Old MCU Fantastic Four Discussion Thread

[Silvermoth]

Imagine if surfer is the guy who combines the foxverse and the mcu? That would be cool. I hope he gets at least one scene with strange and hulk

 

[Detective Conan]

Fantastic Four #1 can be seen in the background office during Feige's saturn awards acceptance speech.

Beat ya’ to the punch there.

 

[David H.]

I’d like to think Silver Surfer is idiosyncratic enough I draw Gosling in, but who knows?

Maybe if he and Taika got along...

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

 

[BobJM]

I keep going back to Bill Hader as Reed Richards and really hope his name is tossed in the ring.

 

[BobJM]

I really hope they get Thing right this time.

 

[Detective Conan]

I keep going back to Bill Hader as Reed Richards and really hope his name is tossed in the ring.

I was just thinking of him as Reed. After seeing his dramatic chops with Barry and that new It film I’d say he’s a great choice.

Fun fact: In the fourth season of the Venture Bros cartoon, Bill Hader actually did voice a Mr. Fantastic parody character called Professor Richard Impossible. Stephen Colbert did the voice character before him but then Hader eventually took over and did the voice so Hader already has experience playing an aloof genius with the powers of elongation who often times is too buried in his work.

 

[BobJM]

I think he’d really make the role his.

 

[BobJM]

I do hope that when Feige & Marvel start to develop the movie and look for inspiration from the comics, they look to Lee & Kirby, of course, but also to Hickman as well (such as they did in Infinity War). This new film take on the Fantastic Four should marry classic superhero flare of those earlier issues with the weight & drama that Hickman's saga injected.

But with that being said, to accurately and honestly portray the dysfunctional loving relationships of the four, I do think Marvel will—and should— lean on their ability to bring comedy to their films. At the core, the Fantastic Four is a family adventure and while the stakes should always be high, we don't need to sacrifice the fun.

Marvel’s The Fantastic Four
Journey Across the Multiverse

Directed by Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood)

“Solve everything.”

Dr. Reed Richards seeks to traverse the infinite realities of the multiverse in his quest to solve everything, and quickly becomes a global pioneer in scientific inter-dimensional exploration and something of a media-darling along with his adventuring super-powered family, affectionately dubbed the “Fantastic Four.” The four operate out of the freshly-minted Baxter Building, former home of earth’s mightiest heroes, now a revolutionary think-tank attracting international, young new leaders of scientific discovery.

Susan Richards leads the day-to-day operation of the Baxter labs, allowing her husband Reed more time to dedicate to his research, and often lends herself to be the family’s public face in interviews, late night appearances, etc. Johnny Storm takes advantage of his celebrity status by hitting the party circuit where his hot head attitude is oft on full display, and in front of paparazzi cameras no less. And Ben Grimm, Reed’s lifelong best pal and former USAF test pilot, finds a new home & life in the Baxter Building after his cosmic transformation.

The family hops in their Fantasticar and journey from one reality to the next, gaining a friend in the lost Lyja whose Skrull homeworld is unlike the one we know, and even encountering a subterranean world ruled by the Mole Man. Their adventures catch the attention of the insatiable Annihilus & his annihilation wave, inhabitants of the Negative Zone—the space that lay between dimensions. They hunger for the energies that are stemming from our reality. And when Annihilus’ gaze turns towards Earth and it’s whole dimension, the Fantastic Four must race to save our reality from total annihilation.

post credit scene a:

A group of mysterious Skrulls approach Lyja with the intention of recruiting her. They will be monitoring the four closely now & commit to “making their powers our own.” (allusion to Super Skrull, and potential further Skrull/Earth conflicts including, but not limited to, Secret Invasion, Kree/Skrull War)

post credit scene b:

Uatu watches among the stars and delivers a soliloquy to the audience pointedly marking “the coming of Galactus.” A silver streak darts across the ocean of space before we cut to black.

Here's a film outline that highlights the four in their truest form: as explorers of new frontiers of scientific knowledge and beyond, all while featuring some very recognizable bits of the Fantastic Four lore (i.e. the Fantasticar, H.E.R.B.I.E., etc.) And with seeds being sown for future entanglements with the Skrulls, the Council of Reeds and the threat of Incursion, an Annihilation-inspired crossover film event, and even Galactus & his heralds, a new Fantastic Four film in the MCU doesn't even need to address Doctor Doom and Latveria. Yet.

BossLogic created some incredible artwork of an MCU-inspired Annihilus that should be featured here too, and makes for a great character model:

Spoiler: Fantastic Four Fan Cast

family.
Reed Richards: Bill Hader, 41

Susan Storm: Amanda Seyfried, 33

Ben Grimm: Seth Rogen, 37

Johnny Storm: Ross Lynch, 23

villains.
Annihilus: Alexander Skarsgård, 43

Mole Man: Alfred Molina, 66

allies.
H.E.R.B.I.E, the Fantastic Four's robot companion: Bill Hader voiceover (a la Star Wars' BB8)

Roberta, the Baxter Building's android receptionist: Maya Rudolph, 47

Lyja: Joey King, 20

Leonard "Doc" Samson: Ty Burrell, 52

Wyatt Wingfoot: Adam Beach, 46
https://****************.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/beimage.jpeg

Spoiler: Fantastic Four Related Images

 

[David H.]

