The rumors were true. All four of them. Marvel Studios celebrated Valentine’s Day this year in a big way by showing some real love for fans. It finally announced its new Fantastic Four lineup. The names many thought would head-up the latest iteration of the iconic superhero family are all officially on board. Pedro Pascal will lead a squad that also includes Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach to round out the MCU Fantastic Four cast.
Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) February 14, 2024
Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour, in theaters July 25, 2025. pic.twitter.com/dOmLG0m7ie
The MCU is bringing Marvel’s First Family to theaters on July 25, 2025. When the group flies back to the big screen this time around a big Disney star will begin doing double duty for the Mouse House. The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal has officially been cast as The Fanastic Four‘s Mister Fantastic himself, Reed Richards. Reed Richards, of course, is the leader of the Fanastic Four and one of the smartest men around. He also has the power to shift his body into all kinds of shapes.
Game of Thrones‘ Oberyn Martell and The Last of Us‘ Joel will now add to his nerd cred by playing the brilliant scientist. You don’t have to stretch to make sense of this casting. The legendary role all but demanded a big name, as Marvel Studios looks to regain its bullet-proof box office status. They don’t get much bigger than Pascal.
Mission: Impossible‘s Vanessa Kirby will join Pascal in the film as Reed’s better half, Sue Storm, also known as the Invisible Woman. The Fast & Furious star was last seen in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon as Josephine Bonaparte. There, she showed she can go toe-to-toe with both iconic figures and Hollywood’s best leading men.
He might not have spent as much time in the Upside Down as Stranger Things‘ fans wanted, but Joseph Quinn’s role as Eddie Munson certainly turned him into one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. Now he’ll truly cash in on his meteoric rise. Quinn joins the cast of The Fantastic Four as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
The Bear‘s Ebon Moss-Bachrach is going to take a break from the service industry to do his own thing as The Thing. He’ll round out the MCU’s Fantastic Four as the everyone’s favorite lovable grumpy monster, Ben Grimm.
Now we just have to wait to find out who they’ll take on and which star will play them. If it’s Doctor Doom it would be fitting to find out on Valentine’s Day, too. Not everyone loves love’s biggest holiday. At least they didn’t until we learned about the Fantastic Four cast.
With the core cast of The Fanastic Four set and ready for heroic shenanigans, what might we see next from the movie? Well, supposedly, the villain for this upcoming MCU film is none other than Galactus, Devourer of Worlds. And with Galactus, comes his herald. That could be the Silver Surfer, Terrax, or someone else entirely. It’s hard to say for sure when we’ll get more casting news for the Fantastic Four, but we’ll certainly be excited to hear about it when we do.
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On July 25th, the next generation of fans will witness the beginnings of their own Fantastic Four in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Much like the recent release of DC Studios’ Superman, audiences get to experience a fresh take on these iconic comic book heroes reimagined for today’s world. However, for the new actors portraying these heroes, they inherit a long-lasting legacy. It’s a legacy shaped by those who have played these characters before, as well as their characters’ rich comic-book history. At the film’s global press conference moderated by Screen Rant‘s Ash Crossan, Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal shared their experiences portraying these legacy characters, highlighting the differences between their portrayals of Reed Richards and Sue Storm and the versions audiences have already seen. Vanessa Kirby Compliments Sue Storm’s Journey of Motherhood in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Although there have already been three Fantastic Four movies to hit theaters this century, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the first time audiences get to meet Franklin Richards (Ada Scott) brought to life in cinematic form, as previous iterations of the team have primarily focused on their origin story. These are welcome changes for Vanessa Kirby, as she recently expressed her excitement about playing a superhero mother in the upcoming film during the global press conference for Fantastic Four: First Steps. “It always seemed to me kind of revolutionary to have this mother at the centre of this family, but also be absolutely part of the team, never left at home on her own. When I met Matt [Shakman] and then Kevin [Feige] for the first time, and started talking about Sue, I was already so passionate about her, but it was so exciting to me, this idea of having this pregnant superhero, this working mother, even the shooting of it, I was so included in everything. Matt and Kevin were such huge champions of having her be as complex and fierce and as loving and warm and all the things that I think feminine really is. It was very daunting, but I really cared and it’s been a great honour to play her and I know that I’m one of many that’s kind of got to know her over the years.” —Vanessa Kirby on the evolution of Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps Kirby’s nod to Jessica Alba and Kate Mara, who have both portrayed the Invisible Woman in the past, pays tribute to the previous actors and highlights the significance of the character’s legacy in Marvel’s cinematic history. However, until Kirby’s portrayal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, she had yet to be depicted adequately as the bada-- woman and leader that