The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Pedro Pascal has repeatedly denied that Reed Richards will lead Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Doomsday. Marvel's First Family is expected to be integral to the story, but talk of Mister Fantastic being in charge stemmed from filmmaker Matt Shakman's comments being taken out of context.
Variety has now chimed in, confirming that "Pascal is not the centerpiece, but does have an integral role." This comes after reports about Chris Hemsworth's Thor being one of the movie's leads; however, similar to Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, it appears the villainous Doctor Doom will be at the heart of this story.
The trade notes, "'Avengers: Doomsday' will feature at least one mega-payday in Robert Downey Jr., who is returning to the Marvel fold as villain Doctor Doom. Sources say Downey Jr. has earned between $500 million and $600 million over the course of seven Marvel movies and three cameos and won’t be working at a discount on 'Doomsday'; neither will Chris Hemsworth, who’s returning as Thor."
It's hardly a surprise to learn that Downey will make a huge amount of money for his MCU return, but he's also repeatedly proven to be one of Marvel Studios' biggest box office draws.
Whether that will extend to him swapping Iron Man's armour for Doctor Doom's remains to be seen, though we'd bet on his face being featured heavily in marketing (perhaps explaining The Fantastic Four: First Steps' mid-credits scene).
Leaked concept art for Avengers: Secret Wars [SPOILER WARNING] showed the Fantastic Four at Doom's mercy in his Battleworld, with Sue and Franklin part of his royal court, Reed captured before him, and Johnny being constantly covered by water to stop him from flaming on.
The Thing's fate isn't known, but things get pretty dark for poor Ben in the Secret Wars comic.
"It’s big news to me, that’s for one," Pascal recently said of possibly leading the Avengers. "I think Matt Shakman was doing an interview and when he was speaking about Reed...there is something that happens in the comics where he is sort of drawn in by the Avengers family and asked to be put into a leadership position."
He added, "That is something that happens in the comics. It isn’t necessarily something that my character’s future entails."
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make the Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a script by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Captain America and Avengers franchises.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.