Warning: This article contains Doctor Strange 2 spoilers
Marvel fans are piling on to mock John Krasinski's cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film, which opened on May 6, 2022, follows up on the events of the 2021 megahit Spider-Man: No Way Home by thrusting Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) right back into the multiverse as he attempts to protect the reality-hopping America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) from the grief-stricken Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). The latter has sought out the mystical tome known as the Darkhold to give her the power to take America's ability and use it to find a universe where her children are still alive.
One such universe puts Doctor Strange face to face with the Illuminati, a secret cabal of Marvel characters including Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Maria Rambeau's Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards (Krasinski). All of these characters' appearances in this alternate vision of the Marvel universe were short-lived, as the Scarlet Witch made quick work of them during a brutal sequence that pushed the film's PG-13 rating to the limit, including Captain Carter's vibranium shield being used to cut her in half. Reed Richards had one of the most outré deaths of them all, being stretched so thin that he began to resemble spaghetti.
Recently, Doctor Strange 2 director Sam Raimi revealed that Kevin Feige cast Krasinski as Reed Richards after seeing a ton of fan-casting. In response to this, many MCU fans have began to question why that fan casting was the case in the first place, claiming Krasinski gave an underwhelming performance in the role. In fact, fans on Twitter are being more brutal toward Krasinski's Reed Richards than the Scarlet Witch herself. Check out some of their responses to this news below:
In their responses to the Krasinski news, fans have also shared the people that they think should play Richards in the actual MCU Fantastic Four movie, which is currently without a director after Jon Watts dropped out of the project. While there is a certain amount of irony, considering the fact that this new fan casting is coming in response to people thinking a previous fan casting went poorly, there are certainly some interesting names cropping up. The roster of potential Mr. Fantastics includes Midnight Mass star Hamish Linklater, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Anson Mount (who was actually part of the Illuminati, as his Inhumans character Black Bolt), Barry's Bill Hader, and The Haunting of Hill House's Rahul Kohli.
The person who ends up being cast in the actual Fantastic Four film will likely not be in response to fans' demands, however, if Marvel has learned its lesson. While that announcement is still on the horizon, the debate about Krasinski's inclusion in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness rages on. Considering the fact that this conversation is still happening nearly two months after the release of the film, this topic will likely be on audiences' minds for quite some time to come.
Source: Various (see above)
