Scottish actor David Tennant told fans at London’s MCM Comic Con that he “had [his] eye on Reed Richards” before Marvel cast Pedro Pascal as Mister Fantastic in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Tennant said he would “have enjoyed all that stretchy business,” but added that Pascal is “Mister Fantastic in every sense of the word”.
The admission sparked fresh chatter online about whether the former Doctor Who star—already part of the Marvel fold as Kilgrave in Netflix’s Jessica Jones—could still appear in a multiverse cameo, an idea fuelled by comics lore that features multiple Reed variants across dimensions.
Marvel confirmed its new “First Family” last year: Pascal joins Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm in the 1960s-set film directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman . The studio’s retro-futurist reboot is scheduled for a 25 July 2025 release after several calendar shifts tied to wider Phase 6 reshuffles .
Industry analysts say Tennant’s comments illustrate the growing cachet of Marvel roles among prestige television actors; his goodwill toward Pascal contrasts with earlier social-media backlash when the Last of Us star was first rumoured for the part . Entertainment writer Tara Bennett notes that Tennant “remains one of the MCU’s most-praised villains” and argues that Marvel’s recent flexibility—such as Mahershala Ali playing both Cottonmouth and Blade—means “prior casting is no longer a hard stop” for future appearances .
Fan petitions calling for Tennant to voice the Council of Reeds in an eventual Avengers: Secret Wars began trending within hours of his Comic Con remarks, underscoring the property’s multiverse potential and the fervour surrounding Marvel’s first family revival . For now, however, the actor says he is “delighted just to watch” as Pascal and company prepare to stretch the franchise in new directions .
