Marvel fans have theorized for months that Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic will appear in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness, with rumors (and fan wishes) that John Krasinski was tapped to play the Fantastic Four character. Since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, fans have been wondering when the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it makes sense to feature them in the new Doctor Strange movie.
Now, one of the bigget rumors about not just the new Marvel movie, but the long-awaited Fantastic Four reboot might have been confirmed, and some fans who have seen Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters already know which rumored cameos are confirmed to be true.
Warning: Massive spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ahead.
Marvel already confirmed a few major cameos in the Super Bowl trailer, including Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), and Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell). Stewart has confirmed that Professor X will be in the movie, and Captain Marvel and Carter can be seen going at each other in one blurry shot. This led to the confirmation that the Doctor Strange sequel will be introducing the Illuminati.
Who are the Illuminati in the Marvel Universe?
In the Marvel comics, the Illuminati were a secret organization made up of some of the world's most powerful superheroes, including Doctor Strange, Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X, Black Bolt (leader of the Inhumans), Iron Man, Namor the Sub-mariner of Atlanti, and Reed Richards a.k.a. Mister Fantastic and founder of the Fantastic Four.
Based on what we know so far, Lynch's Captain Marvel and Atwell's Captain Carter might also be members of the Illuminati team. The recent trailer also confirmed that Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is also part of the Illuminati.
Is Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness?
While Krasinski acknoweldged that fans and himself were eager for him to play Mister Fantastic, he has never officially confirmed his involvement, but it appears that those rumors may have been true because the leaked footage from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirms the actor's appearance in the Marvel blockbuster.
The leaked footage shows a scene that features four members of the Illuminati meeting Wanda. The four members are Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Captain Carter, Captain Marvel, and Mister Fantastic, played by John Krasinski!
Even though the leaked footage is blurry, it's easy to distinguish Mister Fantastic since Krasinski is wearing a costume with a giant 4 on his chest. The trailers already revealed that Wanda will fight Captain Carter and Captain Marvel, so it's expected that the Illuminati's attempts to reason with her will fail.
Related: Marvel Fans Frustratingly Call Doctor Strange 2 Script: ‘Ambitious’ and ‘Chaotic’
Update: The leaked footage is confirmed to be true.
What do we know about the upcoming Fantastic 4 movie?
Marvel Studios already confirmed the Fantastic Four movie as part of MCU Phase 4, and it will be the third version of the story in the past couple of decades.
However, Jon Watts , who directed the popular Spider-Man trilogy for Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, stepped down as director of the long-awaited Fantastic Four movie. In April 2022, Deadline reported that Watts just “needs a breather” after a loaded schedule the last few years.
“Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life changing experience for me,” Watts said in a statement (via Variety). “I’m eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.”
As for Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, there doesn't appear to have conflict there, describing working with Watts as "a true pleasure" in another statement.
“We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the Fantastic Four into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.”
As for Krasinski's possible reprisal of Mister Fantastic: Though his character died in Doctor Strange in Multiverse of Madness, his death only happened in Earth-838, which means that a version of him could still be alive in Earth-616, where the rest of the characters from the MCU exist.
Currently, there are no screenwriters attached for the next Fantastic Four movie, and Disney and Marvel Studios haven't shared any additional information for it.
Surprisingly, Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, said that she never met John Krasinski. "I don't think so, no I've never met him," the actress said while taking Vanity Fair's lie detector test.