FANTASTIC FOUR: 10 Things Marvel Studios Must Do To Make Their Big Screen Return Work

Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four reboot could be with us as soon as 2022, but after three terrible movies, what should they do to ensure that this version is a success? We have ten noteworthy suggestions...

By JoshWilding - Sep 18, 2019 08:09 AM EST

Filed Under: Fantastic Four

Thanks to the Disney/Fox merger, the Fantastic Four are finally on their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rumour has it that the movie could be released as soon as 2022 and the pressure is now on Marvel Studios to make things right with a team that's appeared in three critical and commercial flops (and one movie so bad it was never even released).

While it's safe to assume that Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing are in good hands with Kevin Feige, there are definitely some things we do - and don't - need to see in order to ensure that the return of Marvel's First Family to the big screen is a success.

In this feature, we look at mistakes Marvel Studios shouldn't make/repeat (don't worry, we're sure they won't hide Galactus in a cloud again), creative decisions which would help make this one of their best movies to date, and everything else that needs to be done in order to give us the Fantastic Four movie we've all been waiting for.

So, to check out this article in its entirety, simply click on the "View List" button down below!

Don't Give Us A Teenage Team

Making the Fantastic Four teenagers is no doubt going to be something that's mighty tempting to Marvel Studios, especially as it would explain why we haven't seen them before now. However, following the Ultimate line of comic books didn't work in 2015's reboot, and it won't work now.

Honestly, the entire concept of the Baxter Building being an institute of sorts for gifted youngsters feels like too much of a copy of the X-Men and is a pretty lame way to create this team of heroes.

Reed Richards wasn't that young when he took Sue, Johnny, and Ben into outer space, so they don't need to have been part of the MCU for years; instead, the events of Avengers: Endgame might just be what inspired Reed to look to the cosmos for answers, and it's obviously then that they would get hit by those cosmic rays and transformed into unlikely superheroes.

Give The Team Their Classic Costumes

The first two Fantastic Four movies put this iconic foursome in their comic book costumes, before Josh Trank gave them some pretty terrible versions that were more grounded in reality...and boring as hell!

Considering how often Marvel Studios sticks to the source material, we have no doubt that the heroes will be in modernised versions of their familiar suits, and a blue and black colour scheme is obviously the way to go. Lately, they've been wearing black and blue, while white and red has also been incorporated into their suits at various times.

Ultimately, as long as they're comic accurate in design and make fans immediately think of the source material, there's really no reason to think Kevin Feige and company won't end up doing them justice.

Make The Thing A Mo-Cap Creation

Say what you will about the 2015 Fantastic Four movie, but making The Thing a CGI creation rather than putting Jamie Bell in a rubber suit was one of the best decisions Fox made.

With characters like The Hulk and Thanos, Marvel Studios has shown that they know how to effectively bring mo-cap characters to life on the big screen, and The Thing needs to be both comic accurate and large in stature (not quite as big as The Hulk, but certainly not too far off).

And yes, this means he should absolutely have that trademark brow of his from the comic books!

Hold Off On Doctor Doom...For Now

Rumour has it that Marvel Studios plans to introduce Doctor Doom in his own Disney+ TV series before having him square off with the team, and that's a great idea. His origin story is one that could definitely play out over six episodes or so and making yet another Fantastic Four movie with Doom as the main antagonist could be a costly mistake on Marvel Studios' part.

After all, whether we're talking about Mole Man, Annihilus, or Galactus himself, the Four have a huge rouges gallery and all we've ever really seen on the big screen is them facing Doom!

With that in mind, he probably shouldn't factor into this reboot in any way, shape, or form, and is best saved for a sequel (possibly even a third movie). Doom could even be a threat to the whole MCU if he's handled the right way, and that could mean the FF aren't actually his only foes.

Give The Team "Avengers Tower"

Now that Spider-Man is no longer part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems pretty obvious who should be revealed as the new owners of Avengers Tower. While it's hard to say where Reed Richards and company would have got that kind of money, the structure becoming the Baxter Building makes perfect sense and puts this group of heroes right in the centre of the Big Apple.

Reed could easily be the owner of the "Future Foundation" and a billionaire on the back of his inventions when we catch up with him. Then, upon realising that he wants to start making a difference, Reed convincing his friends to head into outer space with him adds up and could be an interesting story arc for the hero.

Either way, Avengers Tower would be a great base for the Fantastic Four once they enter the MCU.

Tie The Negative Zone Into The Quantum Realm

The Negative Zone is a location with a lot of big screen potential and it could even lead to an adaptation of Annihilation somewhere down the line. That cosmic epic could potentially be bigger than "The Infinity Saga," but rather than confusing audiences with the introduction of this strange place, linking it to the Quantum Realm could be a clever way of tying a lot of dangling threads together.

