THE FANTASTIC FOUR 2: 8 Villains Matt Shakman Could Pit Against Marvel's First Family In Rumored Sequel

THE FANTASTIC FOUR 2: 8 Villains Matt Shakman Could Pit Against Marvel's First Family In Rumored Sequel

With rumours swirling that The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman will return for a sequel, we're taking a look at some of the villains who could take centre stage in that movie...

By JoshWilding - Aug 08, 2025 01:08 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hasn't been a huge box office success, but the movie has performed well enough and seemingly earned the approval of Disney CEO Bob Iger. 

Earlier this week, we learned that Marvel Studios is supposedly planning to bring filmmaker Matt Shakman back for a sequel. It seems the hope is that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will further increase interest in the team, helping to make any follow-up a much bigger hit.

Marvel's First Family has successfully taken down Galactus and the Silver Surfer on Earth 828, and regardless of whether this sequel takes place there or on Earth 616, there are still plenty of iconic foes for this team to go up against. 

Find out who we think they should do battle with in The Fantastic Four 2 by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below. 
 

8. Namor the Sub-Mariner

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In the comics, Namor has flip-flopped between his hero and villain status many times over the years. His frequent attacks on the surface world led to him clashing with the Fantastic Four, while his affections for Sue Storm also led to him kidnapping her at one point. 

Even if Marvel Studios decides not to go down the love triangle route, seeing the Fantastic Four enter the MCU's Talokan—first glimpsed in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—would be a blast. We'd bet on the team first encountering Namor in the upcoming Avengers movies, meaning the groundwork will have been laid to further explore their dynamic in their next movie. 

The Black Panther sequel established that Namor has what it takes to be a big bad, and while we'd give him some backup for a clash with Marvel's First Family, his and Sue's "romance" alone makes this worth exploring. 
 

7. Annihilus

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Annihilus is one of the Marvel Universe's most deadly villains and controls the inhabitants of the Negative Zone with his powerful Cosmic Control Rod. After the Fantastic Four travelled to his home, they became instant enemies and have clashed numerous times over the years (Annihilus was even responsible for the Human Torch's apparent death during one of their battles). 

The previous Fantastic Four movies failed to take advantage of the Negative Zone, but now that we've visited the Quantum Realm, it wouldn't be difficult to tie the two locations together. Throw in the fact that Annihilus later takes control of the universe-threatening Annihilation Wave, and this movie could set the stage for future stories, too.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was at its best when it went cosmic, and provided the Negative Zone isn't as soulless as the Quantum Realm, we could be in for a treat with a follow-up that heads in this direction. 
 

6. The Frightful Four

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Another compelling idea could be to pit the Fantastic Four against a team of villains. Many bad guys have been part of the Frightful Four over the years, and filmmaker Matt Shakman could take his pick when it comes to who he includes. 

The Wizard should be the leader, though, as he's been a constant throughout the team's history and his intelligence very nearly matches Reed Richards (he was also mentioned in First Steps). 

Trapster could also be fun, while the likes of Thundra and Titania are ready for their respective big-screen debuts. Marvel could even reinvent some of the Fantastic Four's more obscure bad guys (Dragon Man, for example) for this group, hopefully with more nods to the iconic work of Jack Kirby. 
 

5. Molecule Man

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He may have served as an ally to Marvel's First Family in recent years, but Molecule Man started off as a villain and is someone who has nearly ended this team on more than one occasion. His power levels are off the charts thanks to an ability to control all matter and energy.

We're expecting Franklin Richards or Loki to take his place in Avengers: Doomsday and/or Avengers: Secret Wars, meaning the door is open to establishing Molecule Man as a Fantastic Four villain in the team's sequel. 

Marvel Studios has reinvented a whole host of B and C-list villains over the years, and there's no reason why they couldn't take this unhinged powerhouse and make him an A-Lister with a story that establishes Owen Reece as a truly terrifying threat. 
 

4. Super-Skrull

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The Skrulls first made their MCU debut in Captain Marvel, but there was no sign of the Super-Skrull. That's because Fox previously held the rights to that character, and he she was eventually introduced in Secret Invasion; understandably, the response to that debut was incredibly mixed. 

While G'iah utilised pretty much every superpower in the MCU, the comic book version of the Super-Skrull was Kl'rt, and he primarily used the powers of the Fantastic Four. In a post-Avengers: Secret Wars version of this franchise, the character could be reimagined, even if it's just for an action-packed opening scene. 

Of all the bad guys listed here, the Super-Skrull probably isn't a priority for Marvel Studios, and the moment for an adaptation of the Kree/Skrull War has likely passed after how poorly Marvel Studios has handled the shape-shifters. 
 

3. Blastaar

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Annihilus is unquestionably a villain Marvel Studios should consider using in The Fantastic Four sequel, but if Matt Shakman wants to take a slow-burn approach to exploring the Negative Zone, then kicking things off with Blastaar might be a smart move.

One of Annihilus' many enemies, Blastaar has spent a long time competing for control of this dimension, leading to many clashes with Marvel's First Family. Some changes might be needed to make sure he doesn't just feel like Thanos 2.0, but if the idea is to build to an Annihilation adaptation, then this could be the smartest way to do it. 

