FANTASTIC FOUR: 4 Reasons Marvel Is Right To Skip Their Origin (And 3 Ways It Could Still Be Incorporated)

FANTASTIC FOUR: 4 Reasons Marvel Is Right To Skip Their Origin (And 3 Ways It Could Still Be Incorporated)

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the Fantastic Four will skip the team's origin story, so we're taking a look at why that's a good idea...and how it could still be important!

Feature Opinion
By JoshWilding - Aug 02, 2022 01:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

During last month's San Diego Comic-Con, we learned that the Fantastic Four reboot will be released in theaters on November 8, 2024. Following Marvel Studios' momentous Hall H panel, Kevin Feige even shared some new details, confirming that we won't be getting yet another origin story.

"A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they’ve never seen before?" he said, revealing that the MCU will take a different approach to introducing Marvel's First Family. "We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen."

What we've never really seen is a fully formed version of this team, and we believe Marvel Studios is right to skip the origin story.

We break down why that is in this feature before also sharing some predictions and thoughts on how the early days of Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, The Thing, and the Human Torch could still be important down the line. So, to take a look through this breakdown, all you guys need to do is click the "Next" button below!
 

The Chance To Avoid Past Mistakes

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The Fantastic Four's origin story is simple. They steal an experimental rocket ship, travel into outer space, get bombarded with cosmic rays and return to Earth with fantastic new powers. 

However, previous movies have overcomplicated it to a borderline comical degree, often including Doctor Doom as a lazy way to tell his origin at the same time. While we have faith that Marvel Studios would do it right, introducing them as fully formed superheroes avoids any risk of this straightforward story becoming too convoluted. 

Having Marvel's First Family gain their powers during The Blip, for example, makes sense, but heading back to the past to tell that story (all while explaining where they've been up until now) just means this reboot will get bogged down in exposition. 

We don't need more of the same, and this way, Marvel Studios can just get on with telling the team's story. 
 

It's Best To Keep It Simple

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As we've explained, having to explore the origins of this team in minute detail just complicates things and delays getting us to where we want to be: seeing the Fantastic Four in action. 

Moviegoers have sat through this origin story on multiple occasions and, as with Spider-Man, asking them to do so again is too much. Throwing us into the midst of them being the MCU's newest superhero team shouldn't be that difficult, and a few throwaway lines here or there can give us all the context we need. 

With that in mind, there's absolutely no way the Fantastic Four should be revealed as having spent decades trapped in the Quantum Realm before finding their way into the present day. 

That's way too confusing, and a 1960s-era Reed Richards isn't exactly going to be a genius 60 years later given how much technology has changed.
 

It Can Always Be Revisited

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Just because we're not getting an origin story in Fantastic Four doesn't mean it can't be revisited down the line. The transformation this foursome goes through after returning from space is obviously a huge part of their story, and it can be addressed in both this movie and future outings. 

We've had three Spider-Man movies without learning how Peter Parker gained his powers, but should the next instalment want to base an entire story around that (by introducing Silk or Ezekiel, for example), then it can do so.

The same is true for Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny, and just because we're not getting an origin story now doesn't mean one won't follow. 

It's important to remember that this franchise has the potential to be as huge as The Avengers. With that in mind, it's imperative for Marvel Studios to introduce them in a way that resonates with moviegoers and fans alike, and that ultimately doesn't need to include the team's origin. 
 

This Likely Means No Teenage Team

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Arguably our biggest concern heading into this Fantastic Four reboot is the possibility Marvel Studios might decide to introduce a teenage team. 

Like many other heroes, Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny gained their powers as adults, but the Ultimate Universe delivered a younger take on the group that would definitely work in this world. However, 2015's reboot proved how lame that approach can be, so there's no reason Marvel's First Family can't be in their late 20s, early 30s, or even 40s. 

Yes, it's important that the actors cast are in it for the long haul, but c'mon, John Krasinski clearly has plenty of gas left in the tank.

The fact that we're not getting an origin story hopefully means Marvel Studios is going to introduce a Fantastic Four who are already operating as superheroes and have some experience under their belts. They will need to explain where they've been until now, but that really shouldn't be too difficult. 

So, how can the origin story still factor into the MCU? Well...
 

Tie The Team To Kang And The Multiverse

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Loki established that a Kang the Conqueror Variant, He Who Remains, had managed to create a single "Sacred" timeline controlled by him and him alone. 

