Marvel Studios has finally announced the long-awaited cast for its upcoming Fantastic Four movie, the latest attempt at making one of comics’ most popular and endearing teams into a successful movie franchise.
None are big surprises, but it’s still a very interesting group. Pedro Pascal will star as Reed Richards, and will be joined by up-and-coming stars Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Pascal has become a household name after his roles in Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us, and now he gets to anchor one of Marvel’s biggest properties. Reed Richards is basically the Marvel Universe’s collective father figure, even before he was an actual dad, so picking a man who’s spent most of the 2020s so far playing the most popular father figures in TV makes quite a bit of sense.
There’s not much else known about the movie at this time, besides that it will be directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and it’s slated to hit theaters July 25, 2025, but there sure are a lot of excellent Fantastic Four stories from Marvel’s back catalog to take inspiration from.
With July 2025 still quite a bit away, that leaves plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the new Fantastic Four’s greatest hits. Check out some of their best previous roles while you wait for the new movie.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic)
Prospect
Image: Gunpowder & Sky
Where to watch: For digital rental/purchase on Apple and Amazon
Everyone may know Pascal as the adoptive father of Grogu, but a year before that he was a helmet-wearing father in a much smaller sci-fi project called Prospect. The movie follows Pascal and his daughter, played by Yellowjackets’ Sophie Thatcher, as they make their way through the forests of a strange moon. Pascal wasn’t quite a household name when this one came out, but he’s no less engaging, fatherly, and fascinating than he would be a few years later in The Last of Us. —Austen Goslin
Triple Frontier
Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
While paternal tenderness might be Pascal’s current calling card, he’s also been great in quite a few more dramatic, action-y projects like Netflix’s Narcos and Triple Frontier. Among a ridiculously talented cast that includes Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac, Pascal still stands out and holds his own as part of a team of special ops soldiers making their way through the South American jungle in hopes of pulling off an impossible heist. —AG
Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman)
Queen & Country
Image: BBC Worldwide
Where to watch: Stream on Hoopla, or rent on Apple, Amazon, or Vudu
Vanessa Kirby is riiiiiight on the cusp of recognize-her-name fame, and for good reason. In the last few years she’s been on a major streak of blockbuster roles, including a recurring role as White Widow in the Mission: Impossible films and a co-starring role alongside The Rock and Jason Statham in the good-enough sidequel Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. But Marvel fans looking to know why the 35-year-old can bring the dramatic goods to the role of Sue Storm should look beyond her tentpole work. A classically trained theater actor, Kirby cut her teeth on Shakespeare and Ibsen before jumping to the screen in John Boorman’s underrated wartime romance Queen and Country. Boorman puts the emphasis on the boys at war, but Kirby stands out with her burst of cunning, feminine energy. —Matt Patches
Pieces of a Woman
Image: Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
While her breakout role as Princess Margaret in early seasons of Netflix’s The Crown put her on every casting director’s must-have list, it’s her absolutely devastating turn in Pieces of a Woman that stands out. Starting with a 24-minute unbroken home-birth sequence (that does not end well), her encapsulation of a mother dealing with loss, a spiraling marriage, and potentially someone to blame rightfully earned her an Oscar nomination in the haze of the 2021 Academy Awards. (If you’re not looking to descend into full-blown tearjerker grief as you scope out her work, hold out for Napoleon when it hits Apple TV Plus later this year.) —MP
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm aka The Thing)
The Bear
Photo: Chuck Hodes/FX
Where to watch: Hulu
I’d wager most people see Ebon Moss-Bachrach and immediately think “Cousin!” He steals the show in the excellent FX/Hulu restaurant drama The Bear as protagonist Carmy’s sometimes close friend, sometimes kitchen rival Cousin Richie. The tension between the two is one of the driving points of the series, and the Richie-focused season two episode “Forks” is one of the best in a show filled with fantastic episodes. —Pete Volk
Andor
Image: Lucasfilm
Where to watch: Disney Plus
Just as Moss-Bachrach’s star was rising with The Bear, he delivered a scintillating supporting performance in Andor, one of the best pieces of Star Wars media ever. In his role of skeptical rebel Arvel Skeen, he plays brilliantly off of Diego Luna, bringing even more tension and depth to an arc that already centers around a high-stakes heist. —PV
Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm aka Human Torch)
Stranger Things
Image: Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
As Eddie Munson, the metalhead Dungeon Master, Quinn absolutely stole the show in the otherwise meh fourth season of Stranger Things. He brought a distinct swagger and charm to his roguish character, and had electric chemistry with all of his scene partners. It was his breakout role for a reason! —Petrana Radulovic
Les Misérables (2018)
Image: BBC Studios
Where to watch: PBS Masterpiece
This version of Les Miserables, a partnership between BBC and PBS, adapts the novel, not the popular stage musical. So no “Do You Hear the People Sing?” for Quinn’s Enjolras. Even so, he captured the fervor and desperation of the rebel leader brilliantly. Mans keeps playing doomed-by-the-narrative characters, I guess! —PR
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- Source: https://www.polygon.com/what-to-watch/24072933/who-is-fantastic-four-cast-best-movies-shows-watch-stream
