Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal has denied that Reed Richards will be leading the Avengers.
Recently, director Matt Shakman commented of Reed: "He goes from being the nerdy scientist who's locked away in the lab, to the husband and the father who'd do anything to protect his family, to the guy who's leading the Avengers."
But, according to Pascal, that's not quite the case. "It's big news to me, for one," he told the Associated Press. "I think Matt Shakman was doing an interview, and when he was speaking about Reed, there is something that happens within the comics, he's sort of... drawn in by the Avengers family and asked to be put in a leadership position. But it is something that happens in the comics, it isn't necessarily something that my character's future entails."
He added: "I'm being honest in that. I'm not even trying to avoid spoilers. I'm just saying, it's a little bit of a... mislead."
Shakman himself has also denied that Reed will be leading the Avengers. "I didn't actually say that. I saw the internet said I said that," he told Bustle (via Inverse). "What I said, and just to clarify, was that he's a really complex character in the comics. That he ranges from being this amazing scientist to being this leader who goes out and saves the day to being this family member, and I needed an actor who could encompass all three things. So unfortunately, a lot of that was taken out of context."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now, while Avengers: Doomsday is arriving next year. One of the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scenes directly sets up that movie, too, but we won't say anything else here.
You can keep up to date with everything else the MCU has in store with our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows. Or, dive into our The Fantastic Four: First Steps ending explained for a spoiler breakdown.
