Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi recently revealed that Marvel Cinematic Universe fancasting was directly responsible for John Krasinski playing the Mister Fantastic role.
Raimi recalled how Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige enlisted Krasinki to portray the leader of The Fantastic Four in response to overwhelming audience demand, during the film's audio commentary. "It's so funny that Kevin cast John [Krasinski] because the fans had a dream of who the perfect Reed Richards would be," he said. "And because this is an alternate universe, I think Kevin said, 'Let's make that dream come true.' I've always really enjoyed all of his performances.'"
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness producer Richie Palmer also confirmed that Mister Fantastic's MCU debut includes a Doctor Doom Easter egg, as well. Palmer explained that the technology Reed Richards uses to teleport into the Illuminati chamber is based on hardware invented by his comic book arch-nemesis. "The detail of the teleportation device he uses to get into the scene is something we took from the comics, that’s Doctor Doom’s Time Platform," he said.
Discussing The Illuminati's involvement in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness more broadly, screenwriter Michael Waldron added that an Ant-Man character was nearly one of the elite council's members. The scribe noted that The Wasp was part of The Illuminati in his first draft, and was killed after she's squished between The Scarlet Witch's hands. It isn't clear from Waldron's comments whether the incarnation of The Wasp he was referring to was the Hope van Dyne version, or her predecessor Janet van Dyne.
While The Wasp escaped the Doctor Strange sequel unscathed, her would-be teammates didn't fare so well. Except for Chiwetel Ejiofor's Karl Mordo, every member of The Illuminati dies during a brutal showdown with The Scarlet Witch. Waldron previously justified the violence of this scene, arguing that it establishes Wanda Maximoff as a credible threat leading into the movie's third act. "These characters finally show up and you feel safe for a moment... Then they get annihilated. The audience's safety net drops out from under their feet. Suddenly they're absolutely terrified. And The Scarlet Witch has never been scarier," he said.
The screenwriter also defended Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' PG-13 rating, despite the inclusion of scenes like the Illuminati massacre that pushed the envelope in terms of graphic content in the MCU. "I think the movies that were the most impactful for me were the movies that felt a little bit dangerous to watch as a kid, so it's kind of fun to feel like we made one of those," Waldron said.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness audio commentary