While The Fantastic Four: First Steps is still in cinemas, the original Reed Richards actor Ioan Gruffudd recently talked about his time as the Marvel superhero, and complained about a Wolverine 'cameo' that didn't make it into the final cut.
In a deleted scene from 2005’s Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic briefly turns into Hugh Jackman's Wolverine to impress Jessica Alba's Sue Storm. "I don't know why that didn't make it into the film," Gruffudd said during an interview with Vulture this week.
"Paying homage to the great Hugh Jackman was quite a thrill because I absolutely love him as an actor and his Wolverine. I'm glad that it has a chance to exist somewhere. That was a reshoot, and I was in Vancouver on a soundstage and Jessica was in New York, so we weren't actually together, but we look perfectly in sync," he added.
You can watch the deleted scene online, which shows Reed and Sue having a heartfelt conversation about their romantic relationship. He says he always thought she wanted a "stronger man", and uses his powers to transform his face into Wolverine's as an example. "I did, Reed, and I wanted you to be that man", she replies. When they seem like they might kiss, Sue turns invisible.
Gruffudd reprised the role in the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, alongside Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm. The cast thought there would be a threequel. "The mind-set was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans," the actor recalled.
Now, a new Fantastic Four has taken over at the MCU, with Pedro Pascal as the new Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out now in theaters. For more on the movie, check out our guide to the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scenes, or our spoiler-free Fantastic Four: First Steps review.
