It's been a long time coming, but 2025 will finally see The Fantastic Four return to theaters. This time, Marvel Studios is calling the shots and, when this team enters the MCU, we're expecting them to finally receive the treatment they deserve on screen.
Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing) will lead The Fantastic Four cast, but we've yet to learn who will play the movie's villains.
And what about the movie's supporting cast?
There are heaps of characters Marvel Studios can pull from the comic books for The Fantastic Four; in this feature, we take a look at 5 of the most exciting possibilities. To find out who we've chosen, simply click on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
5. Sharon Ventura
We've already seen The Thing's romance with Alicia Masters explored on screen (she's blind and doesn't care how he looks; we get it, already) so why not give Ben Grimm a new love interest in Sharon Ventura?
Created by writer Mike Carlin and artist Ron Wilson, Sharon first appeared in The Thing #27 in 1985 and was initially introduced as a professional wrestler. She falls for Ben and gains superhuman strength and durability, naming herself "Ms. Marvel." That moniker has already been taken in the MCU, of course.
Sharon is later physically transformed into a monstrous being who resembles The Thing, and while Ben should ultimately be the only person who has to endure this curse, that could make for an entertaining subplot. It may also explain rumours about Mila Kunis playing "The Thing."
4. Agatha Harkness
We first met the MCU's Agatha Harkness in WandaVision and, later this year, she'll return in her own spin-off series, Agatha. Beyond that, there may be a place for the witch in The Fantastic Four franchise.
In the comics, Reed and Sue turned to Agatha for help raising their son, Franklin. She helped turn the tide during several attacks on the Baxter Building and was a key ally to Marvel's First Family for a time. Heck, she even briefly helped the mutant control his emerging powers, a subplot we'd love to see play out in this movie.
Like many of you, we're keeping everything crossed that Spider-Man might make an appearance in The Fantastic Four. However, if that's off the table, giving Agatha a supporting role in the reboot would make for a nice bit of connective tissue to the wider MCU.
3. Wyatt Wingfoot
The Fantastic Four might be a family, but you'd best believe this superhero team also has a lot of friends. This Native American was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby way back in 1966's Fantastic Four #50.
A close friend of Johnny Storm's, Wyatt has become a recurring ally to Marvel's First Family over the years with recent comics doing away with many of those early offensive stereotypes. He's also had an on-again/off-again relationship with She-Hulk, meaning there's a lot Marvel Studios could do with this guy in the MCU.
We'd like to see Wyatt reinvented for a modern audience and someone these superheroes can rely on. Perhaps he'll be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the 1960s or something along those lines? Regardless, it's about time he gets his due.
2. Roberta
We're still in awe that Marvel Studios is finally bringing H.E.R.B.I.E. to the big screen in The Fantastic Four, but if the MCU is really going to embrace the weirdness of Reed Richards' inventions, then let's see Roberta (a John Byrne creation from 1981's Fantastic Four #239).
The robot receptionist for the team in the Baxter Building, she's subdued attacking supervillains and even found romance with a robot called Elektro who was discovered by Mister Fantastic during one of the team's many adventures.
Yes, we know she already appeared in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but that was lame. In The Fantastic Four, we'd expect to see a far more inventive, wildly bizarre take on this little-known character.
1. Kristoff Vernard
Kristoff Vernard was also created by writer John Byrne and made his debut in 1982's Fantastic Four #247. Introduced as the orphaned son of a Latverian scientist who is loyal to Doctor Doom, he becomes Victor's ward after the death of his parents.
Doom grooms him as a potential successor and, due to his physical resemblance to Doom as a child, Kristoff is outfitted with a suit of armour and trained in the ways of both science and magic. Eventually, Vernard serves as Doom's stand-in and is typically portrayed as being fiercely loyal to his master.
We'd make some big changes to that story in the MCU, but how cool would it be to meet Kristoff (perhaps as a minor antagonist) before the movie ends with him reporting to Doom back in Latveria?