Lucifer Star Tom Ellis Almost Added A Major Marvel Character To His Resume

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Tom Ellis, the man who played the title character in "Lucifer" for six seasons and more than 90 episodes, nearly went from the DC Universe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ellis is known best as Lucifer Morningstar, the character who originated as part of "The Sandman" universe in the pages of DC Comics. But the actor recently revealed that he flirted with a major Marvel role as well. Namely that of Reed Richards in "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

In a recent interview with Square Mile, Ellis explained that he was one of several actors who auditioned for the role of Reed Richards for director Matt Shakman's recent take on "The Fantastic Four." Ultimately, the role went to Pedro Pascal ("The Last of Us," "The Mandalorian"), who technically took over for John Krasinski ("The Office"), following his cameo in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." Here's what Ellis had to say about it:

"There was a select group of people that got asked to tape for Reed Richards. I had been waiting for the right thing, timing-wise and character-wise, to come along. And I remember looking at the photo of Richards in the comics and going, 'This could be the one.' We look quite similar."

"I mean to be fair, he's not in much," Ellis quipped about Pascal getting the job. "He's great, though. He is great. I'm looking forward to seeing it. The trailer looks quite fun."

Ellis certainly wouldn't have been the first actor to appear in both the DC Universe and the MCU, but it's fair to say this would have been a major opportunity for him. While "Lucifer" was a beloved show during its run, playing Reed Richards may have taken Ellis to another level in terms of his cache in Hollywood.

It's not clear how close Ellis got, but at the very least, he was in the mix. Quite a few big actors were rumored for roles in "Fantastic Four: First Steps," with Adam Driver heavily suggested to be in the running to play Reed, aka Mr. Fantastic, for months. Ultimately though, it was Pascal, one of Hollywood's most in-demand stars, who landed the role. It's just another feather in his impressive cap.

"First Steps" was a hit for Marvel Studios, taking in $522 million at the box office against largely favorable reviews. The MCU has been on a hit/miss streak lately, with the misses starting to outweigh the hits, but this has been a brighter spot in an otherwise uncertain period for the studio.

Marvel Studios has big plans for Reed and the rest of the gang in the years to come as well, with all of the major Fantastic Four members also set to appear in "Avengers: Doomsday." One assumes they'll also be a part of "Avengers: Secret Wars," which is due to bring the Multiverse Saga to a close. It's easy to imagine a guy like Ellis would wonder "what if?" in light of how things shook out. He seems to be taking it in stride, though.

"I understand that to a certain degree," Ellis added, ruminating on the idea that getting the job is better than actually doing the job. "Although I really enjoy doing the jobs. But it's what we live for. We live for the what-if-ness of it."

You can grab "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.