5 Marvel Characters We'd Love To See John Krasinski Play
The rise of the superhero movie has led to an increase in the practice known as "fancasting." One name that keeps popping up is "Jack Ryan" star John Krasinski, who some fans feel is the perfect choice for Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic. Krasinski even bears a physical resemblance to the Fantastic Four's leader — one that comic book artists such as Russell Dauterman have touched upon — further fanning the flames of fan fervor.
Krasinski made waves during a video interview promoting "A Quiet Place, Part II," in which he confessed that he'd be up for playing the stretchy superhero and recalled how he inadvertently spurred on the campaign to get him cast:
My honest answer was like, 'Hell yeah. I'd play Mr. Fantastic.' And then people were like, 'Oh my God.'"
Even if Krasinski doesn't land the Mr. Fantastic role, the Marvel mythos is chock full of characters he could potentially play. Here are five Marvel heroes that "The Office" alum would be a perfect fit for.
Man-Wolf
Sony Pictures is digging deep into its chest of Spider-Man affiliated characters for film and TV projects, with the Jared Leto-starring "Morbius" slated to sink its fangs into an April 1 release date. But the Living Vampire isn't the only frightful foe the web-slinger has faced over the years. John Jameson, son of Daily Bugle chief (and thorn in Spidey's side) J. Jonah Jameson, was an astronaut who discovered a mysterious gemstone on one of his missions. The gemstone transformed him into a massive wolf-like creature, though in time he learned to control his transformations.
With "Morbius" and the "Venom" films tackling a horror-themed angle on the superhero genre, Sony could continue to capitalize on that with a Man-Wolf film starring Krasinski. "A werewolf, but he's a superhero" is the kind of brilliant elevator pitch that could make an inspired film. Krasinski is no stranger to the horror genre himself, launching "A Quiet Place" and its sequel to critical and commercial success-he could easily replicate that success with Man-Wolf.
Mach-IV
Another Spider-Man related character that would be a perfect fit for Krasinski is Abner Jenkins, better known by his codenames the Beetle and Mach IV. As the former, Jenkins battled Spider-Man and other Marvel heroes; as the latter, he joined Baron Helmut Zemo's Thunderbolts — a team of supervillains masquerading as heroes when the Avengers were presumed to be dead. However, Jenkins and a handful of other Thunderbolts found that heroism was infinitely more rewarding and decided to become full-time heroes.
Rumors about a "Thunderbolts" project at Marvel Studios have been floating around the internet, especially with the appearance of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" and "Black Widow". Fontaine has been recruiting characters with a dark past, including John Walker and Yelena Belova, and Kraskinski could perfectly fit in as Mach-IV if Marvel Studios is looking to do a Thunderbolts film or television series.
Darkhawk
Another armored hero that would be in Krasinski's wheelhouse is Darkhawk. Christopher Powell discovered a mysterious amulet as a teenager that allowed him to switch bodies with an android that resided in another dimension. Learning that he could control the android, Power decided to fight crime as Darkhawk. Later, he would travel into the deepest reaches of space and fight cosmic threats alongside heroes including the Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova.
Filmmakers including James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy"), Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok"), and Chloé Zhao ("Eternals") have only started to scratch the surface of Marvel's cosmic lore. Darkhawk would be an excellent addition to said lore, potentially in a new version of the Guardians or flying solo. It could also prove to be a great acting challenge for Krasinski, as he'd either be wearing a full head-to-toe body costume or have to bring the character to life via a mo-cap suit; much like Pedro Pascal in "The Mandalorian," it'd be a mostly physical performance.
Nova
Speaking of cosmic characters that deserve their due, I think Krasinski would be perfect as Richard Rider/Nova. The path for Nova's appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has even been set up: During "Avengers: Infinity War," Thanos decimated the planet of Xandar to gain the Power Stone. Xandar was home to the Nova Corps — and with their numbers all but extinct, a new Nova would be needed. Enter Richard Rider.
Rider became Nova as a teenager when the last remaining Nova Corpsman, Rhomann Dey, grants him the powers and uniform of a Nova Centurion. Tying into my previous theory, John C. Reilly portrayed Dey in "Guardians of the Galaxy;" having a character from a familiar film could help ease audiences into a new corner of the Marvel Universe. James Gunn has also more or less said that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will be the last time audiences see his roster for the Guardians — Marvel could easily revamp the Guardians with Nova at the helm.
Cyclops
As part of the Disney/Fox merger in 2019, Marvel Studios now holds the movie rights to the entire library of Fantastic Four and X-Men characters. The recent trailer for "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" featured an unseen figure who sounds a whole lot like Patrick Stewart's Professor X, suggesting that the arrival of mutants in the MCU is imminent. Assuming that other key members of the X-Men will be recast, I think Krasinski would be a perfect fit for Cyclops. "A Quiet Place" showed his dramatic chops, which are essential to playing Scott Summers, while the "Jack Ryan" series on Amazon Prime showed his action bona fides. With an actor like Krasinski in the lead, a new X-Men film could let Cyclops truly shine as the leader.
One major issue with the previous X-Men films is that only Wolverine, Professor Xavier, and Magneto were really afforded any character development, which wasn't fitting for an ensemble as engaging and diverse as the X-Men's. Letting Krasinski take center stage as Cyclops would not only provide a break from the previous X-Films, but it would also allow filmmakers to touch upon the team dynamics and what makes Scott Summers an integral part of the mutant team.