I like the cast. I’m definitely intrigued by Hader as Mister Fantastic and Molina would a be cool Mole Man (weird thing to type.)

I was thinking of Forrest Goodluck (Leo’s son in The Revenant) for Wyatt. I’m not totally familiar with the character but I do remember something about him being roommates with Johnny Storm in college. Goodluck is at just the age-range I figured we should be looking at for Johnny.

Oh, and I also recently caught Can You Ever Forgive Me? on tv and really liked it. Heller feels very feasible a directing pick. I can even see her bringing on Richard E. Grant for something. I like the thought of his voice for Annihilus (or even Doom, if they go the Darth Vader route.)

 

[BobJM]

That’s a good cast. I’m definitely intrigued by Hader as Mister Fantastic and Molina would be a cool Mole Man (weird thing to type.)

I was thinking of Forrest Goodluck (Leo’s son in The Revenant) for Wyatt Wingfoot. I’m not totally familiar with his character but I do remember something about him being roommates with Johnny Storm in college. Forrest is just in the age-range that I figured we should be looking at for Johnny.

Oh, and I also really enjoyed Can You Ever Forgive? Heller feels very like very feasible choice here. You consider Richard E. Grant to voice Annihilus?

I'm sure Grant could deliver a great performance, but I really think Skarsgard has a physicality and a presence to his performances that have tended to be these sort of quiet, yet raging storms that ultimately break and wreak destruction--watch Big Little Lies or Mute on Netflix. It's cool to think of Annihilus in that fashion--as an incoming storm. Skarsgard is talent that's continually on the rise too. Marvel would be wise to keep an eye on him.

And good call about Goodluck--I know there are fan casts of mine floating on this thread in earlier pages with him cast in the role. However, I think Wingfoot could potentially be better served as a military buddy of Ben's. Johnny's external relationship (outside of the four) would be primarily with Lyja in the outline I detailed.

 

[BobJM]

And when Doom is finally introduced, the actor signed on will need to contribute more of a performance than just the voice. To be honest, there's enough story there that Doom need not meet the Fantastic Four until at least a third film in the franchise, or perhaps in a related crossover movie (which could be inspired by any number of comics including DoomWar, Secret Wars, Annihilation--which he wasn't originally in, but this is Doom we're talking about, etc.).

And there's the factor of age. The actor should be close in age to whoever is portraying Richards--ideally the MCU will delve into their college past together. Furthermore, I hope to see whoever ends up playing Dr. Doom becomes something akin to Tom Hiddleston as Loki--an actor who is able to portray a character with a rabid and loyal fanbase across multiple film franchises as an antagonist and in a Disney+ project as the protagonist.

That all being said, my personal pick would be Dan Stevens, 36 as Doom. Earlier in this thread (a few pages back at this point, perhaps) someone mentioned a Hans Gruber-type performance for Doom. I think that's a great base point, and argue Stevens can carry that torch. I'd even venture to suggest Noah Hawley should write for Doom--not a film, but a Disney+ series that explores Doom's true origins, including his study of magic & relationship with his mother, his rise to power in Latveria (the small but powerful European nation born out of his manipulation of Sokovian civil strife following the Ultron attack), and relationship to Reed Richards, the only man on Earth who is a challenge to Dooms' claim as superior.

Even furthermore, if recent rumor reports are to be believed, Marvel may be considering introducing Doom first as a hero before delving into his more famous villainy. It could be an interesting take if he's introduced to the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the world at large at first as a sort of Black Panther-character, i.e. a superhero who is the ruler of a small yet technologically advanced nation. His castle fortress floats above the capital city in an image that's eerily similar to Ultron's attack. Doom spins a yarn of a heroic tale and how he united Latveria through triumph and sorcery, at the cost of his face thus causing him to wear his iron mask (the truth is far more nefarious). On the outside, Latveria appears as a utopia tucked away in Europe, but the truth is unveiled when he invites Reed Richards and his family to his home nation--if the MCU is going to dupe it's superheroes by having Doom a hero, it needs to be the Fantastic Four who uncover the truth!

https://www.**************.com/images/articles/banners/170394.jpg

 

[David H.]

I’m still rooting for Matthias Schoenaerts as Doom, the Grant suggestion was just a thought. I’d like to see some variation of Triumph and Torment onscreen, maybe after the character’s been introduced proper in relation to the Fantastic Four. You use that to establish his scientific prowess and later his supernatural elements, along with the compelling backstory of annually trying to save his mother’s soul from the Marvel Universe Devil.

