IT’S STRANGE TO THINK we’ve gotten this far—27 films and 18 television series across 15 years—without a true version of the Fantastic Four in the MCU. And for many of us, the team would have been an ideal addition to the conflicts we’ve seen thus far, whether it’s against Thanos or within the heroes’ own ranks in Civil War. In fact, here’s a take hotter than the Human Torch: The central conflict of that latter film would have felt heftier if the comic version’s rift between Reed Richards and wife Sue Storm were integrated. But that’s a debate for another day.
Regardless, it does seem odd now that, as Marvel prepares to off Richards in the comics, preparations are also being made for the MCU’s first stab at the Fantastic Four. For the parts of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman, real life husband-and-wife John Krasinski and Emily Blunt have been rumored for a while now—with fans hoping it’ll happen for at least a moment in May release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Since 2005, we’ve had three film attempts to make the Fantastic Four appealing to a wide audience. At 20th Century Fox, Tim Story understood that a FF film must focus on family, but his 2005 film and its sequel put far too much ham in the gumbo. Josh Trank, meanwhile, blamed the studio for a failed attempt in 2015 that did indeed feel like it was patched together from uneven beats and studio-driven decisions. Maybe they interfered for a reason, though.
Maybe all of this is due to the degree of difficulty: It can’t be easy to take that familial tone of comics’ Richards & Co. and not make something that’s either saccharine or overly goofy. Jon Watts, who’s helmed the newest Spider-Man film trilogy, is currently taking on that challenge.
No details have been released yet, including the casting, and we’re not even close to getting a trailer. But Power Action! has ideas for Watts, who we assume is an avid reader of this Substack. Instead of pointing to single storylines, let’s make it easier and point to a single villain. After all, most MCU films these days are amalgamations of past and present arcs. One thing we know: While Dr. Doom is undoubtedly one of the coolest villains comics have seen, a true refresh for FF requires saving him for a later film. (Or at the very least, shoehorning him into an ending a la the Joker in the latest Bat-film.)
So here’s an idea: The MCU already has a massive deep-space footprint, and the upcoming Guardians and Thor films, among others, will keep that moving. How about we go in the opposite direction: subterranean?
Mole Man, leader of an underground kingdom and his army of Moloids (plus some massive monsters), could introduce a level of creepiness and real-world intrigue into a, well, otherwise fantastical property. He was also the very first FF villain. And let’s go ahead and cast him, with character actor and Cohen Brothers regular Stephen Root.
Don’t know much about Mole Man? Just head way back to 1961’s Fantastic Four #1. This issue single-handedly begat the Marvel Universe. It also introduced the team, Mole Man, and the mysterious Monster Isle, where a cavern leads the villain down a path to master subterranean creatures. If the film went this direction, the MCU could get a touch of the ToHo-style monster side of Marvel.
If you can’t get past those dated heydeys, an alternative: Mark Millar had one of my favorite contemporary runs of the team. Prior to that, he collaborated with Brian Michael Bendis in penning the Ultimate version of the team’s origin, which includes a Mole Man identity shift: Dr. Arthur Molekevic is a Baxter Building scientist given his moniker by students and fired for experiments in creating new lifeforms. Overall, this take is a neater way to integrate Mole Man into the team’s origins.
All I know is that he better have the glasses.
ONE MORE THING
Yes, we’re back. Power Action! has been in hibernation lately, after I transitioned to a new role in the magazine world. But as of this week, we’re returning to weekly newsletters.