Fan Art Of Penn Badgley As Mr. Fantastic Shows Exactly Why He Should Play The Role

The Fantastic Four are on their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since Marvel Studios announced a project centered around Marvel's first family was in the works, fans have not stopped theorizing who would play each member. Things got more chaotic once the studio settled on a director.

By far, the most popular fan casts online have been real-world couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Marvel added fuel to the fire after casting Krasinski as an alternate universe's Mr. Fantastic in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." However, the studio never revealed if the actor would return to play the character in the MCU's 616 universe.

After Reed's appearance in "Multiverse of Madness," fan casts and rumors regarding "Fantastic Four" have been at an all-time high. Every week, Twitter seems to convince fans that Marvel Studios is eyeing another actor for the role. Notable names that have floated around aside from Krasinski include Henry Cavill, Jamie Dornan, and, most recently, Penn Badgley. Badgley is now the most popular choice to play Mr. Fantastic, and some stunning fan art revealed what the actor could look like in the upcoming film.

Badgley looks absolutely incredible in the fan art, courtesy of the legendary Bosslogic. Besides the nearly-black hair color, the actor looks almost exactly like the comic book Mr. Fantastic. Bosslogic's work could convince even the strongest of Krasinski-stans that Badgley would be a great fit for the role. 

Now that he looks the part, the actor practically ticks every box on the Mr. Fantastic checklist. Badgley, 35, is an old enough choice that would allow Marvel Studios to forego the character's origin story because no one needs another young-adult Fantastic Four — remember Miles Teller and company in "Fant4stic?" He is also young enough to stick around as Richards for the next 10 to 15 years. The Fantastic Four have been an integral part of Marvel Comics since their creation in 1961, so Marvel Studios will look for actors that can stick around for the future of the MCU. 

Badgley's acting career also makes him a perfect choice for the role. Since the character's inception, Reed Richards has been pretty arrogant. His unbelievably high IQ has led him to, at times, look down on others, and consider himself always in the right because he's the smartest man in the world. However, Reed's still a good guy at his core. He's caring, thoughtful, and always wants to do good. Badgley played a character with similar personality traits in Netflix's "You." His character, Joe, also cares about those he loves, albeit in his own way, but his arrogance and condescending manner make him act like he's the smartest person in the room. 

Throughout the three seasons of "You," fans can catch glimpses of Reed Richards in Badgley's performance, so it's understandable why he could Marvel Studios' radar for Mr. Fantastic.