With the imminent release of Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans are bracing for a permanent shift in how Marvel’s “First Family” is portrayed across all media, as the MCU’s influence begins to overwrite decades of comic book history. After remaining largely immune to the “MCU-ification” that has defined other heroes for nearly 20 years, Reed Richards and his team are now seeing their classic aesthetics replaced by the likenesses of their live-action counterparts.
The MCU’s Growing Creative Shadow
For nearly two decades, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has fundamentally altered the DNA of Marvel’s multimedia output. This trend toward a sterile, photorealistic style—once exemplified by the ill-fated Avengers game from Crystal Dynamics—has gradually seeped into almost every corner of the brand. While recent titles like Marvel Rivals and the upcoming Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls have pivoted toward more stylized visuals, they remain unable to fully escape the gravitational pull of the MCU’s character designs.
Pedro Pascal’s Influence on Reed Richards
The transition is already visible in unexpected places. Observers have noted that Reed Richards has begun to mirror Pedro Pascal’s likeness in the digital card game Marvel Snap. While some of these designs are explicitly branded as film tie-ins, the trend suggests a future where Pascal’s portrayal becomes the definitive version of Mr. Fantastic for the general public, effectively eclipsing the traditional “brainiac” comic book iteration.
A Pattern of Cinematic Replacement
This phenomenon is well-documented. Robert Downey Jr.’s voice and cadence have become the blueprint for Iron Man in non-MCU media, with voice actors like Josh Keaton in Marvel Rivals actively incorporating the actor’s mannerisms into their performances. Similarly, the shift in Star-Lord’s personality—from a hardened leader to the “manchild” archetype popularized by Chris Pratt in 2014—has become the standard for the character, as seen in the 2021 Guardians of the Galaxy game.
The Final Frontier for Disney’s Integration
For years, the Fantastic Four avoided this fate simply because 20th Century Fox held the film rights, creating a buffer zone that lasted nearly two decades. However, following Disney’s acquisition of those rights, the group is now being folded into the corporate machine. With First Steps premiering in just two weeks, fans are waiting to see exactly how much the film will deviate from the source material. History suggests that once the film hits, the classic version of the team may be permanently sidelined in favor of the MCU’s new status quo.
Update: 7/10/25, 11:31 a.m.: Minutes after we published this story, Marvel Rivals announced a new set of skins based on First Steps in which Mr. Fantastic is looking a lot like Pascal. Sweet serendipity.