Talking of the Mad Titan, if the team battles and defeats Blastaar, then Annihilus could be introduced as the one pulling the strings in a post-credits scene that sets him up as the MCU's next big threat. 
 

2. Hyperstorm

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Here's where things get a little weird. Hyperstorm is the son of Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers from one of many possible futures. While the latter mutant is unlikely to make their presence felt in the MCU for a while, this insanely powerful character arriving in the present day from his post-apocalyptic timeline has a great deal of potential.

It would allow Marvel Studios to tie The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises together (perhaps for a crossover that establishes Franklin as a mutant), while also teasing what's to become of Earth if the Sentinels' mission to wipe out mutants is allowed to play out.

There's no denying that Hyperstorm's introduction would be tough to pull off, but providing it's handled carefully, this choice of villain could allow Matt Shakman to further explore what may or may not eventually become of the Power Cosmic-infused Franklin in the MCU.
 

1. Doctor Doom

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Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom will take centre stage in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While we have good reason to believe he hails from Earth 828, we still don't know whether this version of the team has a history with Victor Von Doom. 

Either way, Doom deserves to be more than just a one-off villain in the next Avengers movies. We'd like to think Downey will continue playing the character, but if needs be, another actor taking over the role really wouldn't be the end of the world. 

There are so many great stories left to explore with the team and this character, whether it's One World Under Doom, their clash during Mark Waid's incredible run (which saw Reed Richards forced to master magic), or any of the countless classic tales from past decades. Plus, Doom needs to be responsible for naming Valeria...
 

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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 8/8/2025, 1:10 PM
Sure but Lets talk about Gina Carano coming to Fix Star Wars
FinnishDude
FinnishDude - 8/8/2025, 1:10 PM
I would unironically love it, if they adapted the story, where the team time-travels and discovers that the famous Blackbeard was actually The Thing in disguise.

https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qgcugqhrt73pcmfmeqncrofs/bafkreigk73wjid63erlhxyqn4vil4uaeb5m5ezp6mqdrisb2zqnx7oshmi@jpeg
Huskers
Huskers - 8/8/2025, 1:13 PM
Anyone but Namor! The MCU version sucks, I don’t get the comic character vibe from him at all! Which is a shame they botched him the comic version is awesome!
HistoryofMatt
HistoryofMatt - 8/8/2025, 1:25 PM
@Huskers - They decided a Woke casting for Namor was more important than comic accuracy.
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 8/8/2025, 1:30 PM
@HistoryofMatt - Woke Namor. DEI Silver Surfer. That's two MAJOR Marvel Comics characters that were instantly gutted by Marvel Studios in the interests of advancing their political agenda.
BlackStar25
BlackStar25 - 8/8/2025, 1:22 PM
ANNIHILUS PLZZZZ
IronMan616
IronMan616 - 8/8/2025, 1:32 PM
No article on how Gina Carano was right all along, and Disney are a bunch of morons that didn't want things to go to the discovery phase of the trail?

I mean we did get an article about Dean Cain joining ICE.
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 8/8/2025, 1:32 PM
Stop with this Fantastic Four 2 rumoring. It's not happening. Shakman had his chance to hit it out of the park and gave us a single.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 8/8/2025, 1:58 PM
@GeneralZod - During yesterday's earnings call, Disney's Bob Iger said that The Fantastic Four had “successfully launched this important franchise into the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” which was our first indication that more FF movies are in the early planning stages.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 8/8/2025, 2:23 PM
@GeneralZod - Marvel Studios is said to be forging ahead with a sequel (bringing back filmmaker Matt Shakman to direct), with the idea being that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will further increase interest in the Fantastic Four.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 8/8/2025, 1:39 PM
I don't buy Sue being attracted to Nammmooooragh with that crayon up his nose and those love handles, I don't buy anyone being attracted to that.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 8/8/2025, 2:24 PM
@HashTagSwagg - he needs a workout montage.

Was his character poorly established?

Yes.

The silver lining:

The ease of improvement moving forward.
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 8/8/2025, 2:37 PM
@KennKathleen - He needs to get Terrence Howarded or Edward Nortoned
knomad
knomad - 8/8/2025, 1:41 PM
Namor and Atlantis need to be Completely reworked. I get why so much was changed in BP2, with Aquaman being a focus in the DCEU. That's no longer the case. I'm not sure many old-time Marvel people would have recognized Namor and "Talocan".
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 8/8/2025, 1:47 PM
Honestly out of these , Annihilus seems the most likely to me which I wouldn’t mind tbh.

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Also I would put Psycho-Man & The Maker in this too…

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The latter especially could work as an Avengers level threat but him being a FF villain could make a more personal and compelling story of Reed especially confronting his darker side.
AllsGood
AllsGood - 8/8/2025, 1:51 PM
A Must for the Sequel 1. Doctor Doom
WeaponXCII
WeaponXCII - 8/8/2025, 1:55 PM
Why not just bring back Malkovich as Red Ghost and all of the other characters that were mentioned?
GenD
GenD - 8/8/2025, 2:08 PM
A proper in depth Doom mystery adventure would sell a lot of tickets.

Negative zone would just be more dull CGI surroundings like Quantumania, sorry to say.

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