Pedro Pascal says he’s not leading the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday, after quotes from Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman were misinterpreted.
Pascal Says Director Was Misquoted
After Matt Shakman told Variety that Reed Richards was “the guy who’s leading the Avengers,” fans took it as confirmation that Pedro Pascal would lead Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Doomsday. But in a follow-up interview with Entertainment Weekly, Pascal says that’s not what’s happening:
“Matt was talking about a Reed Richards that, within the comics of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four are brought into the Avengers and Reed is commissioned to lead a mission. But that is different than what we’re doing. So I think what Matt has said about Reed and the comic has been taken out of context.”
What to Expect in Fantastic Four and Doomsday
The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Pascal as Reed Richards, alongside Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm), living in a separate reality from the Avengers. When Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives, warning of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the team must fight for Earth. The film gets released Thursday with early previews and officially on Friday.
All four actors will return in Avengers: Doomsday, set in the main MCU timeline. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Victor Von Doom, replacing Kang as the saga’s main villain.
MCU shifts to Doom
Kevin Feige recently explained the shift away from Kang to Doctor Doom:
“We had started to realize that Kang wasn’t big enough, wasn’t Thanos, and that there was only one character that could be that because he was that in the comics for decades and decades. We started talking about Doctor Doom even before we officially pivoted from Kang. In fact, I had started talking with Robert about this audacious idea before Ant-Man 3 even came out.”
Fantastic Four hits theaters this weekend. Avengers: Doomsday arrives December 18, 2026.
