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After several failed attempts to adapt Marvel’s First Family, Marvel Studios dropped a promotional poster for the MCU version of the Fantastic Four, which is expected to be released in 2025. The poster revealed the cast, including Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards and Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, but it also hinted at the time period, as the Thing reads a magazine from the 1960s.
Marvel Studios has a chance to right the wrongs of past Fantastic Four films, and Marvel Comics has hundreds of amazing stories to pull from. She-Hulk’s Fantastic Four debut, the Future Foundation’s first appearance, or Alex Ross’s Full Circle would all make great MCU films if adapted for the big screen.
10 Alex Ross Recreates A Classic Fantastic Four Comic
Fantastic Four: Full Circle by Alex Ross
Every comic Alex Ross has ever worked on is a beautiful piece of art. Every comic panel by Ross deserves to be a framed painting on a wall. Ross revisits an original Fantastic Four adventure where the team travels to the Negative Zone. Ross takes advantage of the sci-fi setting, using shapes and colors to recreate the psychedelic, alien world of the Negative Zone in a truly stunning book that looks like no other comic.
The promotional poster for the MCU Fantastic Four looks like a magazine cover from the 1960s. If this is true, Marvel Studios should look to Fantastic Four: Full Circle for cosmetic inspiration, creating an MCU film style like no other.
9 She-Hulk Joins The Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four #265 by John Byrne & Glynis Wein
Following the original Secret Wars comic event from 1984, She-Hulk joined the Fantastic Four, temporarily replacing Ben Grimm as the group’s muscle. With She-Hulk’s existence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she could easily join the MCU Fantastic Four if their timelines aligned.
She-Hulk was a surprising yet natural addition to the Fantastic Four. Jennifer Walters has superpowers that complement the rest of the team, and her job as a lawyer is refreshingly different from the Fantastic Four’s focus on science.
8 The Fantastic Four Enter The Negative Zone
Fantastic Four #251-256 by John Byrne & Glynis Wein
The Negative Zone is one of the most interesting alternate dimensions in Marvel Comics. As the MCU leans heavily into the multiverse, with films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and shows like Loki, the Negative Zone seems like the next logical leap forward, with the Fantastic Four the perfect team to explore this new dimension.
“Into the Negative Zone” was a nine-part comic event spread across Fantastic Four and The Avengers. In it, the team traveled to the alien dimension to battle Annihilus, the perfect adaptation candidate who could set up a larger galaxy-wide event.
7 Incredible Hulk Vs. The Thing
Fantastic Four #12 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers & Stan Goldberg
The fight many Silver Age Marvel fans have been waiting for could actually appear on the big screen: The Incredible Hulk vs. the Thing. Their strength levels were comparable in the Silver Age, but the Hulk has grown more powerful and destructive.
Depending on the direction Marvel Studios would like to take the Fantastic Four, a clobberin’ clash between the Hulk and Ben Grimm is certainly well within the realm of possibilities, and Fantastic Four #12, their first confrontation, is the first place the MCU should look for inspiration.
6 The Fantastic Four Debut The Future Foundation
FF (Vol. 1) by Jonathan Hickman, Steve Epting, Rick Magyar & Paul Mounts
In 2011, legendary Marvel Comics writer Jonathan Hickman reset the Fantastic Four comic franchise. Decked out in new costumes with Spider-Man as a member, Marvel rebranded the Fantastic Four as the Future Foundation, focusing on space exploration and scientific discovery.
FF was an incredible series that started on a really strong note. The MCU needs a team like the Fantastic Four to explore new worlds, not as superheroes but as scientists. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could even join the Future Foundation in future Fantastic Four films as an added bonus.
5 “The Coming Of Galactus” & The Silver Surfer Saga
Fantastic Four #48-50 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer provided an interesting depiction of Galactus. The world-eater’s true form was teased amidst the chaos of the sequel’s climax, but Galactus was mostly just a cosmic cloud of smoke. The MCU Fantastic Four can redo the live-action appearance of both Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
Julia Garner has already been cast as the MCU’s Silver Surfer. Marvel Studios should look no further than Silver Surfer’s comic book debut in Fantastic Four #48, including appearances from Inhumans and the Watchers.
4 The Fantastic Four Post-Secret Invasion
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Sean Chen, Lorenzo Ruggiero & John Rauch
Following the events of Secret Invasion when Skrulls invaded Earth, Norman Osborn took control of the world’s resources in Marvel Comics, becoming the Iron Patriot and creating the Dark Avengers and the Dark Reign comic era. His attack on the FF in their home sent the team on a trip across time and space.
Depending on the state of the MCU Fantastic Four, their time period, and whether their timeline aligns with the modern MCU, Marvel Studios could adapt Dark Reign, especially since the Skrull invasion has already occurred in the MCU. Once the MCU Fantastic Four is firmly established, Dark Reign could serve as a suitable sequel adaptation.
What If? (Vol. 1) #21 by Bill Mantlo, Gene Colan, Bob Wiacek & Gaff
If Marvel Studios’s What If…? continues after The Fantastic Four (2025) release, What If? #21 could serve as an interesting episode. What If…? aside, the classic comic book would make sense as a Fantastic Four film adaptation, focusing on Sue Storm and Namor‘s relationship after the Invisible Woman left Mister Fantastic.
The What If? issue heavily features Atlantis and its feud with the rest of humanity. Reed Richards and the Human Torch nearly spark a war with Atlantis. Future Marvel comics would explore Sue and Namor’s relationship further, and the MCU could do the same.
2 Doctor Doom Divides & Conquers The Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four: 1 2 3 4 by Grant Morrison, Jae Lee & José Villarrubia
The promotional art for The Fantastic Four (2025) shows a happy Fantastic Four living in what appears to be the bright aesthetic of colorful 1960s homes. However, if Marvel Studios is pulling a fast one and tricking fans by showing them one thing, then Fantastic Four: 1 2 3 4 could be a great source of inspiration for a darker Fantastic Four film.
Heightened by Jae Lee’s abstract art and striking characters, a Fantastic Four: 1 2 3 4 adaptation could separate the Fantastic Four heroes so Doctor Doom could hunt them down. However, after Doom’s latest film appearance in Fantastic Four (2015), fans may appreciate a different villain.
1 The Fantastic Four Through The Decades
Fantastic Four: Life Story by Mark Russell, Sean Izaakse & Nolan Woodard
Like Spider-Man: Life Story before it, Fantastic Four: Life Story ignores Marvel’s usual sliding timescale, allowing their characters to age alongside real-world events like the Cold War. The Fantastic Four is the perfect vehicle to explore rapidly developing technology in the 1960s.
Life Story, particularly the miniseries’ first issue, seems tailor-made for the MCU’s Fantastic Four adaptation. Maybe the Fantastic Four have been in the MCU all along, discovering the Negative Zone and battling Doctor Doom in the ’60s well before the Avengers were founded.
The Fantastic Four
One of Marvel’s most iconic families makes it back to the big screen, the Fantastic Four.
“}]] The Fantastic Four’s comic origins and those of Galactus and Silver Surfer are all worthy of being adapted properly for the first time by the MCU. Read More