And, hey, I can see Richard E. Grant as Mephisto as well

 

[BobJM]

I’m still rooting for Matthias Schoenaerts as Doom, the Grant suggestion was just a thought. I’d like to see some variation of Triumph and Torment onscreen, maybe after the character’s been introduced proper in relation to the Fantastic Four. You use that to establish his scientific prowess and later his supernatural elements, along with the compelling backstory of annually trying to save his mother’s soul from the Marvel Universe Devil.

And, hey, I can see Richard E. Grant as Mephisto as well

Don’t know Schoenaerts well enough to pass judgment on, but I’d toss Michiel Huisman in the ring for Doom too.

Grant would be superb as Mephisto—good call there. And it’d be great if they could stick close to the comics and tie him to Doom’s story in the MCU.

 

[Silvermoth]

It would be a shame to hire a guy like Huisman though and then cover him up

 

[BobJM]

It would be a shame to hire a guy like Huisman though and then cover him up

For all we know, a prequel Disney+ series could feature a maskless Doom.

 

[Crimz]

I personally hate Lyja and hope she never appears again in the comics let alone the films.

 

[BobJM]

I personally hate Lyja and hope she never appears again in the comics let alone the films.

An MCU Lyja can be very different from the comics. I suppose the main crux with my outline, and what I want to see in the MCU Fantastic Four is their interactions with aliens & other beings—especially the Skrull Empire.

 

[Crimz]

An MCU Lyja can be very different from the comics. I suppose the main crux with my outline, and what I want to see in the MCU Fantastic Four is their interactions with aliens & other beings—especially the Skrull Empire.

Marvel has provided good Skrulls for the FF to interact with to counterbalance the dark side of the Skrull empire. I don't think anymore need to be introduced.
Also, I think taking away Wyatt as Johnny's best friend would be a mistake. Especially when there is no Spider-Man. Ben has Reed as his best friend and making Wyatt his friend takes away from that, and takes away from Johnny who could do with someone like Wyatt to bounce off.

Marvel lost Peter and Ned, Johnny and Wyatt could fill that void (but with a completely different dynamic). It would be a waste to separate them.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I still think until evidence shows absolutely otherwise that some kind of gloss on Secret Invasion is a future MCU arc.

So more Skrulls is okay by me. In fact... I don't think I've seen this talked about anywhere else... In FFH we learn that Fury for the film's runtime was in fact Talos. Okay... In light of that I think things he said as Fury should be looked at closely. As an example when Peter mentions Capt. Marvel, Talos as Fury says something along the lines of "Don't mention her name".

Whut? Was it me or thinking on it does that sound less friendly or full of admiration than it should be given what we do know about Talos and Carol's history? What might that imply? And what might that imply in regards to exactly why and how Talos is working for/with Fury?

If this thread continues in the upcoming slate's post creds I could see this spilling over into the FF film given the comic history between the First Family and the Skrulls.

 

[BobJM]

I think the phrase in SM:FFH was “Don’t invoke her name” IIRC. Regardless of whether they choose to revisit that dialogue or not given the status of Spider-Man, I do agree that Secret Invasion is coming to the MCU in some form or fashion. I’d like to see Fantastic Four, as well as Captain Marvel, in the mix.

 

[BobJM]

Marvel has provided good Skrulls for the FF to interact with to counterbalance the dark side of the Skrull empire. I don't think anymore need to be introduced.
Also, I think taking away Wyatt as Johnny's best friend would be a mistake. Especially when there is no Spider-Man. Ben has Reed as his best friend and making Wyatt his friend takes away from that, and takes away from Johnny who could do with someone like Wyatt to bounce off.

Marvel lost Peter and Ned, Johnny and Wyatt could fill that void (but with a completely different dynamic). It would be a waste to separate them.

Johnny will have a bond with Ben, and just because Spider-Man is gone doesn’t mean there aren’t/won’t be other young heroes for him to pal around with.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I think the phrase in SM:FFH was “Don’t invoke her name” IIRC. Regardless of whether they choose to revisit that dialogue or not given the status of Spider-Man, I do agree that Secret Invasion is coming to the MCU in some form or fashion. I’d like to see Fantastic Four, as well as Captain Marvel, in the mix.

Thank you. Yeah... It stands out given the ending of CM. Though it's also ambiguous enough to signify other things as well.

Still... I keep going back to the FF and Secret Invasion when I think about the Fury post cred in FFH. It dovetails nicely into stitching together the Four and expanding on the outer space side of the MCU which of course includes the Skrulls.

 

[Crimz]

Johnny will have a bond with Ben, and just because Spider-Man is gone doesn’t mean there aren’t/won’t be other young heroes for him to pal around with.

Ben's not a peer and is one of the family. If Wyatt is included he should be Johnny's best friend like he's meant to be.

 

[Silvermoth]

Yeah plus great opportunity for a Native American actor. I wonder if he could appear in the She Hulk series too?

I personally hate Lyja and hope she never appears again in the comics let alone the films.

I could see her as an Easter egg in the captain marvel series but nothing more. Definitely not the Johnny Storm situation