she is in comics as well. As Kirby not only gives the best performance of Sue Storm to date, but also becomes the first to portray her as a mother, she undoubtedly becomes the definitive Invisible Woman from this point on. Pedro Pascal Reveals the Equation Reed Richards Can’t Solve Without His Family Unlike his predecessors, Ioan Gruffudd and Miles Teller, Pedro Pascal is the first to portray Reed Richards as a father on the big screen. Although John Krasinski‘s version of Reed alluded to fatherhood in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Pascal is the first to experience the journey of parenthood on the big screen fully. He recently shared what makes Reed so complex as the character navigates fatherhood and the burdens of his intelligence throughout the film. “My favourite thing about it was actually that this person who is so brilliant and so comfortable with figuring out the most complex sort of science equations to create solutions for absolutely everything or to continue understanding how the world and beyond functions without really knowing how to understand the much more complex equation of relationships, and family and love, and growing in a relationship and as a partner, as a friend, and then of course, as a father. The only way he knows how to handle that is by starting to kind of like baby proof the world rather than just be present for the experience. This is definitely something Matt [Shakman] guided me through the sort of emotional arc and the details of which because I am not a father.” —Pedro Pascal on Reed Richards’s journey in The Fantastic Four: First Steps Pedro Pascal is known to play a father figure in projects including The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, so it’s no surprise the actor finds himself bringing Reed Richards to life in the same way in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pascal’s performance is fresh and unique compared to the live-action Mr. Fantastics audiences have seen before from Krasinksy, Gruffudd, and Teller, and he’s about to share a far bigger stage than any of his predecessors when he returns for Avengers: Doomsday. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Would the New York Yankees still be a heavyweight contender without Aaron Judge? Most fans would doubt it. What comes as a shock is that Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, appears to agree. According to MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY, Cashman had explored the option of selling ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline (6 p.m. EST) if Judge’s flexor strain had turned out to be something worse. Martino wrote this: “[On Saturday], we relayed that the Yankees were floating some of their free-agent-to-be relievers in preliminary trade talks. We have since learned through league sources that last week the Yanks brought up Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in talks with at least one other club.” It would be strange to see a team with a record well above .500 shop core hitters at the deadline. Both Bellinger and Goldschmidt — hitting .281/.333/.507 with 19 home runs and .283/.341/.419 with eight home runs respectively entering Tuesday — have been valuable producers for the Yankees this year. Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the Bronx Bombers over the offseason while Bellinger was acquired via trade with the Cubs. He is signed through 2026 but has a player option at the end of the year. Either player would bring a nice haul back to the Yankees. Of course, the reigning AL MVP’s injury doesn’t seem to be a season-altering, ‘abandon ship’ type of event. Optimistically, Judge should be back soon. But this does serve to illustrate how the team’s success is dependent on one player. Beyond Judge, the Yankees’ batting order doesn’t feature a star-caliber player, or at least a player the lineup can be built around. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, New York lacks enough solid hitters to be considered a worthy contender without Judge. The Yankees’ three bottom-of-the-order hitters — Austin Wells (.214), Anthony Volpe (.213) and newest acquisition Ryan McMahon (.223) — all own batting averages below .230 entering Tuesday. And this doesn’t include J.C. Escarra (.205), Oswald Peraza (.152) or even Ben Rice (.229). If Judge was lost for the season, selling wouldn’t have been a bad idea. He is insoluble glue holding the battered Yankees’ roster together, especially with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt gone for the year. No one on the trade market could replace him, but with Judge coming back, the Yankees might have enough firepower to at least limp to the finish line.
Second-year Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd can’t seem to catch a break. Chosen by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Lloyd dealt with hamstring injuries throughout training camp last summer before suffering a season-ending ankle injury just one week into his rookie season. Marshawn Lloyd Knocked from Packers Practice As the intensity ratchets up at Packers training camp, Lloyd’s second season may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, during Green Bay’s first practice in full pads this summer. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Lloyd stayed out on the field but didn’t continue to practice, instead watching from behind the huddle without a helmet. Demovsky points out that Lloyd was slow to get up but then did not return to practice the rest of the day. The Packers are likely hoping for big things from Lloyd, who is likely to compete with Emmanuel Wilson for the lion’s share of carries behind Wilson. It remains to be seen how serious Lloyd’s injury is, but if the 24-year-old is forced to miss any significant time, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers may be wise to go shopping for some quality running back help in the days and weeks ahead.