Will Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards Lead the Avengers? The Fantastic Four: First Steps Director Clarifies Previous Comments, Insists It's 'For the Russo Brothers' to Reveal

The Fantastic Four: First Steps manager Matt Shakman has discussed his astonishing remark that suggested pb histrion Pedro Pascal had been formed arsenic Reed Richards successful bid to represent idiosyncratic who ends up "leading the Avengers".

Shakman's statement raised eyebrows past week, not slightest due to the fact that it appeared to item the value of Pascal's quality successful Avengers: Doomsday, a movie cloaked successful secrecy that's inactive 18 months away, portion Pascal's mentation of Richards is yet to marque his debut.

Now, speaking with IGN, Shakman has sought to clarify his comments — which helium insisted "the net has tally with" and "misinterpreted". Instead, the aboriginal of Reed Richards successful the MCU is thing for the Russo brothers, the directing duo down Avengers: Doomsday, to reveal.

For context, here's what Shakman said of casting Reed Richards previously, successful speech with Variety.

"He goes from being the nerdy idiosyncratic who's locked distant successful the lab, to the hubby and the begetter who'd bash thing to support his family, to the feline who's starring the Avengers. I realized that the mentation we were gathering had to person each of those elements."

Asked for much item connected however Reed Richards would acquisition that translation from idiosyncratic to multiverse defender, here's what Shakman said, reproduced successful full:

"Well, I can't talk excessively overmuch astir Doomsday," helium began. "And the thought of him arsenic the person of the Avengers successful Doomsday was thing that the net has tally with and is really they misinterpreted thing I said. I was really talking astir Reed Richards successful the comics and however antithetic helium tin beryllium from contented to contented and from tally to run, and that sometimes helium is that cerebral idiosyncratic locked distant successful the laboratory trying to lick everything. Sometimes he's starring the Avengers and moving disconnected and trying to prevention the day. Sometimes there's an accent connected him arsenic a household man.

"So I needed him to encompass each of those things," helium continued, "a person who's consenting to leap into the fray, a idiosyncratic who's successful the laboratory trying to lick everything, and a devoted hubby and begetter and champion person and household member, right? And truthful for me, it was talking astir however I went astir uncovering the champion histrion for that portion and uncovering Pedro Pascal to play someone... An histrion who could bash each of those things really. So wherever Reed Richards goes successful the Avengers: Doomsday is for the Russo brothers to archer you."

It's an intriguing effect from Shakman, and 1 that surely seems to locomotion backmost the thought of Reed Richards already being acceptable to beryllium crowned person of the Avengers wrong the MCU.

That said, portion the quality surely has been a portion of the Avengers successful the comics, he's not a quality well-known for starring the full team. And successful some quotes from Shakman, primitively and now, there's the confirmation that Pascal was formed arsenic idiosyncratic who could so measurement up arsenic Avengers lead, should the request arrive.

And past there's the confirmation that, for thing Avengers: Doomsday related, Shakman defers to the directors of that film. Of people the Russo brothers volition beryllium the ones to sermon the characters successful their film, conscionable arsenic Shakman is here. But possibly Shakman has already said excessively much?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens successful theaters this Friday, July 25, 2025. Avengers: Doomsday past picks up the team's communicative arsenic they articulation the combat against Doctor Doom, from December 18, 2026.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social