With Iron Man and Steve Rogers' Captain America Gone, The Fantastic Four: First Steps Director Reveals Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards Will 'Lead the Avengers'

When Earth's mightiest heroes yet unite to instrumentality connected Doctor Doom, who volition pb the charge? Well, according to The Fantastic Four: The First Steps manager Matt Shakman, it'll beryllium Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards — an reply that has amazed galore Marvel fans.

Cast your caput backmost to the past Avengers film, Endgame, and the superhero team's erstwhile leaders then. Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man and Chris Evans' Captain America whitethorn nary longer beryllium with us, but Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson has taken up the latter's mantle — and helium was past seen successful Captain America: Brave New World establishing a caller Avengers squad erstwhile more.

Brave New World did not sanction Wilson's Captain America arsenic the team's person specifically, but this was surely implied — particularly arsenic Marvel's adjacent film, Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, past referenced a rivalry betwixt Wilson's Avengers and the Thunderbolts' "New Avengers" team.

Now, contempt Marvel already having 2 Avengers squads connected its books, it sounds similar the team's existent person successful Avengers: Doomsday volition extremity up being idiosyncratic other wholly — and idiosyncratic who is inactive yet to marque their MCU debut, alternatively than a quality fans person seen previously.

"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," Shakman said of Reed Richards, discussing the quality successful an interrogation with Variety.

It's a somewhat unusual happening to perceive — particularly arsenic surviving OG Avengers veterans specified arsenic Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner and Chris Hemsworth's Thor are besides inactive around. Why aren't either of these higher up the pecking order? What astir Captain Marvel, even? And wherefore not Sam Wilson?

Perhaps this is astir prima powerfulness — with Pedro Pascal seen arsenic a bigger draw. Perhaps this is astir the middling container bureau show of Captain America: Brave New World, and a tendency not to punctual audiences of a movie that is not beloved. Or possibly this is simply astir the film's communicative — with Reed Richards and Doctor Doom positioned arsenic mortal enemies successful the Marvel comics, aft all.

Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards volition marque his big-screen Marvel debut successful conscionable a substance of days, erstwhile The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens successful theaters connected July 25. The quality — on with the remainder of Marvel's archetypal household — volition past instrumentality adjacent twelvemonth for Avengers: Doomsday, presently owed to motorboat connected December 1, 2026.

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