Doctor Strange 2 Had A Different Mister Fantastic
Doctor Strange 2 brought in Reed Richards for the first time, but it was recently revealed that a much different version of the character was meant to be shown.
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If we can all agree on something, it’s that cameos in a Marvel movie are one of the finer things in life. From Matt Damon appearing in Thor: Ragnarok (and subsequently Love and Thunder) to David Hasselhoff nabbing a bit of screen time in Guardians of the Galaxy 2, if there’s one thing the MCU knows how to do, it’s to surprise their audiences with top tier talent. The same can be said for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness aka Doctor Strange 2. While trailers teased several guest appearances of who we would see (superhero and otherwise) in the latest Doctor Stephen Strange-centered film, one member took away the breath of audiences everywhere. That was the Marvel debut of Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, which was The Office star, John Krasinski. However, according to the film’s writer, Michael Waldron, the brainy Richards was initially set to appear in a very different way.
Speaking with Empire, Waldron revealed that he had always planned on bringing the Fantastic Four member into the MCU via Doctor Strange 2, but not in the scenes we saw him in. Good things happen to those who wait, and no one knows that more than a Marvel fan. Those who sit until the lights come up in the theater, and then some, are usually treated to a great post-credit scene. The initial plan was to have Reed Richards show his face – or rather a stretchy hand – in a post-credit scene.
During the interview, Waldron informed the publication that the bit in question would have cut to “the events of the movie being recorded and reviewed by somebody in the Baxter Building.” Then, out of nowhere, a “stretchy hand” would zip across the screen to rewind the surveillance footage back. Referring to the Fantastic Four member as his “favorite Marvel” character, Waldron says that he was “always gunning” to make sure he made an appearance in Doctor Strange 2.
As those of us who saw the movie know, Krasinski’s Reed Richards wouldn’t appear in the credits but would be one of those big surprise cameos in Earth-838’s Illuminati. There, he appeared alongside that world’s Sorcerer Supreme, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and the rest of the Illuminati: Peggy Carter aka Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Maria Rambeau aka Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Blackagar Boltagon aka Black Bolt (Anson Mount), Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), and Krasinski’s Richards. Doctor Strange 2 would see each member of 838’s Illuminati (minus Mordo) meet gruesome deaths at the hands of Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch (Ashley Olsen).
Now that we know that a Fantastic Four-centered film will be on the way during the universe’s next phase, fans everywhere have been wondering who will be playing the rest of the members of the fearsome foursome. With Doctor Strange 2 giving us a taste of another world’s Reed Richards, we at the very least have a general idea of the vibe the studio will be going for with their upcoming take on the superheroes. Previous films have starred the likes of Miles Teller and Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic. However, we are not sure who may find themselves with ultra-bendy and stretchy arms next. For now, we’ll just need to keep speculating until further information is revealed.
