In the wake of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the 2000s Fantastic Four movies reveal some uncomfortable truths. The Fantastic Four movies brought Marvel’s First Family to life for the first time on the big screen, years before the MCU timeline. While they still have moments of goofy fun, they also reveal creative missteps and baffling character decisions.

When Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) hit theaters, they were among the few big-budget Marvel adaptations. At the time, their lighter tone and family-friendly charm seemed like a welcome change from darker superhero movies. Yet upon rewatching today, these films feel painfully dated, both in terms of special effects and storytelling choices.

10

Johnny Storm’s Charm Hasn’t Aged Well

Chris Evans brought undeniable charisma to Johnny Storm. However, the character’s brand of “charm” doesn’t land as well today. In 2005, his over-the-top flirting, constant smirking, and need to showboat felt like cheeky comic relief.

Now, it comes across as immature and, at times, downright cringeworthy – especially his relentless romantic advances toward women who clearly aren’t interested. The films frame this as harmless fun. Yet in hindsight, it feels more intrusive than charming.

His obsession with media attention, such as public stunts and shameless self-promotion, also clashes with the team’s supposed mission to protect the world. While Evans’ performance is energetic, the character’s lack of growth in this area makes him feel stuck in a juvenile, early-2000s “ladies’ man” stereotype. When viewed today, this undercuts his potential as a more complex hero.

9

The Comedy Scenes In Fantastic Four Undermined The Narrative

The Fantastic Four films wanted to be both superhero adventures and quirky sitcoms. Unfortunately, their comedic beats often felt wedged in without serving the story. Moments like Reed Richards awkwardly dancing, Johnny pranking Ben with shaving cream, or the team lounging around in slapstick montages may have been intended to show camaraderie, but they ultimately stall the pacing.

None of these scenes develop the plot or deepen the characters. They exist purely for cheap laughs that don’t land as well today. Worse, they often undercut the tension in key moments, making the stakes feel nonexistent.

In a modern superhero landscape, humor works best when integrated naturally into the action. Guardians of the Galaxy is a perfect example of this. The Fantastic Four’s forced comedy now feels like filler that distracts from an already thin narrative.

8

Doctor Doom Was Mostly Confusing

Doctor Doom should be one of Marvel’s most compelling villains – brilliant, ruthless, and dangerously powerful. In the 2000s Fantastic Four films, however, he’s a muddled blend of CEO clichés and vague sci-fi threats. The first movie gives him an origin tied to the same cosmic storm that empowered the team, but his abilities are never clearly defined.

Sometimes he shoots electricity, sometimes he appears indestructible. Other times he’s just rich and angry. His motivations swing between personal revenge, corporate ambition, and world domination without any consistent throughline.

This lack of clarity robs Doom of the menace he deserves. Instead of being a towering presence, he’s reduced to a shallow antagonist whose powers serve whatever the scene needs. For those familiar with the comics, this vague, inconsistent portrayal is one of the films’ biggest disappointments.

7

The Invisible Woman Was Naked Much More Than She Had To Be

In Fantastic Four (2005), Sue Storm’s invisibility powers are repeatedly used as a thin excuse to strip her down. The first instance – on the bridge while wearing street clothes – can at least be justified as a chaotic accident during their first big public outing. Yet then there’s the far more egregious moment where Reed Richards walks in on her in the shower.

This scene adds nothing to the plot and exists purely for awkward Sєxualization. Rather than focusing on Sue’s intellect and leadership qualities, the films too often frame her through male gaze humor. Even in a lighter, more comedic superhero film, these moments feel unnecessary and exploitative.

In hindsight, it’s a frustrating misuse of a major female character. In the comics, Sue has evolved into a feminist icon, which was missing from the 2000s Fantastic Four movies. Thankfully, The Fantastic Four: First Steps rectified this.

6

The Thing’s Quest For A Cure Was Resolved In The First Movie

In the first Fantastic Four Ben Grimm’s arc centers on his struggle to accept his transformation into The Thing. By the climax, Reed has developed a way to revert Ben to human form. However, he makes peace with his condition, choosing to remain as he is in order to save his friends from Doctor Doom.

It’s a satisfying resolution, or at least it should have been. Strangely, Rise of the Silver Surfer rehashes the same emotional conflict. Ben is again tempted by the prospect of a cure, with each character seemingly forgetting the previously developed one.

