Rewatching Marvel’s $167 Million Bomb Showcases How The MCU Avengers’ New Leader Is The Perfect Choice

After rewatching Marvel’s $167 million bomb, I’m convinced that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s unconventional choice of a leader for the Avengers in the team’s next movie is actually perfect. One of my biggest problems with the Multiverse Saga has been the lack of an Avengers movie. Thankfully, that will soon be rectified in a major way through Marvel’s upcoming movies.

That is due to how there are two Avengers entries on the way, 2026’s Doomsday and 2027’s Secret Wars. Before then, the MCU’s 2025 movies have done a solid job of setting up the Avengers’ next chapter. In Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson decided to form his Avengers team. In Thunderbolts*, the heroes became the MCU’s New Avengers.

However, it turns out that neither Captain America nor Yelena Belova will lead the Avengers: Doomsday cast after a recent update. I was shocked about what that could mean, but by rewatching one of Marvel’s most controversial movies, I now understand how the MCU can do right by one character by making him the new leader of the Avengers.

2015’s Fantastic Four Reboot Is Far From The Best Version Of The Team

Marvel Studios’ Take On The Superhero Team Already Looks Far Better

While they were quite cheesy and had their fair share of issues, I have to say that I’m a fan of the 2000s Fantastic Four movies with MCU star Chris Evans. However, the same can’t be said about 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot, which had an impressive cast led by Miles Teller but still failed at the box office and with reviews.

After a long time since I had last watched 2015’s Fantastic Four, I decided to give it another go as the MCU’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps nears. However, it is just as disappointing as I remembered. One of the most frustrating parts of the Fantastic Four movie is how it manages to make some of Marvel’s biggest characters feel dull.

I believe that chief among them is Miles Teller’s Reed Richards. While movies like Top Gun: Maverick and The Gorge have shown the actor can be incredibly charismatic onscreen, his version of Mister Fantastic was uninspired. The film also barely used the Fantastic Four’s powers, and it seemed to be afraid/ashamed of Reed’s powers. He deserved better than that.

Avengers: Doomsday Will Seemingly Feature A Surprising New Team Leader

The Fantastic Four’s MCU Role Will Be Bigger Than Expected

Back to the MCU, I was surprised to recently discover that Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards would have a bigger role than I originally imagined. While Pascal is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars and the arrival of the Fantastic Four in the MCU is a big deal, I did not expect Mister Fantastic to take over the spotlight so quickly.

According to The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman, during an interview with Variety, Reed Richards will seemingly be the MCU Avengers’ new leader. While Shakman did not directly comment on Avengers: Doomsday’s story, he addressed Pascal’s MCU hero and the journey he goes on. Doing so, the Fantastic Four movie director described Reed as “The guy who’s leading the Avengers.”

Avengers: Doomsday will feature multiple superhero teams. Some of the confirmed squads include the Fantastic Four, Sam Wilson’s Avengers, and the New Avengers. Given how there will be two Avengers teams in the film, each set up to have their own leader, I was shocked to learn about how Reed Richards will seemingly lead the MCU’s heroes in the Avengers movies.

How The MCU Can Do Right By Reed Richards After 2015’s Fantastic Four Disappointment

Marvel Studios Understands How To Adapt The Comics Like No Other

After being confused by how that could play out, rewatching 2015’s Fantastic Four movie has made me see how this move is exciting. The MCU now has the chance to deliver the ultimate live-action version of Marvel’s First Family. By using a comics-accurate Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it is clear that Marvel is not ashamed of the comics.

Likewise, making Reed Richards crucial to the Avengers going forward is fitting. After all, Reed is one of Marvel’s smartest heroes. Mister Fantastic has also been part of the Avengers in the comics and led many Marvel heroes in crossover events. After 2015’s Fantastic Four reboot did him wrong, Pascal’s version of the character can rise to a new level.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ latest trailers have shown more of Reed Richards in action. His elastic powers look great in the MCU, showing that there is nothing wrong with the more comic-book-y elements of the Fantastic Four, which the more serious and “realistic” 2015 reboot did not understand. Reed should be an MCU centerpiece, and his Avengers role could help.

Why Reed Is The Perfect Main Hero For The Multiverse Saga’s Avengers Movies

Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom Debut Asks For His Greatest Rival To Rise

While he was not my first choice for the leader of the MCU’s Avengers, Reed Richards makes perfect sense when taking into account who they will fight; Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is the main villain of the next two Avengers movies. By making Reed the Avengers’ leader, Marvel confirms it will spotlight one of the comics’ biggest rivalries.

In the 2015 Fantastic Four movie, Doctor Doom was another low point. Now, the MCU will get the chance to put the best versions of those characters yet on the big screen with Reed Richards and Doctor Doom clashing on the franchise’s two biggest movies ever. Reed was crucial in the Secret Wars event, so his MCU role is fitting.