In another branch of the multiverse, Tom Ellis starred in The Fantastic Four: First Steps instead of Pedro Pascal.
Once Marvel Studios broke the news that the Fantastic Four were coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a flood of rumors and fan casting about who would play Marvel’s First Family swirled online for years, until the official cast was announced on Valentine’s Day 2024. Mister Fantastic was the name that generated the most rumors, with actors like Adam Driver, Dev Patel, and Matt Smith being eyed — but Lucifer actor Tom Ellis actually auditioned.
In an interview with Square Mile, Ellis revealed he was up for the role, which ultimately went to Pascal. Elis jokingly said, “I mean, to be fair, he’s not in much [chuckles]. He’s great, though. He is great. I’m looking forward to seeing it. The trailer looks quite fun.” Ellis added that he thought his visual similarity to the comic book versions of Mister Fantastic made it a big project he should audition for:
“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.”
Pedro Pascal Ultimately Won the Role of Mister Fantastic
Lucifer is loosely based on the Vertigo Comic of the same name, which was a spinoff of The Sandman comics. Ellis reprised his role as Lucifer alongside other DC characters in the CW Crisis on Infinite Earth event series. Lucifer ran for six seasons, the first three airing on Fox and the latter three airing on Netflix. The series concluded on Sept. 10, 2021. Had Ellis landed the role, he would have joined Ryan Reynolds, Christian Bale, and Michael Keaton, all of whom migrated from DC to Marvel.
In the end, First Steps was one of four theatrical releases for Pascal in 2025, following Freaky Tales, Materialist, and Eddington, as well as the second season of The Last of Us on HBO. Pascal is set to return as Mister Fantastic in Avengers: Doomsday, which will be released in 2026 alongside Pascal’s other Disney film, The Mandalorian & Grogu. He’s become one of the most prolific stars of the past five years, and his star power only continues to rise.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps grossed $521 million worldwide, reviving the team’s image after years of heavily criticized film adaptations, and is currently available for rental and purchase on PVOD and home video. The film will debut on Disney+ on Nov. 5, 2025. The movie’s critical and audience success suggests the film’s audience will grow over the next year and help make the team the new face of the MCU.
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
- Runtime
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115 minutes
- Director
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Matt Shakman