The ineffective nature of the Mister Fantastic variant played by John Krasinski may have actually been a part of Marvel's plan for casting the role for the MCU's own Fantastic Four movie. As the rights to the Fantastic Four have long been out of Marvel's control, the iconic heroes are set to join the MCU later than would have been ideal. Regardless, anticipation for their induction into the franchise is high, with much speculation as to who will fill the roles of the Fantastic Four for the MCU.

One of the most popular and long-standing fan castings for the role of Mister Fantastic in the MCU is John Krasinski. Krasinski has long been touted as the best choice for the role, which led to his casting as the Earth-838 variant of Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, John Krasinski's Reed Richards made only a brief appearance as a member of Earth-838's Illuminati before being brutally and unexpectedly killed by the Scarlet Witch, calling the actor's future in the role into question. It has since been heavily implied that the role of the MCU's own Mister Fantastic will be filled by another actor, seemingly putting the Krasinski fan casting to rest.

Related: Marvel Has The Perfect Way To Solve Its Mr. Fantastic Problem

It seems as though Multiverse of Madness' poor treatment of Krasinski's hero may have been done deliberately in order to open up other opportunities. Filling the role with the long-time favorite only to abruptly kill him off was a shocking decision that proved particularly disappointing, but the conversation has since moved on to who else would fit the bill for the MCU proper. By ruining one Mister Fantastic, the MCU has opened the door for a different version of the character, acknowledging the fan casting and seemingly moving on from it all at once.

Doctor Strange 2 May Have Deliberately Undermined Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic

The minds behind the MCU are always planning ahead, so it's not unreasonable to assume that Multiverse of Madness' disappointing version of Mister Fantastic was by design. The most obvious reason for sabotaging such a highly-anticipated character is to undermine Krasinski's version of the hero, rendering the fan casting useless for the MCU's Earth-616 Fantastic Four. Marvel likes to keep their plans under wraps wherever possible, but the way in which Krasinski was used indicates that he will likely not be returning.

It's almost a certainty that Marvel already has ideas about who will play the MCU's Fantastic Four, and it's likely that Krasinski is not among their chosen actors. However, casting him as an ineffective variant is a clever way of undermining the long-standing fan casting, subtly asserting that the MCU's version (and, therefore, whomever Marvel casts in the role) will be superior. Though it seems a somewhat underhanded way of establishing the MCU's Mister Fantastic, it's beginning to seem as though it was Marvel's plan all along, particularly as the conversation has now moved away from Krasinski and towards other actors who would be good as Reed Richards in the MCU. Though John Krasinski was once the favorite to play Mister Fantastic in the MCU's Fantastic Four, it now seems as though Marvel has decided against the fan casting, undermining it with his short-lived appearance in Doctor Strange 2.