white actors” mainly because the era they come from (1963?) is so-oo lily white. Reed is like a Fred MacMurray throwback. But, I say with a sigh, seeing John Krasinski in the suit has moved me off my 100% “no” position. It’s the power of suggestion, I suppose, and I’m not sold/sold (sold-sold-sold) but maybe I’ll say I’m at 85% down from 100. He was fine in the cameo. I kinda like the idea of a F4 in their 40’s – no origin story rehash – maybe Doom is trying to cure them and it boomerangs back on him. Change Victor’s origin story so it isn’t as concurrent with the rest of the team’s origin. Like Reed, Sue et al were on a 2008 NASA mission, Victor blames himself, but it takes a decade of r&d, empire building, and billions of dollars to recreate a cure/experiment. There’s a lot of happy current examples of billionaire-doofus privately-funded space exploration. Idk. Now I’m spit-balling.
My dream was Dev Patel as Reed and Jodie Comer as Sue, but if rumors are correct it looks like Marvel is trying to cast someone who resembles Reed in the comics, with Penn Badgley emerging as one of the favorites.
Dev Patel and Jodie Comer – good fan-casting.
I like Dev Patel and Vanessa Kirby for the pair.
Are you fucking serious about Penn Badgley?! That’s been my dream casting for the role for a long fucking time. He’s got a weird intensity about him in You that’s perfect for Reed.
Holy shit. I’m so happy.
That being said, if they cast non-white actors, I’d be fine too.
Rahul Kohli. He looks close enough to resemble John Krasinski, but is a better actor.
I wish I could upvote this more than once. That’s such perfect casting I am not gonna be able to get it out of my head.
He campaigned for the role of Ezra Bridger, I think. But yeah, this would be great.
Victor blames himself
That’s the one thing Victor can’t do. Dr. Doom is all about two things:
He’s always right… and if something goes wrong it’s becauseRICCHHHARRDS Reed Richards is responsible.
The accursed Richards!
No, that is ridiculous. Not every part has to be re-cast with a non white actor. The FF were white, they should stay that way.
You’re sooooo brave
Krasinski was a horrible choice. The worst. Ilook at him and all i see is Jim, it took me right out of the movie. Thank god he isnt going to be in the FF movie.
This film embarrassingly got outplayed in almost every way possible (at around a tenth of the cost if not less!) by Everything Everywhere All at Once which had way more multiverses and madness by far than the actual Multiverse of Madness. Creatively, MoM was more of a black hole of suck than the one in the movie while it’s looking increasingly likely EEAAO is going to be nominated multiple times for all the awards (which I hope it does, it’s earned it!).(But MoM grossed almost $1 billion so I suspect nothing of substance is changing anytime soon!)
Everything Everywhere All at Once is the best movie I’ve seen all year. I rented it on streaming and I paused it halfway through the movie so I could immediately preorder the Blu-Ray because I knew I was going to want to rewatch it a lot. So much heart in a batshit insane movie.
There’s still a few places in Australia it’s showing on a cinema screen in Australia even now (I saw it before I left back in June to go overseas a few months ago) and even though I rewatched a lot of it on the plane back, I’m hoping to go see it again on the 2nd of September!
I’m a huge Sam Raimi fan – his Evil Dead movies are *chef’s kiss* – but I actively hated Multiverse of Madness. And that’s the first MCU property that I have actively hated. I didn’t even hate the What If…? episode with the zombies.So I’m kinda glad that the Reed Richards in MoM is a “throwaway” so I can still retain a sliver of hope that someday the Fantastic Four will be embodied with some staying power.
I put off watching this thing for so long because of the amount of people who genuinely hated it…I loved it. Really loved it. Despite being so dependant on the audiences knowledge of the universe and being based around all this Multiverse bullshit, it still felt like a small, self contained story. It never slows down. It never lets up. It’s just fun. And Wanda absolutely annihilating The Illuminati (I was terrified they were gonna turn them into a thing…) just put the biggest grin on my face this latest Phase of Movies/Shows has been able (alongside the entirety of Shang Chi).I honestly don’t understand the hate.
Each to their own though.