Susan Storm, aka Invisible Woman, has gone through a lot of changes in the comics over the years, and while the character is usually depicted as an altruistic, heroic, and caring mother and wife, she does have a darker side - one that manifested in an incredibly powerful alter-ago known as Malice.
The "Mistress of Hate" first appeared back in Fantastic Four #280 during an encounter with the supervillain known as Psycho-Man, who used his abilities to invert the feelings within Sue’s mind, switching love to hate and vice versa. After confronting her teammates, we were given a much better idea of the destructive potential of Storm's power.
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, The Fantastic Four: First Steps star Vanessa Kirby said she would jump at the opportunity to explore this side of her character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point.
"I always love Malice because it’s almost like a part of her that needs to come out, to be expressed, that, while she is committed to being altruistic and being a leader and doing good in the world, she also has a shadow side, like we all do, which has to come out in order for her then, in the comics, to become Invisible Woman. She renames herself from Invisible Girl. So she becomes a woman by going through a dark time, and I always loved that journey. I thought it felt very true."
Kirby went on to reveal a moment that would have shown a slightly darker side to Sue that didn't make the final cut (we got a little glimpse of it when she told Johnny to kill the Silver Surfer).
"There was one line, I don’t think it was in the film, where she says to Mole Man, ‘If you’re not careful, I could give you an aneurysm in a second. And that was so useful for me, that was a real touchstone, because it’s true. She could put a forcefield, and there’s lots of images of her in the comics doing it to Doom and her doing it to all these enemies where she threatens to do it, because she can, but she chooses not to. And it’s someone that chooses not to, but still could."
This would certainly be an intriguing arc for Invisible Woman, but whether we'll ever get to see Malice in the MCU obviously remains to be seen. If it does happen, it probably won't be for quite a long time.
What do you think? Would you like to see Sue Storm unleash her Malice in the MCU at some point?
First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.
Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne and Paul Walter Hauser are also on board in undisclosed roles. John Malkovich's Red Ghost has been cut from the movie.
"Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal."
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters.