The Fantastic Four have had one of the most tumultuous journeys in cinematic history. From a never-released 1994 film to a pair of underwhelming mid-2000s movies and a widely panned 2015 reboot, Marvel’s First Family has never quite found its footing on the big screen.
Despite being the cornerstone of Marvel’s comic book empire, every attempt to bring Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm to life has been met with either ridicule or forgettable mediocrity. However, now, with ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ officially entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe under Kevin Feige’s leadership, things finally seem different. Additionally, it might finally be what fans wanted to see.
Kevin Feige Has Learned From His Past Mistakes With The Fantastic Four Franchise
One of the most promising signs that ‘First Steps‘ will break the mold is that Kevin Feige has been here before, literally. “I was around for those early Fantastic Four movies… and like all of the pre-MCU movies, I learned a lot. I always thought, if we ever got creative autonomy ourselves, we might do things a little differently,” Feige told Empire.
Related: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Reveals First Look At Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man
This statement is a roadmap. Feige isn’t denying the failures of past adaptations. In fact, he’s acknowledging them openly. From the awkward tone of the 2005 films to the dark, disjointed mess of the 2015 reboot, Feige witnessed what didn’t work. And now, after building the most successful cinematic universe in film history, he’s in a position to finally do justice to Marvel’s oldest superhero team.
He also pointed out a crucial cultural shift that’s occurred in the years since those earlier movies. “There was still a bit of a fear of being silly,” he stated. And therein lies the key difference. The early Fantastic Four films tried too hard to either ground their cosmic adventures in realism or steer into cartoonish territory without balance. The MCU, however, has found its sweet spot.
The cosmic or fiction beings can now fully be done justice, and the bizarre can coexist with the sincere. Characters like Rocket Raccoon, Groot, and even MODOK have proven that audiences today aren’t afraid of the weird. They embrace it, as long as it’s done well. This means stretchy limbs, invisible force fields, fire trails, and rock-skinned fists are not the problem.
The Fantastic Four Are Finally In The Right Hands
Perhaps the most convincing argument that ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ will succeed is that Marvel has done the seemingly impossible before, and they’ve done it often. Back in 2008, few believed that a franchise built around ‘Iron Man’ (an unknown hero to most outside comic book circles) could launch a cinematic empire. However, Marvel made it work. They repeated that success with even more obscure properties like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.
In case you missed it: How ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Could Be MCU’s Big Redemption Arc
They also proved they could reinvent characters we thought we’d seen enough of. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ breathed fresh life into a hero whose origin had already been shown in two previous franchises. By skipping the usual Uncle Ben story and focusing instead on Peter’s growth within the Avengers’ world, the MCU gave us a new, even better version. Now, with ‘First Steps’, Feige and his team are applying the same approach: honoring the heart of the original.
We already know this version is doing several things differently. The film is set in a retro time period. This gives the team a unique identity in the MCU and opening doors for creative world-building. Franklin Richards is confirmed. Galactus appears in his full comic-book glory, a far cry from the 2007 “cloud” version that left fans disappointed. Kevin Feige also emphasized that the film will embrace the inherent “goofiness” of the team.
