A new update from the rumor mill has indicated a curious wrinkle in Mister Fantastic’s forthcoming MCU portrayal.
The Fantastic Four are on their way to the MCU! Marvel Studios’ intends to debut their First Family into the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Valentine’s Day, 2025. WandaVision director Matt Shakman is confirmed to be at the film’s helm.
Of course, fans have feverishly speculated for some time on just who could replace John Krasinski as Marvel Studios' new Reed Richards following his Multiverse of Madness demise. These fan castings come after various rumors have suggested that Marvel Studios will move on from Krasinski's Reed.
Several names from Hollywood’s A-list have been tossed around for the role of Reed in particular, ranging from Adam Driver to Penn Badgley. And now, a new rumor may have spilled the beans on a very specific twist that could be in store for the MCU’s Reed and Sue. One that hasn’t been witnessed in the pair’s previous big-screen outings.
Reed Richards and Sue Storm To Explore Parenthood?
According to insider Jeff Sneider, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman will be introduced into the MCU as parents in the 2025 Fantastic Four movie. If true, this information suggests that the MCU couple will likely be older than past film incarnations.
Interestingly, John Krasinski's version of the character from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was portrayed as a father, unlike past iterations. However, Krasinski himself confirmed in an interview that he has had no discussions with Marvel Studios about an MCU return, indicating that he will indeed be replaced for the reboot.
It’s unknown whether the couple would already have become parents to both their children, Franklin and Valeria, but Sneider posits that Marvel Studios will look for an actress in the 30 to 35 age range to play Sue.
For reference, Krasinski filmed his Doctor Strange 2 cameo in his early 40s, although the sequel didn't provide much info on Reed Richards' potential fatherhood.
Which of the Richards Children Will Appear?
As alluded to above, in the comics Sue and Reed have two kids: Franklin and Valeria. Both children possess superpowers thanks to inheriting the mutations given to their parents by the cosmic rays on that fateful trip to outer space in the team’s origin story.
Marvel boss Kevin Feige has outright confirmed that Fantastic Four won’t be an origin story, so it makes sense that the group’s mythology will have progressed forward a bit by the time audiences first meet them. With that in mind, it’s only logical that at least one of their children would’ve already been born.
Franklin Richards is famously immensely powerful, and is typically shown to be capable of rewriting reality itself. Valeria, Franklin’s little sister, was brought into the world with the assistance of none other than Victor von Doom. In return for helping Sue in childbirth, Doom was able to choose the name Valeria.
Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four hits theaters on February 14, 2025.