He was clearly a villain, and we can't help but wonder whether the timeline he dreamed up was one that, for whatever reason, suited his own means. After all, He Who Remains had managed to eliminate the threat posed by his fellow Kangs, so what if he also found a way to write the Fantastic Four out of the MCU's history? 

The team has a storied history with Kang, while there's often been speculation he's a descendant of Doctor Doom.

With that in mind, what if all the recent Multiversal shenanigans have brought the team back into the MCU and retconned their role in this shared world in the process? This could be later addressed by a future story, explaining on their origin and how Kang toyed with time to temporarily rid himself of Marvel's First Family.
 

Doctor Doom's Origin Story

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Rumour has it Doctor Doom will make his presence felt in the MCU before even the Fantastic Four, and if that's the case, it appears he'll be a threat to more than just this superhero team. 

That's how it should be, though we'd obviously like to see his shared history with Reed Richards explored at some point. Marvel Studios could use this as an opportunity to reveal how they got their powers, but we'd be far more interested in seeing how Victor Von Doom's jealousy of his classmate in college ultimately sent him down a dark path. 

At the same time, we could see Reed's early days romancing Sue and even The Thing while he was still regular old Ben Grimm. 

This would be a showcase for Doom (and how he got those scars), but also stands the chance of providing some much-needed context for why he despises the Fantastic Four so much. 
 

The Tragedy Of The Thing

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As a character, Ben Grimm is arguably at his best being the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing. At this point, we've seen a lot of him struggling to deal with the way he was transformed into a creature made of rocks both in the comics and on screen, but it shouldn't be glossed over here. 

There are other, more subtle ways of showing Ben's battle with his affliction and the fact he was the only member of the Fantastic Four to lose any semblance of a normal life. 

While delving into Ben's struggles with his new status quo, flashbacks can show us the day he was transformed and the horrifying process of becoming "The Thing." It's important that this be about Ben, but if we get to see Reed, Sue, and Johnny's own changes taking place in the background, it would be no bad thing. 

We'd probably hold off on this until a second or third movie, but it should be tackled at some point. 
 

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MaskRenamed
MaskRenamed - 8/2/2022, 1:02 PM
I don't want them to skip it. It is great. Keep their origin story.
The1st
The1st - 8/2/2022, 1:09 PM
@Mask - Agreed. I don't think it's an Uncle Ben situation where it's been done to death in multiple mediums, movies and cartoons. I think they may likely reference it like they did with Spider-Man, and then maybe from a different perspective reference with Doom's character. I don't expect them to devote too much screen time to it though imo. The funny thing is that I've only seen it once done on screen so I'd be open to it and hope Marvel does to kind of make a statement of this being their definitive version.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 8/2/2022, 3:03 PM
@The1st -
Skipping Uncle Ben was a mistake. Regardless of whether we have seen it before or not its a very personal emotional moment of the characters and their growth which helps you understand them and bond with them on a more personal level.

The only reason it works with Batman is that he's trapped in that emotional state from when his parents were killed so you can skip the event and just acknowledge it because we are still experiencing the direct aftermath
Scarilian
Scarilian - 8/2/2022, 3:05 PM
@Mask -
Agreed. It's fricking stupid to skip it because their origin is not simple. Is it tied to space like Fantastic Four 2005? Is it tied to another dimension like Fant4stic? Is it something different?

