I started my 6 part series of casting the Fantastic Four and their counterparts not long after the rights to the Fantastic Four were reverted back to Marvel. It was a fantastic (pun intended) time for comic book fans everywhere as they knew that finally they would get to see Marvel’s First Family done with respect to the source material. My first article went into detail of why I think Mads Mikkelsen is the ideal choice for the ruler of Latveria, Dr. Doom. If you haven’t read it, it is still available in the editorial section here at Comicbookmovie.com. We will now divert our attention to one of the smartest (questionably THE smartest) man in the Marvel universe in Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. After watching Miles Teller bumble around for 2 hours as Reed Richards in unconvincing fashion in the FOX debacle, it is time for Marvel to step up and cast someone who will epitomize the genius of Mr. Fantastic and that man is Jon Hamm.
1. Arrogance.
One of the traits of Mr. Fantastic that has been left out of the past 3 FOX fiascos was the unbridled arrogance he possesses. The man is a genius that few rival in the Marvel universe, hell even Tony Stark doesn’t even come close to this man’s intellect. Jon Hamm would play this aspect to a preverbal T. If you haven’t watched Mad Men, then I highly suggest you do and get acquainted with the intellect and arrogance of Jon Hamm’s character, Don Draper. Hamm’s work on Draper is amazing and the depths he took that character from on top to down and out to back on top is just the kind of acting range that Reed Richards needs to connect with the audience.
2. Acting Ability.
Jon Hamm’s work on Mad Men is the obvious go to in most people’s circles but Hamm has had some fantastic roles outside of the 1960s period piece. A lot of people might remember his short but Emmy nominated run on 30 Rock and he showed a lot of range as sports agent, J.B. Bernstein, in Million Dollar Arm. But it's his turn as Dr. Vladmir Bomgard in the British dark comedy, A Young Doctor's Notebook, that shows his ability to make a character his absolute own. Also, Hamm has not only a believable serious side but he has a superb comedic side which would flesh out Reed Richards as the leader of the First Family most people grew up reading about.
3. Chemistry with Dr. Doom
Richards and Doom went to university together, were friends to an extent (well, about as far as Doom would let anyone get close to him) and became the ultimate rivals throughout their torrid history. With Mads Mikkelsen wearing the mask of Doom, there needs to be an equally large presence opposite of him. Jon Hamm would be perfect opposite of Mikkelsen. The screen chemistry would explode and people would be absolutely captivated with these two presences battling not only their bodies but their equally cerebral minds against each other.
4. Age.
I stated in the Mads Mikkelsen article that I wanted a seasoned Dr. Doom in the reboot and that goes for Mr. Fantastic as well. The Miles Teller experiment went horribly south because people had a hard time imagining this child as an intelligent, sophisticated leader of a superhero group, one who can demand respect and guide the others to victory because he is essentially “The Man”. Jon Hamm encompasses this completely as an actor. He has the age, the experienced demeanor and he literally takes over a room as soon as he walks in.
In conclusion, I hope Marvel Studios goes with Jon Hamm as Reed Richards going forward into this brave new world of the MCU. I believe that he will bring the full package to what people have envisioned for years as Mr. Fantastic. I will continue to reveal my choices for the other members of the Fantastic Four as well as their supporting cast as the days follow, keep an eye out!