This repeтιтion undermines his development and makes the sequel feel like it’s spinning its wheels. Instead of exploring new dimensions of Ben’s character or giving him fresh challenges, the films fall back on the same drama. It’s a lazy recycling of story beats that makes The Thing’s emotional journey feel stuck in place.

5

Johnny Storm As Super Skrull Was Just Weird

One of Rise of the Silver Surfer’s most bizarre creative choices comes near the end, when Johnny Storm gains all the powers of his teammates. He stretched like Reed, turned invisible like Sue, and turned rock-solid like Ben, before using them to battle Doom. This “Super Skrull”-style power-up could have been an exciting team moment.

However, it instead feels strange and anticlimactic. Rather than the Fantastic Four working together to defeat the villain, the climax essentially sidelines everyone except Johnny. It also makes the fight too easy, as there’s no real tactical challenge when one character can do everything.

The choice plays more like a video game cheat code than a satisfying narrative payoff. It’s a flashy sequence with little weight. It also undercut the entire premise of the Fantastic Four as a united team.

4

The Fantastic Four Contributed Very Little To Galactus’s Defeat

The Fantastic Four are supposed to be the heroes of their own story, but in Rise of the Silver Surfer, they play a surprisingly minor role in the actual resolution. When the world-ending threat of Galactus arrives, it’s Silver Surfer, not the Four, who ultimately saves Earth. The team spends much of the climax reacting rather than taking decisive action.

This robs the finale of tension and makes them feel like supporting players in their own movie. It’s certainly understandable that the Surfer would be the one to confront his master. However, the Four could have had a more active role in helping him.

Instead, they’re left on the sidelines while the real heroics happen elsewhere. For a superhero team movie, it’s a frustratingly pᴀssive ending. It undermines the characters’ importance and simply repeats their confrontation with Doctor Doom.

3

The Silver Surfer’s Backstory Was More Teletubby Than Cosmic Grandeur

The Silver Surfer should be one of Marvel’s most awe-inspiring cosmic figures. He’s a tragic, noble herald of Galactus with a galaxy-spanning backstory. Unfortunately, Rise of the Silver Surfer reduces his mystique with some baffling creative choices, the most infamous being the “movie in the tummy” scene.

When Sue touches the Surfer’s chest, she sees a video-like vision of his past projected onto his metallic skin. Rather than feeling like a grand space drama, it instead recalls the Teletubbies’ belly screens. Instead of deepening the character’s lore, it comes off as cheesy and unintentionally silly.

The visual effect was serviceable, but the decision undermined the grandeur needed to sell the concept. It makes the moment feel low-budget and unintentionally comedic. It’s an awkward sequence that fails to convey the cosmic scope the Surfer’s story deserves.

2

First Steps Had A Much More Compelling Family Dynamic

The 2000s Fantastic Four films leaned into lighthearted bickering and slapstick humor to portray the family bond. Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes the animated series and The Fantastic Four: First Steps showed how much more compelling that dynamic could be. In First Steps, the relationships between Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben felt richer.

It boasted genuine emotional stakes and mutual respect despite their differences. The 2000s Fantastic Four films often reduced their bofirnd to petty pranks and shallow banter. This undermined the idea of them as Marvel’s “First Family.”

Watching First Steps after revisiting the 2000s movies highlights how much more the family dynamic shines when there’s authentic warmth. While there are still comedic bits, they feel subordinate to the dynamic rather than the only factor. It’s proof that the Four can, and should, be portrayed as a deeper, more layered team.

1

A Proper Galactus Was Way Better Than The Infamous Space Cloud

Perhaps the most infamous creative misstep of Rise of the Silver Surfer was turning Galactus into a giant, swirling space cloud. The decision stripped away one of Marvel’s most visually iconic villains. It replaced him with an indistinct, formless mᴀss that lacked any personality or presence.

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Galactus is depicted in a way that honors his original comic book design. He’s towering, humanoid, and imposing, proving that a faithful version can work on-screen. The space cloud was chosen as filmmakers were still hung up on making superhero movies “realistic.”

Watching the space cloud version after seeing the MCU’s Galactus, it feels like a mᴀssive missed opportunity. This change not only disappointed comic book readers, but also robbed the sequel’s climax of visual impact. A real Galactus could have given the finale the epic scale it needed. It stands as the worst decision made by the 2000s Fantastic Four movies.