Whether they're one and the same or just connected in ways that mean they exist side by side, seeing the Fantastic Four travel into the Negative Zone and shedding more light on where Janet Van Dyne was trapped in the process would be really interesting. An Ant-Man cameo in the reboot would also go some way towards linking this team's first adventure to the wider MCU in an effective manner.

Plus, seeing Reed butting heads with Hank Pym would be a lot of fun for comic book fans.

Don't Let Peyton Reed Direct It (Sorry!)

Alas, just because we think an Ant-Man/Quantum Realm cameo would be a fun idea, doesn't mean that Peyton Reed should take the helm of this reboot. He's wanted the job for a while and there was even a rumour a while back that he was in talks with Marvel Studios to make that happen.

Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp are pretty good, but they're also a tad middle of the road.

Fantastic Four needs a filmmaker in charge with a real eye for visuals, and an inventiveness which makes this feel like something truly special and different in the comic book movie genre. Reed simply isn't the right man for the job, and Marvel Studios needs to choose wisely because if this new take doesn't succeed, then the franchise truly will be dead and beyond saving.

Avoid A 1960s Setting

When Reed was attached to direct Fantastic Four at Fox, the plan was to set the movie in the 1960s. That would have been really cool and there's no denying that the heroes fit well in that setting.

Now, Marvel Studios could choose to do the same thing and it's feasible this team could have existed decades before Iron Man and company showed up. However, it would be a great shame for them not to make their presence felt in the present day MCU alongside The Avengers and X-Men.

One possible solution is that they got trapped inside some sort of Time Vortex in the Quantum Realm/Negative Zone after blasting off in the 1960s. They could then arrive in the present day in a fish out of water type scenario, but since that's really not the best option, let's stick to a contemporary team!

Focus On Family

There's a good reason the Fantastic Four are known as "Marvel's First Family." The dynamic between this foursome is definitely something the reboot needs to explore, whether it's Reed and Ben's bond as best friends, Sue and Johnny's sibling dynamic, or simply the way Johnny drives Ben nuts with his practical jokes and constant teasing.

It would be no bad thing for Franklin and Valeria Richards to show up sooner rather than later, as outside of Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame, we haven't seen the concept of a superhero parent explored in the MCU.

The idea of a superhero family is one we've not seen done well on the big screen (the first two movies tried, but it didn't really work that well for the most part) but Fantastic Four could change that and these four should be close before we even meet them.

Make Sue Storm The Team's Most Powerful Member

The less said about Jessica Alba's Invisible Woman, the better. As for Kate Mara's version, all we really remember about her is the odd looking wig the actress had to don for those extensive reshoots.

In this movie, Marvel Studios shouldn't shy away from showing that while the likes of Mister Fantastic, the Human Torch, and The Thing are incredibly powerful, it's Sue Storm who is truly the strongest member of the team. Her force fields coming into play is a must, while fans will know that her invisibility powers do more than just help her vanish.

The MCU still needs more strong female characters, and the Invisible Woman should lead the charge.

Continue reading below to check out the 10 villains
we're hoping to see in the Fantastic Four reboot!

Mole Man

You might be wondering why we're kicking off this list with one of the Fantastic Four's "lamest" villains, but there's actually more to Harvey Rupert Elder than meets the eye. After being rejected by surface-dwellers for his hideous appearance, he went underground and discovered a hidden subterranean world where he found and started to rule over the monstrous Moloids.

A classic villain who appeared in the very first issue of Fantastic Four, pitting the team against Mole Man makes perfect sense, and it would be awesome to see the heroes battle massive creatures who rise up from beneath the Earth. There's no denying that this is a character with a lot of potential and a modern reinvention could be exactly what this franchise needs.

Annihilus

Annihilus is one of the Marvel Universe's most deadly villains and controls the inhabitants of the Negative Zone with his powerful Cosmic Control Rod. After the Fantastic Four travelled to his home, they became instant enemies and have clashed numerous times over the years (Annihilus was also responsible for the Human Torch's apparent death during one such battle).

The previous Fantastic Four movies really didn't take advantage of the Negative Zone, and seeing as we've already been introduced to the Quantum Realm, it wouldn't be overly difficult to tie the two locations together. Throw in the fact that that Annihilus later takes control of the universe threatening Annihilation Wave, and this movie could set the stage for him becoming the MCU's new big bad.

The Frightful Four

Why not pit a team of heroes against a team of villains? Many bad guys have been part of the Frightful Four over the years and Marvel Studios could take their pick when it comes to who they would want to include. The Wizard should be the leader, though, as he's been a constant throughout the team's history and his intelligence very nearly matches Reed Richards.

