Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards Scene Wins Me Over After I Was Tough on the Casting

I was kind of tough on the casting of Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards in our recent sneak peek episode, but I do have to say I have always admired how hard the actor goes in this role. And a new moment really shuts my criticism down.

This matters for fans because Reed Richards confronting his old friend Victor is shaping up to be one of the emotional cores of Avengers: Doomsday, and how Pedro Pascal plays that betrayal could set the tone for the whole film.

Reed Richards Confronts Victor With a Sense of Betrayal

In the clip, Reed demands answers from his old friend: "Victor, did you do this? Answer me, Victor. Did you do this?" What strikes me is the sense of betrayal that Reed has in this moment, and the kind of dumbfounded shame he emotes along with it.

Remembering Reed's Defining Line From Fantastic Four: First Steps

That reaction reminds me of an earlier, defining line Reed had in Fantastic Four: First Steps: "It is my job to think terrible things so the terrible things don't happen. I don't dream. I don't wonder. I invite the worst possible thing into my head to figure out how to hurt them before they hurt anybody else."

Why This Is Described as Reed's Curse

That line sets up what I'd call Reed's curse. He overthinks every problem and imagines every worst case scenario, forcing himself to live within these possible horrors so that he can make sure they never actually happen.

The One Scenario Reed Never Saw Coming

But this is one possibility that didn't even remotely cross his mind, that his old friend from college, the one guy in the room smarter than he is, is going to use his magic and his science and his rage to destroy three Earths and remake them into his own utopian vision.

Does this moment change how you feel about Pedro Pascal playing Reed Richards?