Mr. Fantastic, aka Reed Richards, already enjoyed a brief appearance in Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” In that movie, John Krasinski played the role, and he lived in a parallel universe, separate from the shenanigans of the “central” MCU. Additionally, the Scarlet Witch used her magic to rip his body into pasta and explode his head. So much for him. Krasinski had his moment. Also, in some corners of social media, actor Penn Badgley is preferred. He certainly looks the part, but that’s hardly creative. Let us move on. 

Reed Richards should be a steadfastly heroic character, reminiscent of the thickheaded “geniuses” one might see in a 1950s sci-fi movie. There should be no shades of grey with a character who thought to call himself “Mr. Fantastic.” A potential actor would need to have an old-world Hollywood charm, be capable of being a quiet nerd, but also a capable action hero. 

Since “RRR” a hot action picture worldwide, and the film’s star is possessed of traditional “heroic” good looks, why not have the devastatingly handsome Ram Charan play Mr. Fantastic? Only 37, and a veteran of Telugu cinema, Ram Charan — experienced in dance — would certainly have theatricality of the character in place. Plus, the man is just dazzling. He can be a sci-fi hero in a Hollywood blockbuster with ease. Indeed, “Fantastic Four” would need to be bigger than Hollywood currently offers, and — as those who have seen “RRR” can attest — Telugu cinema blows Hollywood out of the water.