Avengers: Doomsday is right around the corner and it promises to be a who's who of Marvel melee. The potentially game-changing movie is just three months away and fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are ready to see their favorite heroes unite, reunite, and meet new faces as the team known as Earth's Mightiest Heroes gets bigger than ever. Yes, this is the Multiverse Saga's endgame, which means all eyes will be watching - including those who tuned out after the story of the Infinity Saga concluded.
With that in mind, those former MCU fans might be surprised to see that Marvel has officially introduced a new Black Widow, brought back the legendary X-Men, and even formed two new teams of Avengers. They might also be surprised to see that the franchise has officially cast - or, in a way, recast - the Fantastic Four after years of waiting for it to happen. And if you're one of the fans who managed to make it 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, that fact along might have really surprised you.
So on that note, if you're the one sitting in theaters surprised to see none other than Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards in Avengers: Doomsday, here's how that came to be.
Pedro Pascal officially became the MCU's Mr. Fantastic after John Krasinski's character debut
While the Multiverse Saga will be reintroducing us to the legendary X-Men cast in Avengers: Doomsday, don't be expecting to see the 2000s Fantastic Four, too (at least not in this film!). Marvel's First Family will be appearing, with Reed Richards leading the charge, but it will be the MCU's official iteration of the heroic quartet that are at the forefront of the movie - not any of the previous movies.
Pedro Pascal officially became Reed, a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic in 2025's The Fantastic Four: First Steps and now he officially takes the role into the mainstream MCU in Avengers: Doomsday. That might sound like an odd statement to make considering that he just headlined a recent MCU movie, but there's a very good reason for that. See, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was set on another earth (Earth-828) within the MCU's multiverse, allowing it to have more creative freedom (and explaining the retro-futuristic look). However, the foursome will find their way to the MCU's main earth (Earth-616) in the upcoming film.
We mentioned Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness above, and the reason for that is down to the fact that this was technically the movie that introduced a version of Reed Richards into the MCU. In fact, it was the first time that any reference was made to the Fantastic Four in an MCU film. To pull it off, Marvel Studios had John Krasinski play the part of Reed, bringing to life a long-standing fan-casting that audiences around the world had been hoping to see one day.
Hailing from Earth-838, this version of the character was part of the Illuminati - a group of protectors who, although had good intentions, were blinded by their own hubris (and, in some cases, arrogance). They ultimately perished at the hands of the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff. And that in and of itself is why that version of Mister Fantastic did not last in the MCU in the way that Pascal's is set to.
However, that wouldn't be the only reference to the Fantastic Four ahead of their official arrival. Chris Evans - who, of course, plays Captain America himself Steve Rogers in the MCU - reprised his classic role as a variant of the Human Torch, a.k.a. Johnny Storm, in Deadpool and Wolverine. He had previously played the character in 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, alongside Ioan Gruffudd's Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba's Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, and Michael Chiklis' Ben Grimm / The Thing.
It was only after that that the MCU was able to officially introduce its own original version of the Fantastic Four - and therefore Reed Richards. In a way, the earlier cameos highlighted the reaches of the Marvel multiverse in the Multiverse Saga and reminded us that there were versions of those characters out there. And after Marvel Studios did that, it was able to successfully welcome in the official First Family of the MCU.
Pascal is now the fourth actor to portray Mister Fantastic in a major theatrical release, taking on the mantle after Ioan Gruffudd in the original 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four films, Miles Teller in the controversial 2015 Fant4stic reboot, and John Krasinski in the 2022 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cameo. However, if you include Roger Corman's unreleased 1994 film which starred Alex Hyde-White, then he's the fifth overall.
So, there you have it: If you are one of the long-time Marvel fans returning to see Avengers: Doomsday and all of the cameos that come with it, you now know that Pedro Pascal's casting as the leader of the Fantastic Four isn't as new as you thought. He made his debut in the role of Mr. Fantastic in 2025 and he will now be a big part of the MCU going forward - with appearances in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars and, likely, a Fantastic Four sequel all ahead of him. While the classic X-Men characters' returns are a nostalgic reminder of Marvel's past, the new Fantastic Four are already a part of its present and future.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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