In the upcoming Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, John Krasinski has allegedly been cast as Mr. Fantastic.

The movie is part of Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it follows Doctor Strange as he deals with the fracture of the multiverse caused by his failed spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was previously claimed that the film will have appearances from a number of actors portraying various versions of well-known Marvel characters.

According to The Illuminerdi, Marvel Studios is in a rush to cast John Krasinski as Reed Richards.

John has been a popular choice for the job since Marvel Comics produced a bearded version of the character that resembled the actor a few years ago. Numerous petitions and even fan art picturing John as Mr Fantastic have been circulated, but no official response from Marvel has been heard.

The actor/director will purportedly play Mr. Fantastic in a cameo appearance. It’s still unclear if John will play MCU Reed Richards or a version of the character.

Earlier this year, it was reported that John had been cast as Mr Fantastic in the picture, with his wife Emily Blunt cast as his character’s wife Sue Storm aka Invisible Woman. Emily was quick to debunk these rumors. Emily said on The Howard Stern Show in May 2021, “That is fan-casting. No one has received a phone call. That’s just people saying, ‘Wouldn’t that be great?’”

But now Marvel fans are no longer interested in such denials. Andrew Garfield, after all, vehemently denied being a part of Spider-Man: No Way Home for two years before ultimately appearing in the picture. Fans have been given even more optimism by John’s eagerness to appear in Doctor Strange 2. “I think to be a part of the Marvel world would be amazing anyway, and the fact that people would even consider me for that level of a part would be amazing,” the actor told ComicBook.com last year.

Reed Richards is the leader of the Fantastic Four in the comic books, which includes himself, his wife Sue Storm as Invisible Woman, brother-in-law Johnny Storm or The Human Torch, and Ben Grimm aka The Thing. In two different Fantastic Four series, the character has previously featured on screen. Ioan Gruffudd portrayed it in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel. In the 2015 version of the film, Miles Teller played the role.

This new claim appears to add fuel to the fire around rumors that Sir Patrick Stewart may make a cameo appearance in the film.

For a long time, there has been speculation that Stewart may reprise his role as Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange 2.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to hit theaters on May 4th. In addition to Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, and Xochitl Gomez, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the major role.