Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic Will Lead The Avengers in ‘Doomsday,’ ‘First Steps’ Director Confirms

With the old team now disbanded following the events of Avengers: Endgame, and many of the original crew either retired or dead, one of the big questions floating over the upcoming sequel, Avengers: Doomsday, is “who will lead the titular superhero team?” Well, we now have the answer. And it somehow presents even more questions.

Speaking with Variety, the director behind this month’s MCU outing The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Matt Shakman, revealed that Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, a.k.a. Mister Fantastic will take charge of The Avengers in Doomsday. While explaining why Reed was the most challenging role to cast, Shakman revealed…

“He goes from being the nerdy scientist who’s locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who’d do anything to protect his family, to the guy who’s leading the Avengers. I realized that the version we were building had to have all of those elements.”

While many had suspected that this could be the case, one can’t help but wonder why the likes of Captain America, Thor, and Black Panther would stand behind this stretchy man they presumably just met as he leads them into battle with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. Perhaps the character’s history with the Doctor will come into play? Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until December 18, 2026, to find out.

‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Early Reactions Have Heaped Praise on the MCU Reboot

After years of waiting, Marvel’s first family finally take their first steps into the MCU. The first reactions for the long-awaited reboot have now started to emerge following a 30-minute preview shown to both critics and fans, with the consensus being that “we’re finally getting a worthy adaptation of Marvel’s First Family.” Many have heaped praise on the four leads, with particular attention also being paid to Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, with one viewer saying, “Fantastic Four might be the best Marvel movie post-Endgame. It feels a lot like The Incredibles, super fun, colorful, and different from other Marvel films. I LOVED the scenes they showed, got me really hyped to see more! The Silver Surfer steals the show!”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), and stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission: Impossible – Fallout) as Sue Storm, aka The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Gladiator 2) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, Julia Garner (Ozark) as The Silver Surfer, and Ralph Ineson (The Witch, The Green Knight) as Galactus. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 25, 2025, and you can check out the official synopsis below.

“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

Source: Variety