Ioan Gruffudd Would Happily Return as Reed Richards in ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, Even for a Blink-and-You’ll-Miss-It Cameo

Few pieces of superhero casting have aged as warmly as Ioan Gruffudd’s take on Reed Richards. The Welsh actor played Mister Fantastic in ‘Fantastic Four‘ and its sequel ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’, and fans have spent years asking whether he could stretch back into the role. Ioan Gruffudd returning as Reed Richards remains one of the MCU’s most persistent fan wishes.

Marvel Studios has since rebuilt its first family from scratch. Pedro Pascal plays Reed in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’, alongside Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Yet the multiverse has made past versions of heroes fair game, with ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ arriving on December 18, 2026 and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ following on December 17, 2027.

That backdrop gives Gruffudd’s latest comments extra weight. In a recent interview, he said he would love to play Mr. Fantastic again and called the character a big part of his life. He added that if Marvel invited him back, he would turn up for even the briefest appearance, the kind you could miss in a blink.

It is a humble pitch from an actor who is clearly not demanding a victory lap. He is not asking for a starring role or a dramatic villain arc, just a seat at the table if the story needs him. In a franchise that loves a surprise cameo, that attitude is exactly what fans want to hear.

This is hardly the first time Gruffudd has made his feelings known. At the ‘Back to the Baxter Building’ panel at New York Comic Con, he and co-star Michael Chiklis, who played The Thing, both said they would absolutely return for ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’. At a Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo panel, he said he would love to be part of it if he were asked.

He has also made peace with the reboot. Gruffudd called ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ a beautiful touch, recalled attending its premiere, and said there is something honorable in passing the mantle forward. He compared it to audiences happily watching different actors take on ‘Hamlet’ over the years.

Still, the phone does not appear to have rung. In a 2025 Vulture interview, he said he had not been approached to reprise Mister Fantastic, though he added that you never know. He pointed to precedents like Chris Evans reappearing as Johnny Storm in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and John Krasinski turning up as a version of Reed.

At Liverpool Comic Con, he said he would return in a heartbeat if invited, but he quickly dismissed the idea that he is in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. He has also said he will not appear in that film and that the new cast will carry the story forward. That makes ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ the more realistic target for any reunion.

Speculation has followed him for a while. A report from 2024 claimed Marvel was toying with a Council of Reeds, an interdimensional group of Reed Richards variants, for one of the Avengers films. Gruffudd’s version was said to be among them.

More recently, a scooper claimed that ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ concept art and previs feature a Reed Richards variant, and doubted it would be Miles Teller’s. When a fan floated Gruffudd’s name, the same insider said the answer was probably yes. The same insider also suggested Pascal would likely play the variant if Gruffudd does not sign on.

Nothing about that is official. As of that report, no cast members had been confirmed for ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, which serves as a direct sequel to ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. The Russo brothers are directing both films, with Robert Downey Jr. set to play Doctor Doom.

Part of Gruffudd’s warmth toward the character comes from how his run ended. He has said that actors almost grieve every part they play, and that a character lived in across 2 films and several years becomes part of you. He has also said a trilogy was the mindset in the 2000s, and he was surprised a third film never came together.

That history gives the latest comments some heart. For fans who grew up with the original ‘Fantastic Four’ movies, even a cameo would feel less like nostalgia bait and more like closure for an actor who has waited patiently for a call that has yet to come.

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