I'm Convinced The MCU Needs To Break A Major Villain Rule When It Comes To The Fantastic Four

Ahead of The Fantastic Four: First Steps

‘ debut, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

needs to readjust a pattern it’s developed regarding its villains. The MCU has accomplished something incredible in the nearly 20 years since it began. However, that doesn’t mean it is a flawless cinematic universe, as proven by its handling of villains so far.

While the villains are an important part of any superhero story, they are difficult to get right. Traditionally, it makes sense to have the heroes win, and this leads to the villains being jailed, killed, or exiled. And while this has largely worked for the heroes seen in the MCU so far, The Fantastic Four operates a little bit differently. As Marvel’s First Family, they have a long-standing history, with villains who have been around for just as long as they have. And the MCU will need to handle this correctly.

The MCU Is Bringing A Number Of Big Fantastic Four Villains Into The Franchise

The Fantastic Four Will Reveal Some Incredibly Powerful Villains

Already, Doctor Doom and Galactus have been confirmed as two of the villains who will be pitted against The Fantastic Four in the MCU. Galactus will make his debut in First Steps, while Doom is confirmed to appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but presumably, these villains are too big to take down in one movie. In addition, Namor is often a character who has conflict with heroes like Mister Fantastic in the comics, and since he was introduced in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, it would make sense for him to appear again ahead of the Multiverse Saga’s ending.

But Galactus is a planet-eating giant who is not defeated, so much as he is distracted and promises to spare Earth for a time. Doom is a constant threat to the FF, and he continues to find ways to create problems for the heroes. And Namor is more complex than a traditional villain, because he is also a hero in several stories, and his story can develop into something more interesting than what was seen in Wakanda Forever.

The Fantastic Four Would Benefit From Getting More Than One Movie With Any Of Its Major Villains

These Villains Are Too Big To Disappear

But in order to properly explore any of these stories, the villains should have more time to develop and expand. As noted above, Galactus is confirmed for First Steps, but there is nothing to suggest that he will definitely return beyond that. However, if his story ends after his debut film, the MCU is missing out on exploring one of the more unique and powerful characters in Marvel history.

And unlike Thanos or Kang, Doom has had very little to allude to his arrival in the MCU apart from official announcements. As far as the characters inside the MCU are concerned, he is a complete mystery, and one that has had no exploration up to this point. But the MCU needs to be clever in finding a way to have the heroes overcome him in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars without making the character completely redundant in the future.

The MCU Would Be Best Breaking Its Trend Of Only Giving Villains One Central Movie For The Fantastic Four’s Villains

It’s Time To Focus On Arch-Nemesis’ Instead Of One And Done Villains

Clearly, the MCU has been able to put a larger focus on big bad villains like Thanos, hinting at his coming for several years before finally making him a focal point. However, the tendency appears to be one-off villain stories with the characters then disappearing forever. But that doesn’t make sense for The Fantastic Four villains, who present an immense threat, and deserve to have their stories explored further.

Especially for a character like Doctor Doom, it would be a major missed opportunity to simply have the character arrive in Avengers: Doomsday, before he disappears for good in Avengers: Secret Wars. Whether that means having Robert Downey Jr. continue to play the part, or introducing a new variant played by a different actor doesn’t matter so much in the grand scheme of things, but The Fantastic Four without Doctor Doom is not the full story. The Fantastic Four: First Steps can finally bring these incredible rivals to the MCU, but it needs to set them up for future returns.