Will we ever learn who are playing the leads in Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot? Well, with the movie set to be released next year, the news must be somewhere on the horizon…it’s just taking longer than most of us would like!
We know you’re all eager for news on a project that’s shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated MCU movies ever made. The characters have been sidelined since 2015’s disastrous reboot but, in the wake of the Disney/Fox merger, can finally be utilised by Marvel Studios.
Since Fantastic Four entered development with filmmaker Matt Shakman at the helm, there have been lots of big rumours about what to expect. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up the biggest and most reliable to give you a better idea of what’s heading our way in 2025.
To take a look through these rumours – and potential spoilers – simply click the “Next” button below.
8. A ’60s Set Cosmic Adventure
This rumour has persisted for a while, but multiple sources have now described Fantastic Four as a 1960s-set cosmic adventure.
Depending on who you believe, that’s either the era this iteration of the team hails from or a period they’re left stranded in after the Cosmic Rays which give them their powers also sends Marvel’s First Family back in time. We’ve even heard chatter about the reboot being partly shot with Super 8-style cameras.
The Fantastic Four eventually arriving in the present day is inevitable. With that in mind, it makes more sense to send them back in time for a spell before they’re able to return home, making this a truly comic-accurate origin story. Otherwise, how can we ever believe a scientist from the 60s is the MCU’s smartest man in 2025?
7. Marvel’s Doctor Doom Plans
We’re starting to lose track of what’s happening with Doctor Doom; depending on who you believe, there may have once been plans for him in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, only for Latveria’s leader to then be eyed for his own Disney+ series!
The consensus as we write this, however, is that Doom will appear in Fantastic Four, albeit in a single post-credits scene. He won’t be the movie’s big bad, but The Hollywood Reporter has claimed he could take Kang’s place in the next Avengers movies.
That’s generated excitement among fans. Still, it feels like a misstep when the MCU hasn’t established any sort of rivalry between Doom and Reed Richards yet.
6. Mila Kunis’ Unexpected Role
When actress Mila Kunis was spotted meeting with Fantastic Four director Matt Shakman, speculation about her possibly being in the running to play Sue Storm immediately went into overdrive.
However, we later saw claims that she might play The Thing. Seriously. The majority of fans were horrified over the prospect of Ben Grimm being swapped out for a female version of the character and it appears this is indeed something Marvel Studios briefly considered.
The possibility of Kunis playing Sharon Ventura, a.k.a. the woman who eventually takes on a Thing-like appearance, is possible. If so, we’d bet it’s just as Ben’s love interest because having her also become “The Thing” will rob much of his agency and the loneliness he feels trapped in his new form.
5. Galactus And The Silver Surfer
So, with Doom on the sidelines, all signs point to Marvel Studios going straight to Galactus. It sounds like Marvel’s First Family will encounter him in the 1960s, saving Earth and…well, seeing as they’ve never been mentioned before, presumably not going down in history as the planet’s saviours!
With the Multiverse in play, who knows what the plan is? Regardless, Galactus always needs a Herald and that supposedly won’t be the Silver Surfer. Rumours about him getting his own Disney+ special are still out there, though so are claims Norin Radd will be gender-swapped and become a woman.
We think there may be some crossed wires somewhere along the line, particularly after rumblings that Terrax the Tamer is going to accompany Galactus into battle. If we do see a female Herald, then bet on it being Frankie Raye/Nova and not the Surfer.
4. Reed And Sue’s Dynamic
Reed Richards and Sue Storm are expected to be at the heart of this movie and, even in terms of casting, the focus has largely remained on the two heroes.
It sounds like they’ll already be married when we meet them and, in at least one draft, were parents too. The comic book fans among you will know that their children are potential game-changers for the MCU as Valeria is even smarter than her father and Franklin is an Omega-level mutant who can bend and create realities.
There’s also been chatter about a possible love triangle (presumably involving Ben given his obvious love for Sue during the team’s earliest adventures), and while we don’t want to see The Thing and Human Torch sidelined, exploring the dynamic of the “Family” in Marvel’s First Family feels like the right move.
3. The Movie’s Lead
One rumour which has come up time and time again is that Sue Storm, a.k.a. Invisible Woman, will be Fantastic Four‘s lead character and primary focus.
We’ve previously heard Marvel Studios wishes to build the team around whoever is cast as Sue, perhaps no great surprise when she’s the most powerful of the four. This has reportedly been problematic for some of the actors who read for Reed as much of the story will seemingly be told from the perspective of his wife.
Some will be quick to cry “Woke!” but plenty of comics have gone down this route and the team’s early adventures did the Invisible Girl (as she was then known) a disservice. Honestly, seeing how a modern woman deals with the gender bias of the 1960s sounds like a fun recipe for compelling drama and comedy.
2. H.E.R.B.I.E.
We’re getting to Fantastic Four‘s rumoured cast, but what about the rest of this reboot’s ensemble?
Recently, we learned that Marvel Studios is also searching for two supporting parts with a male or female comedy relief character and a male to voice an entirely CGI creation. Since then, it’s been widely theorised that could be H.E.R.B.I.E., the Fantastic Four’s robotic helper.
An iconic part of this team’s comic book adventures, his appearance would be an effective way to show fans that this take on the franchise is embracing the source material and not shying away from some of the zanier elements of this foursome’s adventures.
1. Who Will Star In The Movie?
Well, isn’t that the million-dollar question? By now, we’d hoped Marvel Studios might have officially announced Fantastic Four‘s cast. Instead, fans are still impatiently waiting for news with just months to go before the reboot’s rumoured start date.
As things stand, we believe the four leads will be Pedro Pascal (Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Invisible Woman), Paul Mescal or Joseph Quinn (The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Thing). Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem are contenders for Gaalctus, with Anya Taylor-Joy possibly his Herald.
When it comes to Doctor Doom, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Clarke, Cillian Murphy, and Mads Mikkelsen have all been mentioned, with the latter emerging as a frontrunner. However, as he’s only making a cameo, that may be a last-minute casting addition.
Stay tuned…
Fantastic Four may be one of the most widely discussed superhero movies on the horizon, and we’ve sifted through the BS to bring you a breakdown of the biggest, and most reliable, rumours about the reboot! Read More