Even a ‘Fantastic Four’ contender flat-out denying rumors can’t stop the latest left-field casting twist

In 1961, Marvel Comics kicked off a bright, bold new age of superhero stories when it introduced the Fantastic Four. In the years since, the team has proved to be one of the only properties in the company’s stable of characters too goofy to adapt into a well-received movie, despite Hollywood throwing three casts at four attempts, of which at least two made it seem like the filmmakers were trying.

The FF have also found themselves in the awkward position of being one of the two remaining household names on the Marvel roster that hasn’t had its MCU debutante ball. Disney, having never left a cow unmilked, has begun the pre-production progress – theoretically, anyway. The project has been hit with a few delays, what with directors dropping out and the writing and acting strikes, and the fact that, with a proposed release date just 19 months away, there’s been no official word on the cast of what fans imagine will be the biggest Marvel event since Endgame.

Still, one thing’s for sure: Jack Quaid isn’t going to play The Human Torch. He said so, a bunch of times, enthusiastically. He’s a man who won’t be set on fire. More power to him. You can take this to the bank: Fans will have to take their Fantastic Four with no scoops of Jack Quaid.

Or will they?

Will Jack Quaid storm the Baxter Building after all?

According to model Critics Choice member and certified Rotten Tomatoes reviewer Grace Randolph’s Twitter account, Jack Quaid was being a little stinker when he said he wasn’t joining Fantastic Four. The way she hears it, he’ll be in the movie, by gum, but here’s the twist: Yes, he won’t be playing Johnny Storm. Rather, he’ll crawl into the skin of another fan-favorite character, though Randolph doesn’t go into further detail.

If we take this report with a grain of salt and still let our fantasies run free, who could Quaid have been hired to portray? Doctor Doom? H.E.R.B.I.E.? Beloved mail delivery man Willie Lumpkin? That minister that Brian Posehn played in Rise of the Silver Surfer? Only time will tell.

Marvel’s Fantastic Four (Mk IV) hits theaters on May 2, 2025.