Credit: Marvel StudiosThe highly-anticipated and highly-troubled Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Fantastic Four adaptation finally announced its official cast and release date earlier this week, and despite months of speculation, the announcements are facing some backlash from fans.
Disney acquired the rights to 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) in 2019, which finally gave them the rights to other iconic Marvel heroes like the X-Men, Deadpool, and the Fantastic Four. However, within a year, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and any plans for adapting them into the MCU were stalled. Since then, Marvel Studios as continued to play out its Avengers storyline, bringing the MCU into its “Multiverse Saga.
With the release of upcoming Marvel film Deadpool & Wolverine this May, the X-Men will officially be introduced to the MCU, after several teases and cameos from various characters in other projects. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) brought Patrick Stewart’s Professor X into the MCU, as well as longtime fan cast favorite John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic, exciting fans for the future of these franchises under the Disney and Marvel umbrella.
However, it isn’t Krasinski who will be helming the MCU’s version of its first family, instead, it’s another current fan favorite.
‘Fantastic Four’ Casting
The official cast announcement confirmed months of rumors about who would be taking up the role of Marvel’s first superhero family, with Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby playing Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, or the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, or The Thing. Pascal, Kirby, and Quinn have been the focus of speculation since the Hollywood strikes last year, with many excited to see these characters brought to life with Marvel’s Universe.
Pedro Pascal has been rising to Hollywood fame for years now, first really breaking onto the scene as Oberyn Martell in HBO’s iconic Game of Thrones series. Since then, Pascal starred in Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), and has taken the world by storm as the mysterious Din Djarin in Disney+’s The Mandalorian as well as bringing the beloved Joel to life in the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us.
Vanessa Kirby started on the English stage, but made her way to Hollywood with her portrayal of Princess Margaret in Netflix’s hit series The Crown. Since then, she’s appeared in films like Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) as well as Hobbs & Shaw (2019), most recently appearing in Napoleon (2023) with Joaquin Phoenix.
Joseph Quinn is perhaps best known for his recent role as Eddie Munson in Season 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things, where he quickly won the hearts of fans around the world. Although he has roles in 2024 releases A Quiet Place: Day One and Gladiator 2, Fantastic Four will mark his first major foray into franchise films and superhero stardom.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach has most recently shot to fame for his role in the award-winning series The Bear, although this won’t be his first venture with Marvel. He’s previously appeared in the Marvel/Netflix series The Punisher. His work on The Bear has led to him receiving the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series. His casting as Ben Grimm in The Fantastic Four has already earned Marvel some major support for casting a Jewish-American actor in a Jewish role.
However, it isn’t Moss-Bachrach’s casting that’s generating the most buzz about the upcoming release. It’s Pascal and Quinn who are getting quite a bit of negative responses after the announcement.
Pascal and Quinn, Former Internet Darlings?
Both stars have been internet darlings for quite some time, Quinn earning the hearts of millions after his role in Stranger Things and Pascal wholeheartedly taking on the role of “internet daddy” last year. As Eddie Munson, Quinn quickly replaced Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington as the Hawkins Heartthrob, and fans showed their love for the Hellfire D&D club for months after the Season 4 finale. With Eddie presumed dead, fans mourned the loss of such a beloved character while swarming Quinn at fan events and conventions.
Pascal, on the other hand, has only seen his status continue to rise since donning the Mandalorian helmet and the role of Grogu’s adoptive father. TikTok edits starring Pascal went viral last year, landing the star a spot on SNL where he played into his “internet daddy” persona, fully owning up to the moniker. With the highly-anticipated release of The Last of Us, Pascal gained even more love for his outspoken support of the LGBTQ+ community and relationship with co-star Bella Ramsey.
However, both stars are facing backlash for their casting, despite their star status. After the reveal of the official cast, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their opinions. One account, @shadowknightdk, shared a side by side image of Ioan Gruffudd, who played Reed Richards in the 2005 version of The Fantastic Four, next to Pascal with the caption, “the downgrade is massive man.” Comments under the post ranged in opinion, with many sharing a similar criticism.
the downgrade is massive man pic.twitter.com/IucY7QMn0a
— Shadow Knight (@shadowknightdk) February 14, 2024
“Totally agree. Krasinski was the choice. Pascal is a great actor. But he’s not right for this part,” stated @SolidStateMonk. “I love Pedro but this is just another instance of ‘popular actor is picked just because he’s popular,'” @Kryptomightguy shared. “It made sense why people wanted John because he looked the part but also could act it. Just sucks it was in a shit film and basically had no material.”
“Wow, I’m really just not sold on Pedro as Reed and this didn’t help at all…” @Mubashi48176344 under the official announcement post. “Pedro Pascal is a tremendous actor but as Reed Richards, I’m just not buying it,” @NickNorsten agreed. Unfortunately, Pascal wasn’t the only one to get criticism.
“Damn….he doesn’t look like Johnny storm,” @doegjohnson said of Quinn’s casting. “Fantastic? He looks nothing like Johnny Storm and he is way too old,” @_DannySpider_ agreed. “JOSEPH QUINN FUCK OFF YOU ARE NOT JOHNNY STORM,” raged @14XNDA. “If they wanted to use a #StrangerThings actor for Johnny Storm they shoulda used Dacre Montgomery tbh,” argued @ace_sedai.
Fortunately, many of these comments are facing backlash of their own, with many fans excited about the casting and asking them to give Marvel a chance. With WandaVision director Matt Shakman attached to the project, and WandaVision still holding its own as one of the best Disney+ MCU releases, it’s an exciting prospect, especially considering the implied 1960s time period the film seems to be placed in.
What do you think about The Fantastic Four casting? Are you a fan or do you think there were better choices? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!