After two live-action interpretations of The Fantastic Four from 20th Century Fox, Marvel’s First Family will finally appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A Fantastic Four film reboot was announced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. In late 2020, Feige also revealed that Spider-Man director, Jon Watts, will be directing the film.

While The Fantastic Four may be beloved in the world of comics, their cinematic counterparts have not received the same amount of love. The poor reception and financial performance of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) played a factor in the series’ cancellation. It also led to the disaster that is the 2015 Fantastic Four. With Marvel Studios reinterpreting The Fantastic Four, fans hope that the iconic Marvel characters will finally be done justice. Here is why we are excited about Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four movie.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Spider-Man Director Jon Watts

     Sony, Marvel Studios

Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man trilogy concluded in spectacular fashion with Spider-Man: No Way Home. A follow-up is currently in development, but it is not known whether Watts will return to direct the fourth Spider-Man film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2017, Sony stuck to a two-year gap between Spider-Man films. But with the recent conclusion of a trilogy, it is possible Sony will take a longer hiatus to plan for Spider-Man’s future.

Watts will instead be shifting his focus towards directing Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot. In fact, he will be the first director to direct two non-Avengers film franchises for Marvel Studios. The Spider-Man film trilogy contains some great character development, emotional beats, fantastic drama and action, and overall charm. As such, bringing someone like Watts with his talents and experience working on several Marvel films (all of which were very successful) leads us to believe Fantastic Four could also be a great superhero movie.

Marvel’s First Family

     Marvel

Fans of superhero films may view Blade, X-Men, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man as pioneers of the modern superhero genre. Additionally, it is Iron Man that successfully launched the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in Marvel Comics, The Fantastic Four effectively marked the first superhero team from artist Jack Kirby and editor Stan Lee. Consequently, The Fantastic Four are referred to as Marvel’s “First Family.”

Originally appearing in The Fantastic Four #1, a comic published in 1961, The Fantastic Four predates characters such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, and the X-Men. More than the Avengers, The Fantastic Four are and behave more like a family. They are a smaller team of four composed of a couple in Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) and Susan Storm (the Invisible Woman), Sue’s brother Johnny (the Human Torch), and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm (The Thing). Moreover, Grimm often feels like a surrogate brother or uncle in the family.

The family dynamic of The Fantastic Four will bring something new to the MCU. The Guardians of the Galaxy also have a strong family dynamic, but they are much different characters with a very different energy. Many of the Avengers in Phase 4 have not yet established strong bonds with each other. On the other hand, The Fantastic Four are always experiencing the crazy world of Marvel together.

Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom is one of the best super villains of all time. Unfortunately, Doom has yet to be featured in a live-action film that showcases the true potential of the character. In the world of comics, Doom’s presence is comparable to the likes of iconic characters such as Darth Vader; he is a powerhouse not just in terms of physical prowess, but he is also a genius. Indeed, Doom is a mastermind that is unafraid to challenge anyone, constantly picking fights with the most powerful characters in the Marvel universe. Victor von Doom’s intelligence rivals that of Tony Stark and perhaps even surpasses it. The powers of both technology and mystic energy make Doom one of the most formidable foes in all of Marvel.

Marvel Studios’ Track Record

     Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

​​​​​​​For over a decade, Marvel Studios has been making films based on both well-known and obscure superheroes—to, more significantly, both critical and financial success. Despite initial concerns that audiences would eventually lose interest, Marvel fans continue to tune in to the television series on Disney+ and watch films like Spider-Man: No Way Home in theaters even during a pandemic. Audience interest in new Marvel Studios productions clearly shows no signs of stopping.

Marvel Studios has proven that they learn from their own successes and failures while simultaneously learning from other studios. This will allow them to avoid repeating the previous mistakes of 20th Century Fox with Fantastic Four.