Dr. Doom and Reed Richards AKA Mr. Fantastic might be the fiercest of arch-nemeses in the Marvel comic book universe — and soon to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe — but when it comes to the actors who portray them in real life, Robert Downey Jr. (who will likely make an appearance as Dr. Doom for the first time in The Fantastic Four: First Steps) and Pedro Pascal wish each other nothing but the best.
In a recent Vanity Fair interview, RDJ specifically sang Pascal’s praises, stating that Pascal’s rise to prominence in film and television in recent years has “reaffirmed his faith in the industry.”
“Pascal’s slow trajectory to becoming a household name who is on a wildly hot streak kind of reaffirms my faith in our industry,” Downey said.
Pascal repaid the sentiment, saying of Downey: “He’s just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent.” He also addressed the backlash surrounding his casting as Reed Richards, acknowledging criticism from detractors who claimed, “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.” Pascal said he was able to consult/empathize with Downey Jr. during these challenging moments of criticism.
Despite internet negativity being an all-too-common annoyance, Pascal’s co-star Vanessa Kirby — who plays Sue Storm, AKA the Invisible Woman — expressed nothing but admiration for him.
“He doesn’t have much armor, so he shows himself to you straight away, and you trust that person because he’s revealing himself to you in this very brave way,” Kirby said.
Richards, who is one of the most intelligent and powerful characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has the ability to elasticize and reshape his body to incredible lengths (as well as superhuman durability that comes with this extreme stretching), is not without his weaknesses, a notion that isn’t lost on Pascal.
“I think when your mind is always focused on the greater good, you can miss a lot of little details. Knowing those details is very important to keeping the family together,” Pascal said in an interview with German publication kino.de.
He also told Variety that “part Steve Jobs and part Oppenheimer” and that Richards was “always on the edge of saving the world or destroying it.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to release in theater on July 25th, the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Six. The film will take place in a retro-futuristic, 1960s’ inspired setting, with Pascal as Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Kirby as Sue Richards/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Jonny Storm/Human Torch, Ebon Moss‑Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing, Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer and Ralph Ineson as Galactus.
Are you as excited to see Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic in Fantastic Four: First Steps as co-star Robert Downey Jr? Let us know in the comments.
