Brandon Routh is the perfect actor for the MCU's Mr Fantastic

As far as superhero actors go, few have been treated as roughly as Brandon Routh. Most famous for his role in the critically slammed Superman Returns in 2006, the actor was renowned for his stunning resemblance to OG Superman actor Christopher Reeves.

In recent years, Routh has returned to superhero acting in a multitude of DC TV shows. The actor played the role of Ray Palmer — The Atom — in Legends of Tomorrow, a character who's exit infamously upset Routh. Additionally, he returned as Superman for Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Cast Brandon Routh as Mr Fantastic

With such long tenure in the DC universe, maybe its time to bring Brandon Routh over to Marvel. Over the past decade-and-a-half, the actor has proven that he has the charisma and fortitude to play any superhero a studio throws at him. Simply put: Routh has the superhero charm like no other.

But what is the perfect role for Routh in the Marvel universe? Well, with Marvel's re-acquisition of its 20^th Century Fox library, the MCU is set to introduce the perfect role for the ex-Superman. Leader of the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards.

In the comics, Reed Richards is a genius scientist who is typically one of the older members of Marvel's superheroes, next to Doctor Strange. Much like Strange, Richards also has a habit of being overly confident and full of himself, leading to a lot of the team’s problems.

With this in mind, it’s important to have an actor who oozes charm and charisma, much like Routh. Whether it's as Superman, Ray Palmer or in long-form interviews — such as Inside of You — Brandon Routh has always exuded an effortlessly lovable personality.

Additionally, Routh is the perfect age to play a film version of Reed Richards. At 42-years-old, the actor is now as much a match for Mr Fantastic as he was for Superman 15 years ago. Furthermore, as Routh is just a couple years younger than Benedict Cumberbatch, both Reed Richards and Steven Strange’s comic age difference would line up on screen.

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Who else could play Reed Richards?

As far as other actors for Mr Fantastic, there are a few fan favourite picks out there. For example, by far the most popular pick for a live action Reed Richards is The Office actor John Krasinski. Of course, this also comes with the fan-favourite pitch for Krasinski’s real-life wife Emily Blunt to play Sue Storm.

On the other hand,  a multitude of fans have clamouring for Rahul Kohli to play the superhero. Known for his fantastic acting in The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass, Kohli is quickly becoming a beloved actor. While his casting would certainly upset a particularly moan-y subset of loudmouth “fans”, he would certainly be a fantastic pick for the role.