Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is filled with mind-blowing cameos and thrilling action sequences, thus living up to its title. Directed by Sam Raimi, the MCU sequel revolves around Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange as he deals with a threat from the Multiverse, meaning that it is inevitable that the Master of the Mystic Arts will get to explore other realities. Marketing for the film confirmed that one universe that Strange ends up in has a version of the Illuminati, a secret group composed of several of the world's most powerful heroes.
Warning: the rest of this article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
In the film, the Illuminati is from Earth-838, and its members are Charles Xavier, Maria Rambeau as Captain Marvel, Captain Carter, Black Bolt, Baron Mordo, and John Krasinski's Reed Richards. Krasinski has long been a subject of rumors about being cast as the leader of the Fantastic Four, and now the sequel made it into a reality.
However, Krasinski's time in the Marvel universe was short-lived after being killed by Wanda Maximoff in the sequel. Still, fans are hoping that the actor would return in a future MCU project.
Now, while the sequel is breaking box-office records, the film's head writer has opened up about Krasinski's inclusion.
Doctor Strange 2 Writer Explains the [Spoilers] Cameo
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness head writer Michael Waldron sat down with Variety to talk about the surprise appearance of John Krasinski as Reed Richards.
When asked if he was involved with the casting of the actor in the sequel, Waldron confirmed that he had no part in it, but the Marvel scribe pointed out that he "worked really closely" with Krasinski in bringing Reed Richards to life:
"I’m not involved in the casting, but as with all of these performers, I worked really closely with him in bringing that character to life with him and Sam. And especially on that one, because that was the one character that had no real precedent ever in the MCU, at least. Figuring out how we want this guy to be — that was a lot of fun. That particular character is certainly one of my favorite comic book characters."
While fans are wondering if Krasinski will return as Reed Richards in the MCU's Fantastic Four film, Waldron dodged the query by saying that "it’s a question for somebody else."
In a separate interview with Gizmodo, Waldron was asked how the Illuminati members would play into the MCU's future. The Loki scribe shared that "there are definitely ramifications" while also teasing that fans will eventually "find out:"
io9: "So in making those decisions how much discussion was there regarding how those people would (or could) play into the future of the MCU?"
Waldron: "Yeah. I mean, there are definitely ramifications, questions, it’s all there. They existed as these heroes in at least one universe. Now, what does that mean moving forward? I guess we’ll find out. But it all, in each case, felt like a really exciting opportunity and thing to tease."
John Krasinski's Unknown Yet Significant Marvel Future
Although Michael Waldron worked closely with John Krasinski in bringing Reed Richards to life, it's safe to assume that the Multiverse of Madness scribe has no idea of what's next for the actor.
Writing lines for Reed Richards is crucial considering that the character has no history (yet) in the MCU, meaning that Waldron has some sort of freedom. However, the dialogue about incursions and him having kids could serve as a possible tease of what lies ahead for both the franchise as a whole and the upcoming Fantastic Four film.
Despite that, it remains to be seen if Krasinksi will indeed return as Reed Richards of Earth-616 a.k.a. the main MCU. If he does make a comeback, there's a chance that it could be in the film's director's chair, especially now that Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts has exited the project. It's also likely that he could do double duty and portray Reed in the movie.
Whether Krasinski will return or not, the actor's involvement and willingness to portray Reed Richards in Multiverse of Madness is already a positive step that could set a precedent moving forward.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing in theaters worldwide.
