Can you believe that Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot was announced back in 2019 and we’ve still yet to get any official casting announcements? Well, in the absence of any, professional fan casters have offered up an endless procession of their personal picks for the third cinematic iteration of the First Family. And one of these might’ve just lit the fire for Marvel Studios to poach one of the Most Valued Players from James Gunn‘s upcoming DCU.
Redditor u/MarvelsReporter took to the r/MCUTheories sub to share their preferred Fantastic Four lineup, which combined run-of-the-mill choices like John Krasinski and Vanessa Kirby as Reed and Sue with left-field picks like Harrison Osterfield as Johnny Storm and John Cena as Ben Grimm aka The Thing. And the latter in particular is the definition of a “just so crazy it could actually work” casting ploy.
The ensuing thread became full of those heartily agreeing that, after seeing him as Christopher Smith in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Cena would actually be perfect as the Ever-Loving Thing.
It seems even Vacation Friends 2 isn’t putting people off the idea!
Cena’s comedic timing and improv skills are what’s really doing it for people.
One thing’s for sure, though, Gunn would be sad to see him go if he did jump ship to the MCU.
Give it a moment, and you’ll get it…
Of course, with Gunn keen to usher in a new age of peace and prosperity between Marvel and DC, Cena could conceivably be part of both the MCU and the DCU. Especially if The Thing was a voice role for him, in the same way that Rocket Raccoon was for Bradley Cooper. Nevertheless, Marvel Studios doesn’t make its decision based on popular vote, so we’ll just have to wait for Kevin Feige to announce from on high who’s really going to star in Fantastic Four, currently scheduled for May 2, 2025.
Published: Aug 29, 2023 06:16 am