Trapster is also a must, while the likes of Thundra and Titania are definitely ready for their respective big screen debuts. Marvel could even reinvent some of the Fantastic Four's more obscure bad guys (Dragon Man, for example) for the team of villains, and while four antagonists might seem like a little much for a first outing, this group is definitely one that should be utilised in the MCU one day.

Doctor Doom

This is a tricky one. After all, Doctor Doom has had a prominent role in all three Fantastic Four movies, and Marvel Studios might be reluctant to head back down that route despite how popular the villain is and how much potential a comic accurate version has on screen. If Victor Von Doom does return here, however, he absolutely should not gain his "powers" at the same time as the team.

Instead, he should have that shared history with Reed Richards when they were in college and become the ruler of Latveria in the interim. His powers need to be rooted in magic (there's precedent for that now we've met characters like Doctor Strange and the Scarlet Witch), and while Doom must be introduced in this franchise, he absolutely has the potential to be a foe to the whole MCU.

Galactus

Remember when Galactus was a cloud? Good times, eh? Well, Marvel Studios now has the chance to make that right, and just like Doctor Doom and Annihilus, this is a character who can first make his presence felt in Fantastic Four before returning down the line to pose a greater threat to the entire MCU (so, yeah, that's three potential big bads all coming from this one franchise).

Honestly, an adaptation of Galactus' first appearance in the Fantastic Four comic book would be pretty much ideal, and we know that Kevin Feige is a big fan of both him the Silver Surfer as he offered Fox the chance to keep Daredevil in exchange for these two.

If nothing else, don't be surprised if the Surfer shows up in a post-credits scene to set the stage for a future Galactus appearance.

Molecule Man

He may have served as an ally to Marvel's First Family in recent years, but Molecule Man started off as a villain and he's someone who has nearly ended the team on more than one occasion. His power levels are off the charts and he has the ability to control all matter and energy, something which would tie in nicely to Marvel's potential plans to adapt the newer version of Secret Wars.

Initially, it's easy to imagine fans being disappointed about Molecule Man taking centre stage in Fantastic Four, but similar to how Marvel Studios has reinvented a whole host of B and C list villains over the years, there's no reason why they couldn't take this unhinged powerhouse and make him an A-Lister. There are plenty of great comic book arcs to turn to for inspiration, as well.

Super-Skrull

The Skrulls arrived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain Marvel, but there was no sign of the Super-Skrull. That's because Fox previously held the rights to that character, but with the merger now complete, there's no reason why the monstrous alien can't unleash the full extent of his powers - most of which are based on the Fantastic Four's abilities - on the team in this reboot.

Now, he's probably not interesting enough to be much more than a secondary villain, but if the Kree/Skrull War is coming to the MCU, then laying the groundwork for that here by introducing some new, villainous "Super" Skrulls would be a lot of fun.

Of all the bad guys listed here, the Super-Skrull probably isn't a priority for Marvel Studios, but it would be nice to see him get the spotlight.

Blastaar

Annihilus is definitely a villain Marvel Studios should consider using in Fantastic Four, but if they want to take a slow burn approach to exploring the Negative Zone, then kicking things off with Blastaar might be a smart move. One of Annihilus' many enemies, Blastaar has spent a long time competing for control of this dimension and that's led to him clashing with these heroes many times.

After we've spent so much time with a great alien bad guy like Thanos, Marvel Studios would have to do a lot to ensure that Blastaar doesn't come across as just another generic CGI villain and that might mean making some changes while bringing him from page to screen. With that in mind, it might actually be smarter to use him as a secondary baddie.

Namor The Sub-Mariner

There have been rumblings that Namor is going to make his presence felt in a Phase 4, but regardless of whether that's true or not, he would make for a great lead villain in this movie. He's jumped between his hero and villain status many times over the years and has often attacked the surface world (his affections for Sue Storm also led to him kidnapping her at one point).

Even if Marvel Studios decides not to go down the love triangle route, seeing the Fantastic Four enter the Marvel Universe's version of Atlantis would be really special and if they want to do something fresh and different with the franchise, it's hard to imagine a better way of achieving that than using this iconic comic book character as the lead villain in this planned reboot.

Hyperstorm

Here's where things get a little weird. Avengers: Endgame introduced the idea of time-travel, so why not make use of the future son of Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers? While neither of those mutants will make their presence felt in the MCU for a while, this insanely powerful character arriving in the present day from his post-apocalyptic future has a great deal of potential.

After all, it would allow Marvel Studios to tie the Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises together, while also teasing what's to become of the Earth if the Sentinels' mission to wipe out mutants is allowed to play out.

There's no denying that Hyperstorm's introduction would be tough to pull off, but providing it's handled carefully, this choice of villain could have some major ramifications.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR Star Paul Walter Hauser Explains Why He Was Initially Reluctant To Join The Reboot

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122 Comments

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bkmeijer2 - 9/18/2019, 8:31 AM

I think a 1960s setting actually is for the better. Ofcourse it's a shame that they won't interact with the modern day heroes, but I think putting them alongside the rest is the present is gonna be way to crammy.

