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Credit: LucasfilmPedro Pascal, a star of the big and small screen, broke the internet last night following a red carpet appearance.
Pedro Pascal, known for his roles in Disney and Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and HBO’s The Last of Us, is a big name in Hollywood.
Beloved by many for his charm and charisma, the Chilean-American actor has appeared in many popular franchises and will soon join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, in Matt Shakman’s upcoming movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).
The actor is often in the spotlight thanks to his busy schedule, and his turn as Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us—an adaptation of the Naughty Dog videogame of the same name—recently caused a stir following the airing of the second season’s second episode.
His confrontation with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in “Through the Valley” may have caused chatter online, but it was Pascal’s appearance on the red carpet last night that broke the internet.
Marvel Studios officially celebrated its upcoming movie–Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts* (2025)–with a European premiere in London, United Kingdom. There, stars of the movie, including Florence Pugh and David Harbour–who play Yelena Belova and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, respectively–as well as Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, were in attendance.
Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal surprised the crowd by appearing on the red carpet at the event. His attire has sparked widespread commentary online. Donning a more casual look, complete with a baseball cap and white tee, it was the words on his tee that caused a reaction.
Pascal’s tee read “Protect the Dolls”–“dolls” being one of the terms for people in the transgender community. The tee was designed by Connor Ives and made its catwalk debut during London Fashion Week in February 2025. Pascal’s choice to wear this now, and at such a public event, comes after the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled on the definition of a woman.
“The Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex, in a decision which could have far-reaching implications for who can access single-sex services and spaces,” the BBC wrote last week.
The movement was heavily supported by the controversial author J.K. Rowling, known for the “Harry Potter” books. But it hasn’t just been in the United Kingdom where transgender discourse has reached vitriolic levels.
Speaking to the New York Times, fashion designer Connor Ives explained the process of creating the first “Protect the Dolls” tee. “It was very reactive. I knew I wanted to say something, given what we’ve observed in the last few months with the U.S. government and the current political regime.”
Pascal, who has been seen wearing the shirt before, also has a transgender sister, Lux Pascal, who came out as a transgender woman in February 2021.
Variety (@variety) posted the picture of a smiling Pedro Pascal at the Thunderbolts* premiere:
Pedro Pascal supports trans rights at the #Thunderbolts premiere in London by wearing a “Protect the Dolls” shirt.
Pedro Pascal supports trans rights at the #Thunderbolts premiere in London by wearing a "Protect the Dolls" shirt.https://t.co/2AxTHnh6Rw pic.twitter.com/rr3qfqgYbX
— Variety (@Variety) April 22, 2025
Pascal’s appearance at the Thunderbolts* premiere sparked viral interactions on social media, with many celebrating his statement on platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok.
While it’s not confirmed whether Pascal will appear in Thunderbolts*, audiences will be able to see the actor in the MCU in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which releases exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.
Pascal is joined by Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who make up the rest of Marvel’s First Family as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/Thing, respectively.
As for the Thunderbolt squad, Marvel’s misfit team arrives on May 2, 2025. The Phase Five closer stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. Lewis Pullman will make his MCU debut as “Bob,” AKA Sentry.
Following Pedro Pascal’s turn as Reed Richards in First Steps, the actor will star in two May 2026 movies–Avengers: Doomsday from the Russo Brothers, reprising his F4 role, and as Din Djarin in Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian and Grogu.
What Pedro Pascal movie are you looking forward to? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!