Either way, this is supposed to be a family-like dynamic and skipping a big moment of personal growth, an experience that binds them together, is one of the biggest mistakes you could possibly make and immediately demonstrates that they will frick up the characters and story.
The1st
The1st - 8/2/2022, 3:11 PM
@Scarilian - Possibly. I think a lot of the personal growth occurs after the event, but there are some details, like Victor's rivalry with Reed or infatuation with Sue to an extent, that wouldn't help the film by simply glossing over it.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 8/2/2022, 1:03 PM
The1st
The1st - 8/2/2022, 1:12 PM
@GhostDog - Since it's obviously already referenced, I kinda expect it to be like Cap's origin and maybe start in the 60's and end in the current MCU time. They've already laid the ground work by establishing how time works in the quantum realm. I love Michelle Pfeiffer, but wonder if they should have had someone younger play Janet, to show how different time works, but they may just take a portal that immediately dumps them in the present day.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 8/2/2022, 1:16 PM
@The1st - I hope we don’t do the 60s thing
Gandressmex
Gandressmex - 8/2/2022, 1:33 PM
@The1st - Thats the thing that gets me, Ant-Man in Endgame said he spent 5 hours in the quantum realm and 5 years past in real time. Janet spent about 30 years, that should of been 30 hours in the quantum realm.
The1st
The1st - 8/2/2022, 2:03 PM
@Gandressmex - I guess that's why I think if they do it they'll likely treat it the way they did with Scott, and again in Endgame. In the case of Endgame, they were able traverse a good deal of time and return relatively unaffected. I agree though, there is no real baseline for how much time could potentially pass...I guess that why it's called quantum realm.
The1st
The1st - 8/2/2022, 2:05 PM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - If they do I don't think it would be a significant portion of the film, they may just start there. I would be okay with that, especially since Steven referenced it already in MOM. Although, in that case, I think it was just a little humor, referencing how the name sounds like music groups from that time. The Five Heartbeats, for example, etc.
TyrantBossMedia
TyrantBossMedia - 8/2/2022, 1:03 PM
A list about THIS?
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 8/2/2022, 1:08 PM
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 8/2/2022, 1:09 PM
OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 8/2/2022, 1:09 PM
This movie is years away and we already had 6 "lists" about this movie....
Scarilian
Scarilian - 8/2/2022, 3:07 PM
@OptimusCrime -
The only films people want to talk about are Guardians 3, Fantastic Four and Secret Wars.

Nobody really cares about the others, hence why we've got so many of these lists about those films. Even Kang Dynasty, people don't care to talk about because it's overshadowed by Secret Wars.
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 8/2/2022, 1:10 PM
LukeCage2155
LukeCage2155 - 8/2/2022, 1:10 PM
PC04
PC04 - 8/2/2022, 1:11 PM
We've seen their origin enough and its very well known. While it is very cool I don't think it needs a rehashing. I'd personally rather see an experienced FF who can step up and go toe-to-toe with the larger threats coming to the MCU.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 8/2/2022, 1:13 PM
The origin story would be cool to explore, but I wouldn't mind if they just showed it in credits like Incredible Hulk.
Fogs
Fogs - 8/2/2022, 2:08 PM
@ModHaterSLADE - Agreed!
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 8/2/2022, 1:17 PM
Late 20s is probably best. Make Johnny around however old spider man will be in his next movie
TheVandalore
TheVandalore - 8/2/2022, 1:19 PM
I understand it's been done.... I just find it hard to ever really vonnect with heroes who don't go through an origin story. They can only ever be cool, but your heart never breaks with them because they didn't go with you through that struggle. I found it really hard to connect emotionally with Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo because we didn't see them go from normal to super. We didn't see that very necessary transformation. They just showed up already who they are. But we loved Tony and Steve and Thor because we went on that first journey with them.

It's like starting Star Wars with The Empire Strikes Back and expecting people to care about Luke and the gang the same, or starting a show at season 2 without watching how they got there. Sure they will reference season 1 and you can peice things together, but it's never gonna be the same as showing the origin first so we establish that connection.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 8/2/2022, 1:23 PM
A Lifelong Mistake.
bobevanz
bobevanz - 8/2/2022, 1:27 PM
One reason to avoid this article: Josh
DanielPlainviewsGhost
DanielPlainviewsGhost - 8/2/2022, 1:27 PM
I think the best option would be having the four in the middle of a space mission when they are blipped. When they are blipped back they are no longer in a spaceship (which would have protected them) and while waiting to be rescued they are exposed to cosmic rays, giving the team their super powers.
DanielPlainviewsGhost
DanielPlainviewsGhost - 8/2/2022, 1:34 PM
And maybe this would have been Ben's last mission as a pilot so they can keep Reed's guilt for Ben's condition. Reed convinced him to do one more flight so Ben also has some animosity towards him.
DanielPlainviewsGhost
DanielPlainviewsGhost - 8/2/2022, 1:55 PM
With a strong cast they could definitely quickly establish the chemistry of the team pre powers in a short (10 minutes tops) pre opening credits scene.

Then a small time jump which is when Reed would have tried (unsuccessfully) to reverse the effects of the cosmic rays. And now the team is feeling antsy after essentially hiding their conditions for a year.

And then Doom gets wind and invites them to a conference in Latveria...
Scarilian
Scarilian - 8/2/2022, 3:08 PM
@DanielPlainviewsGhost -
Part of the excuse as to why people being blipped back did not kill them was that Hulk ensured they were all blipped back to wherever was safe.

Honestly, the writers don't care about the blip.
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