And I think throwing them into a time vortex in the Qauntum Realm (which should be tied to their origin in my opinion) actually is a pretty good excuse to introduce them in the modern day

inkniron - 9/18/2019, 10:59 AM

@MalseMarcel - Absolutely not. The hero out of time schtick is getting old in the MCU. Captain America, Captain Marvel, Scott Lang followed by everyone else that was dusted. It's really the most unimaginative and lazy thing they could do.

lvcl - 9/18/2019, 9:36 PM

@inkniron -
They could travel to a planet to fight some villian where time rules are different as in Interstellar.

They just spend in that planet a few hours but 20 or 30 years in the Earth

inkniron - 9/18/2019, 11:01 PM

@lvcl - Still the same principle. On top of that you're taking one of the smartest people on earth, displacing him from 30 years worth of technology. Congrats, now you probably have 12 yr olds more technologically savy.

It's not hard to mostly adapt their origin to today. Why does everyone want to make it more difficult than it should be.

lvcl - 9/18/2019, 11:08 PM

@inkniron -

What do you want? A childish script?

You must be a Disney Club fan

inkniron - 9/19/2019, 12:42 AM

@lvcl - Founding member, but that's not the point. I'd like to not have the same thing rehashed over and over again. That's the real Micky Mouse bullshit. Then again, why not have them time displaced. While they're at it, make sure the villain is connected to Tony Stark. We've only seen that what, 4, 5 times? Surly that well isn't dry yet.

lvcl - 9/19/2019, 8:55 AM

@inkniron -
Ok That´s your point as respectable as any other.

SpideyPuffsMJ - 9/18/2019, 8:32 AM

"Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp are really great"

>Ant-Man and the Wasp

knocturnalzen10 - 9/18/2019, 8:37 AM

@SpideyPuffsMJ - just needed that time machine, everything else .....

Jeight8 - 9/18/2019, 9:49 AM

@SpideyPuffsMJ - so every single mcu film needs to be great. Cant they be ok or solid?

The mcu has the best ratio of great/good xbms. Almost half the mcu is considered top tier cbms.

Wb, fox or sony arent even close to that.

SpideyPuffsMJ - 9/18/2019, 10:48 AM

@Jeight8 - Calm down. I didn't criticize the entire MCU? Wtf are you bringing WB, Fox, Sony into this for? I think it's a below average movie. Deal with it.

KWilly - 9/18/2019, 8:37 AM

I agree with the "avoid 1960's" setting. It's unnecessary, lol. Just put them in the MCU's current time. Say they got their powers and built their explorer reputation during that 5 year time gap in Endgame.

Regardless, I'm just beyond hyped my F4 are gonna get the treatment they deserve.

rabid - 9/18/2019, 8:41 AM

I'd like it if Pym had a research partner in Nathaniel Richards in the 60s . Maybe Nathaniel disappeared in the first Quantum realm experiment and Reed and the crew went after him. Nathaniel becomes Kang and the FF get quantum powers and get thrown from the 60s into modern day.

Origame - 9/18/2019, 8:51 AM

@TheDoctor1225 the reasons you listed for the movies are stuff taken directly from the wright version of the original movie. For example, the fast talking story exposition done by luis is pretty clearly in Wright's style of comedy, and we know details like the battle where antman runs on the gun and even the casting were all done when wright was involved.

Then when we got to antman and the wasp, it really showed that reed didn't know what he was doing. The characters basically reset based on where they were before, antman himself was pretty useless, all the plot threads are resolved way too easily. All it really had going for it was the inventive action. But literally all that was included in the trailers, so there isnt even a lot of it.

Jeight8 - 9/18/2019, 9:51 AM

@Origame - except that the narrations were written by ferrari and not by wright so you are wrong.

Almost the stuff most people liked about the folm including the narrations, the quantum realm and the falcon cameo were adam mckay and reed ideas, not wrights.

WeaponXCII - 9/18/2019, 9:01 AM

"However, following the Ultimate line of comic books didn't work in 2015's reboot and it won't now either."

I see this line of thinking (fallacy of division?) all the time and it absolutely baffles me.

No. Making the Fantastic Four young didn't work because nothing about Fantfourstic worked. It was a bad decision because the movie was rife with bad decisions. A good aspect can't elevate a movie if it's completely surrounded by bad decisions. I mean, the "article" goes on to negate its own point: the Story films used the costumes; the Story films were not good; therefore... the MCU shouldn't use the costumes????

Now, I don't think they should necessarily make them young- in fact, I want somewhat older versions. But can we please stop using Fantf*ckingfourstic as an example of why something won't work?

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