We Have A Theory…We’ve Already Met* the MCU’s Reed Richards

by Josh Ramos · Published January 17, 2022 · Updated January 17, 2022

Welcome back to the next installment of our W.H.A.T series, and today we talk about how we may have already met the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s, Reed Richards… Well, kind of!

One of the most anticipated projects of the entire Phase Four, the story of Marvel’s first family is the long-awaited reboot that will help to shape the next decade of the MCU.

Source: Marvel Studios

The Fantastic Four is one of the most well-known teams in all comics and is one of Marvel’s most iconic creations.

With the Fox version of the films projecting the team to movie stardom in the mid-2000s, many have waited patiently for Marvel Studios to reimagine the characters for the modern MCU.

Source: Fox.

With Jon Watts already rumored to direct the adaptation, many fans have taken to social media to suggest just who could play the Four leading roles, with many fans fixating on the casting decision regarding who will play Reed Richards.

One of Marvel’s smartest and most iconic characters, Reed has become a key member of Marvel lore and evolves past just being the elastic head of the Fantastic Four.

Photo: Marvel Comics.

With such an iconic role, some have suggested actors like John Krasinski, with experience and the ability to portray such a vital character. But what actor could really do that memorable role justice, and truly inherit the space in the MCU previously held by Tony Stark as the universe smartest hero?

Well, We have a theory…We’ve already met the MCU’s Reed Richards…well, kind of.

Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains in Loki season one on Disney+. Source: Marvel Studios.

In the Loki season finale, He Who Remains explains his origin as being a human with vastly superior intellect, whose variants unlocked the ability to communicate outside of time and space.

For Marvel comics fans, this sounds very familiar.

Interdimensional Council of Reeds, which was first introduced in Fantastic Four #570 (2009) by Jonathan Hickman, Dale Eaglesham, Paul Mounts, and Rus Wooton. Source: Marvel Comics.

Although He Who Remains is a self-identified variant of Kang, who is also a character who inhabits multiple timelines in the comic books, his explanation for his variants meeting and fighting for supremacy reminds us of the Council of Reeds.

Which, if He Who Remains was the original winner of the collapsing Council of Reeds into multiversal war, that means there is still a Reed Richards of the MCU; the variant of He Who Remains who is from the Earth-616 timeline.

Source: Marvel Comics.

Kang took the place of He Who Remains after his death, which could lead to the MCU’s Reed Richards surviving the war, and uniting the Council once again; leading to the Fantastic Four and his presence on the main timeline.

In a panel from the recent Timeless #1 by Jed MacKay, Kev Walker, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Marte Gracia, and Ariana Maher, Kang directly addresses the fact that many believe Reed Richards is his ancestor. Photo: Marvel Comics.

Under this theory, Majors would be tasked with playing his Kang variant, Reed Richards; which is something we would be thrilled with, as he has proven to be a tremendous performer capable of carrying title role into the foreseeable future of the MCU.