John Krasinski As Mr. Fantastic In ‘Doctor Strange 2’ Divides Marvel Fans

One of the biggest cameos in Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was leaked well before the film was released, sparking debate over the wisdom of “fancasting.”

John Krasinski briefly appears as Reed Richards, AKA, Mr. Fantastic, in a controversial scene, in which he suffers a hilariously undignified death at the hands of Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), pulled apart like silly putty after a foolish attempt to punch the all-powerful sorceress.

It wasn’t a smart move from the so-called smartest man in the universe, and combined with Kransiki’s wooden delivery, left some Marvel fans cold.

Krasinski’s involvement in the role seems to have emerged from the fandom itself, which was inspired by rumors of Emily Blunt playing the Invisible Woman, a role that Blunt seems to resent being associated with.

Blunt, happily married to Krasinski, neatly pair together as Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, a married couple in the comics. But many comic fans were frustrated by Marvel’s willingness to placate fans, viewing Krasinski as not eccentric or charismatic enough to play such an interesting character. Krasinski, after all, is most famous for playing an average Joe, or rather, Jim.

While Mr. Fantastic’s previous film appearances never managed to capture the public imagination, in Marvel comics, he’s generally an important figure, whose mighty intellect and insane inventions often spark dangerous consequences.

The stretchy scientist might be a lynchpin of the comics, but in the MCU, it’s Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) who has played the role of arrogant, quirky scientist whose ambitions turn against him.

That role has clearly been inherited by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), as the Multiverse of Madness sees the sorcerer understand his own capacity for evil, having devolved into a supervillain in some universes, dragged down by the weight of his own ego.

Marvel Studios might have other plans for Mr. Fantastic, especially if Krasinski’s performance is anything to go by. But the creative freedom of a multiverse means that Marvel doesn’t have to commit to Krasinski – he was only a variant, after all, and might amount to nothing more than a nod to fans.

Fancasting is a notoriously shallow act of speculation, often based on little more than comic-accurate facial features and “vibes” – for example, Willem Dafoe is often fancast as the Joker by Batman fans (and to be honest, I can totally see it). But time and time again, fans prove to be terrible casting agents – the furious backlash to Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker, and his subsequent performance, speaks for itself.

Fans also protested the casting of Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and Robert Pattinson as Batman – all three performances proved wildly popular with the fanbase, each bringing their own unique interpretation to the character.

Krasinski is likely to remain as the MCU’s Mr. Fantastic, and he could potentially surprise viewers with a more engaging performance next time. But Marvel’s most memorable performances have, thus far, emerged from unexpected places – Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston have proved to be a perfect Thor and Loki, despite being relatively unknown at the time of casting.

But that’s the nice thing about the multiverse – Marvel can placate fans with high-profile cameos and recast the same character with an unknown actor, simultaneously, if they choose.