Marvel’s first family of superheroes – the Fantastic Four, is set to return for the third time with Marvel’s Fantastic Four, currently slated for release in 2025. The film will be part of Phase Six of the MCU’s multiverse saga. The cast of beloved characters like Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Susan Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (Human Torch) and Ben Grimm (The Thing) is still being kept under wraps by the studio. However, a new tweet, although not directly from the studio, has sparked new rumors about the movie.
A Twitter handle @RPK_NEWS11 recently reported that Marvel Studios’ next Fantastic Four movie will be set in the ’60s. They’ll be a team out of time. Neither Kang nor Doom are the villains. Kang will be in the movie but he’s there to connect the group to both Avengers movies. It’s not strictly an origin story but we’ll see.
#MarvelStudios Coming #Fantastic Four will take place in the past 60s. They will be a team out of time. Neither Kang nor a Fate is the villain. #Kang will be in the movie but he’s there to connect the band to the two #Avengers movies. it’s not strictly an origin story but we’ll see pic.twitter.com/E5t982ign9
—RPK (@RPK_NEWS11) November 16, 2022
The 60s
John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2
This is really exciting news because ever since it was announced at SDCC 2022, fans have been eager to hear an update on Marvel’s highly anticipated project. However, Marvel’s D23 has come and gone and nothing has been heard about the project (except that Matt Shakman is directing), not even a casting update. A few days later, Marvel announced that the movie had been delayed to early 2025. However, that tweet made one Marvel fan smile.
So, the tweet says that the movie will see Fantastic Four stuck in the 60s era. This could be a masterstroke from the writers as it could easily explain two major MCU issues. One, where the MCU’s Fantastic Four have been all this time (during Loki, Ultron, and Thanos’ invasion), and the other is why their existence has never even been mentioned or acknowledged in the current timeline of the MCU. It would also allow directors and visual effects artists to tackle a time period that could be both refreshing and nostalgic – the 60s. film. By the end of the film, the team will finally find their way into the current era of the MCU and thus become prominent players in later Marvel projects.
The Fantastic Four’s Not-So-Fantastic Past
Fantastic Four Movies
Marvel’s Fantastic Four have so far made three (counting the 2005 and 2007 films as one, since they both had the same cast and director) ill-fated attempts in the past:
The Fantastic Four (1994): Directed by Roger Corman, the film starred Alex Hyde-White as Mr. Fantastic, Rebecca Stabb as The Invisible Woman, Jay Underwood as Human Torch, Joseph Culp as Dr. Doom, with Michael Bailey Smith playing Ben Grimm while Carl Ciarfalio wore an animatronic rubber suit to play the Thing. However, the film was very bad and therefore never released.
The Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007): Both directed by Tim Story, the films starred Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom. Laurence Fishburne voiced while Doug Jones played motion capture for the Silver Surfer in the sequel. The films received average reviews from critics and fans.
Fan4tastic (2015): Directed by Josh Tank and Simon Kinberg (for reshoots), the film starred Miles Teller as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm, Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm and Toby Kebbell as Victor Von Doom. The film did very poorly at the box office. Any future plans for sequels have been scrapped.
Apart from that, John Krasinski made a cameo as an alternate universe Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), however, the character is later killed off by Scarlet Witch in the film.
No origin, no destiny
Dr. Doom in Fan4tastic (2015)
As noted above, nearly every iteration of the superhero family so far has seen them battle their nemesis – Dr. Doom. It’s understandable considering that Dr. Doom’s origins are closely tied to the Fantastic Four getting their powers. Every time a studio thought to include the origins of the Fantastic Four, they found themselves forced to include Dr. Doom in the script. Over time, studios’ continued dishonest treatment of the beloved property has angered fans and shattered their faith in any heartfelt future projects.
After the Fox-Marvel merger, Kevin Feige finally announced that he would be restarting the franchise again. With confidence in Feige, fans around the world cheered again. The next Marvel movie could see the team stuck in the 1960s, so that would provide an opportunity to not feature their origin story or include Doom in the plot. This could pave the way for a new take on the story with an entirely new villain (perhaps Galactus or Diablo or the Frightful Four). The tweet further says that Kang might appear to be in the movie, but he’ll be there to connect the group to the two future Avengers movies (Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars), so it wouldn’t be more than a cameo.
Keep in mind that this is all just a rumor and should be taken with a grain of salt. Any official update from Marvel or its executives on the film is still awaited.
