Superman fans call for Brandon Routh as Reed Richards in MCU’s Fantastic 4

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

The MCU Fantastic Four reboot is in active development with director Jon Watts already at the helm but it would appear that we are a long way away from any kind of casting process to begin. This doesn't mean that fans can't conduct a little fan-casting of their own and Superman fans seem to be throwing their love behind former Superman Brandon Routh to take on the role of Reed Richard aka Mr. Fantastic.

If you're one to frequent Twitter, you may have noticed that Fantastic Four was actually trending on the social media site this week. Fans were participating in their own fantasy casting of the main characters and Routh's name came up numerous times in many of the fantasy cast picks. Routh is best known for playing Clark Kent in 2006's Superman Returns and he also received more superhero cred for playing Ray Palmer on DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Routh may have seemed like an unlikely choice to be in consideration for Reed Richards with fans but his name came up so much that he also began to trend on Twitter. 

One fan tweeted "Oh my god, I never thought of Brandon Routh as Reed. That is perfect!" while another said "Amazing picks all the way down, especially Brandon Routh as Reed Richards. Marvel needs to make this happen now that they have the rights again." Many other tweets include Routh's name as a top choice for the role, although the overall big winner is still John Krasinski, who has often been named alongside his real-life wife Emily Blunt to play Reed Richards and Sue Storm.

You can check out some of the tweets supporting Routh as Reed Richards below. I have to admit, it's not a choice that crossed my mind until fans began putting side-by-side photos of them together and he at least certainly looks the part. I still feel like Marvel will find a way to make Krasinski and Blunt happen but Routh is a solid choice to have in their back pocket.