Twitter Isn't Holding Back On Pedro Pascal's Fantastic Four Casting Reports
Between the end of "Loki" Season 2, the premiere of "The Marvels," and the first "What If...?" Season 2 teaser, Marvel Studios has been dominating entertainment news headlines lately. Now, a major Marvel Cinematic Universe casting rumor has started making the rounds online too. Reportedly, "The Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us" star Pedro Pascal will play Reed "Mr. Fantastic" Richards in the MCU's upcoming "Fantastic Four" film. Of course, social media has been buzzing about this potential casting news since its announcement on November 15.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, plenty of MCU fans, Pascal lovers, and "Fantastic Four" comic readers have given the potential casting a big thumbs up. "I personally think Pedro Pascal is a great casting choice. He's dynamic and can pull it off imo," wrote @NightOwlNikk. Also, user @dayaslaufey claimed in their post that Pascal becoming Mr. Fantastic would restore their faith in Marvel as a whole. However, these users seem to be in the minority on the platform when it comes to responses to Pascal's supposed "Fantastic Four" role.
Sadly, it appears that the majority of folks on X with something to say about Pascal possibly becoming Mr. Fantastic aren't totally on board.
So, who is Mr. Fantastic?
Before we delve into the internet's opinions, let's recap who the heck Reed Richards is within Marvel Comics for the uninitiated. Historically, Reed is ... a bit of a mess. Imagine the pompousness of Tony Stark but cut the charisma in half and add in a perchance for never giving up on experiments that will surely endanger the entire planet. Yes, he's a genius with enough degrees to fill an entire wall. But he's incredibly restless and stubborn: He's the reason why he and his friends became the First Family of Marvel, aka becoming genetically altered forever due to not completely shielding his spacecraft correctly and exposing everyone to cosmic radiation. Yikes!
Sure, he then becomes Mr. Fantastic and uses his newfound powers for the forces of good — but he never quite outgrows his controlling tendencies. He once shut down his son's mind due to fear of his psychic ability — something that his wife, Sue Storm, didn't appreciate. However, he's also known throughout the pages of Marvel Comics as someone who — inevitably — does his best to protect families in general and seeks to learn from his aloofness ... with some stumbles along the way, of course.
But can Pascal inhabit someone who is ... so clueless?
Some users doubt Pascal's ability to play someone who is so calculating and oblivious to his flaws. "Pedro Pascal is too likable and charismatic to be Reed Richards, it's why John Krasinski was a good casting," commented X user @fambruhgini. It seems the user believes that popular fan casting choice Krasinski — who briefly plays a variant of the character in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" — better captures Reed's flat, occasionally unlikable demeanor in front of the camera. @HyperAB__ also brought up a popular fan casting pick, Penn Badgley, in their post — noting that Krasinski would've been great had his run as Mr. Fantastic not been a one-off.
@SamCares11 voiced their desire to see Krasinski score the part, adding that they feel Pascal, who is 48 years old as of this writing, is a bit too old for it. @Shawne70, who is a fan of his, can't help but feel Pascal has landed every big project imaginable lately and that his potential casting won't do their MCU fatigue any favors. In a similar vein, @ResonantJustice shared that "[Kevin] Feige and Marvel went with the very safe, boring choice." As for @Amirkhwann, they're simply not big on the MCU becoming increasingly populated with big-name stars over actors just getting their start in the entertainment industry.
Time will tell if Pascal signs the dotted line to play the MCU's Mr. Fantastic. In the event he does, one can only hope he can knock it out of the park and prove the naysayers wrong.