The MCU has ultimately unveiled Mr. Fantastic after many years of anticipation. But regrettably, the elastic superhero doesn’t bask in splendor. His appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a letdown because it featured the worst Reed Richards ever. In Sam Raimi’s multiverse-travelling film, the audience’s long-standing request for John Krasinski to portray the stretchy hero ultimately came true. One of numerous unexpected cameos in the movie, Mr. Fantastic’s appearance is among the most well received scenes due to his casting.
As a member of The Illuminati of Earth-838, an alternate Earth that Doctor Strange travels to with the aid of America Chavez, Reed Richards, better known as Mr. Fantastic, makes his MCU debut. The Fantastic Four‘s commander is skillfully played by Krasinski, who conveys his collected demeanor from the Marvel comics. There wasn’t anything else deserved praising about Mr. Fantastic‘s debut MCU appearance, despite the fact that his initial few moments of screen time in Doctor Strange 2 were positive.
The most obvious flaw with Krasinski’s portrayal of Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is that he quickly disproves his introduction as “the smartest man alive.” Reed disregards Doctor Strange’s alert that the exceedingly menacing, Darkhold-embracing Scarlet Witch is approaching though he had known the dangers of the multiverse in advance. Only after it’s too late, when Wanda’s already shown up that he and the rest of the Illuminati started to take action. When the team faces Wanda, Black Bolt is killed because of Mr. Fantastic’s own loose lips. Wanda wouldn’t have figured out Black Bolt’s capacity of destroying her with only a whisper as she hadn’t met him before, had Richards never told her about this. After hearing what Mr. Fantastic says, Wanda immediately warps reality to close Black Bolt’s mouth, causing him to immediately become panicked and suicide by screaming inside. Mr. Fantastic appears considerably dumber and more arrogant than brilliant as a result of his temporary loss of awareness.
The MCU’s Mr. Fantastic has another problem, as his abilities are insufficiently displayed. He might be the star of exciting and imaginative action sequences, akin to how Evan Peters’ scene-stealing Quicksilver revolutionized the way super-fast heroes are depicted on movie, which is part of the appeal of bringing him into the MCU. His skills might have been utilized in a variety of ways, as seen in the earlier Fantastic Four franchises and The Incredibles films, which also featured elastic capacities. Rather, Mr. Fantastic from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness only extends his body a few times prior to being destroyed by Wanda, which isn’t as inventive as it could have been for the MCU.
In fact, Mr. Fantastic has previously been featured in live-action films. The best portrayal of the character up to now has been Ioan Gruffudd‘s, between 2005 and 2007, since he was able to combine Reed’s scientific brain with some amusing stretching scenes. One of the few positive aspects of the critically panned 2015 adaption was Miles Teller‘s takeover of the role, and at least he got to demonstrate Reed’s abilities. Krasinki’s Mr. Fantastic casting in the upcoming Fantastic Four revival of the MCU is exceptional, despite the fact that his first appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was unimpressive.
