‘Fantastic Four’ rumored to have finally been cast, and fans think they know who our new Reed Richards is

One of the most highly-anticipated teams in Marvel history is finally set to join the MCU at large, and fans couldn’t be more ready to welcome the Fantastic Four into the fold.

The MCU is already chock-full of superhero talent, but the Fantastic Four‘s absence has still been felt by many fans. Despite their lackluster live-action history, via several failed attempts to bring them to the big screen, fans are confident that this will be the time the team sticks. Based on the MCU’s history in bringing lesser-known — or lesser-liked — characters into the mainstream, it’s fair to put our faith in the franchise.

A huge number of people were fully unaware that the Guardians of the Galaxy even existed ahead of their first 2014 MCU outing, but time has served these characters well. The first two Guardians movies are some of the MCU’s most popular to date, and hopes are high that the third entry in the franchise will once again blow audiences away. The same could prove to be true for the Fantastic Four, particularly if fresh casting rumors are true.

News that two members of the four-person team have reportedly been cast sparked rumors that Penn Badgley is finally set to make his official MCU debut. The celebrated You and Gossip Girl star has been high on fan lists for quite some time now — even ascending above John Krasinski on occasion — and some fans are taking the announcement as unofficial confirmation of Badgley’s casting as Reed Richards.

Clips of previous Badgley performances were soon warring with simple repetitions of the actor’s name in the comment section for a tweet announcing that both Sue Storm and Reed Richards have been cast for the MCU, as fans worked to manifest Badgley into the role.

Of course, not everyone is settled on Badgley as the perfect fit for the MCU’s Richards. Krasinski is still a top pick for many fans — who likewise flooded the comments with their desires to see him return to the role — as some people simply expressed their doubt that official casting has concluded for two of Marvel’s most longstanding characters.

If Sue and Reed really have been cast, we’ll likely learn who earned the honor of bringing them to the big screen within the next few weeks. The MCU knows how closely fans are watching — particularly in the wake of Quantumania‘s disappointing performance — and it needs a win to keep people invested. Casting the Fantastic Four is the perfect way to distract fans from concerns of a downturn in the MCU, and to keep them coming back for more.