Fox's Fantastic Four movies failed to capitalise on Doctor Doom's Latverian heritage, and instead mostly portrayed him as an American businessman or scientist who just so happened to hail from the fictional country. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the hope is that Victor Von Doom will be the dictator we all know and hate from the comic books, but when will we first get to visit Laveria?
That remains to be seen, but just like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier is set to take us to Madripoor (a fictional island Wolverine once called home), it's now said that an upcoming Marvel Studios project will introduce us to Lucia Von Bardas.
She's not exactly an A-List comic book villain, but she has served as Doom's successor after he was overthrown as Latveria's leader. Lucia even took the "Doctor Doom" mantle for herself for a time, and Marvel Studios could easily introduce her as a diplomat or something similar in an upcoming movie or TV show to reveal that Latveria does indeed exist in the MCU.
That would be somewhat similar to the way Wakanda was introduced through Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and could even happen in a series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Time will tell on that front as this is just a rumour for now, but it's definitely a very interesting one...
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we want to see from the Fantastic Four in the MCU!
10. Classic Comic Book Costumes
Ahead of Fantastic Four's release in 2015, it was made clear that the team wouldn't don their classic comic book costumes. Say what you will about those first two efforts from Fox, but at least they did make use of the outfits, and we're now hopeful Marvel Studios will end up doing the same.
In Josh Trank's movie, it made sense for the team not to have traditional "superhero" costumes, but it would be incredibly disappointing for Marvel Studios to head down a grounded route.
We don't want their astronaut costumes to be modified with a "4" logo or t-shirts with a graffitied logo on them; instead, they should be every bit as comic accurate as what you see above.
9. Sue Storm, The Team's Most Powerful Member
Jessica Alba’s take on the Invisible Woman in those first two Fantastic Four movies failed to do the character justice, while Kate Mara was given a similarly disappointing chance to portray the hero.
As a result, learning that she’s the most powerful member of the Fantastic Four might come as something of a shock to some fans. After all, the only thing we really saw her do in those was turn invisible, and while that is obviously a major part of her power set, Sue’s ability to create force fields and to use them as weapons is something we definitely need to see more of.
There still aren’t anywhere near enough strong female characters in superhero movies, and as the Invisible Woman fits that role perfectly in the comic books, the same should be the case in the MCU.
8. A True Family Dynamic
What makes the Fantastic Four that little bit more unique than the Avengers or X-Men is the fact they’re a family. Reed and Sue are married, Johnny is Sue’s brother, and Ben Grimm is Reed’s best friend (and pretty much a brother both to him and the rest of his teammates).
None of the movies up until this point have fully delved into this, instead choosing to focus on a frustrating will they/won’t they dynamic with Mr Fantastic and The Invisible Woman, and an admittedly entertaining antagonistic relationship between the Human Torch and The Thing.
This time around, we'd like to see Marvel Studios explore this family dynamic in a deeper, more satisfying way, exploring what makes them click, and how that affects their adventures together.
7. Galactus
Galactus is one of the most iconic and frightening villains in the entire Marvel Universe, and while it's possible that we'll get yet another take on Doctor Doom in this reboot, the groundwork could still be laid for an appearance from him down the line (similar to how Thanos was handled).
The character was portrayed as, well, a cloud in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but Marvel Studios should embrace this larger than life bad guy and make him a threat to the entire MCU.
Galactus consumes planets, and when he first arrived on Earth, he was stopped by the four superheroes. Joined by the Silver Surfer, there's plenty of material which can serve as inspiration for this reboot, all of which would obviously be much better than what we got way back in 2007.
6. The Negative Zone
The N-Zone is an alien dimension, full of unique locations and characters (like Annihilus), who have sadly never been seen on the big screen before thanks to the focus being put on Doctor Doom.
In the Ultimate line of comics, it’s Reed’s desire to discover this mysterious alternate universe which leads to the Fantastic Four gaining their powers, and that's a route the 2015 reboot (sort of) went down. However, regardless of whether that's the case in the MCU, the introduction of the Quantum Realm and Multiverse perfectly sets the stage for the team to explore this realm.
Of course, the aforementioned reboot from Josh Trank did take us to the Negative Zone, but it was a murky, boring CGI backdrop. Marvel Studios, on the other hand, can have a lot of fun with it.
5. Some Sort Of X-Men Tie-In
Fox never gave us a Fantastic Four/X-Men crossover (though they did briefly consider one), but that's definitely something we need to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Honestly, this should be a bigger priority than an Avengers crossover because the team-ups between the heroes have always been fun, and Franklin Richards being a mutant has caused many issues.
We don't know what's coming first in the MCU: an X-Men and Fantastic Four reboot. However, there's no reason to suspect that both franchises can't begin crossing over from the very beginning.
There are multiple heroes we'd like to see meet the Fantastic Four (Spider-Man, for example), but it's hard not to feel desperate to see the worlds of Marvel's First Family and the X-Men collide, especially after so many years of missed opportunities in Fox's own "Marvel Universe."
4. H.E.R.B.I.E.
H.E.R.B.I.E. (Humanoid Experimental Robot, B-type, Integrated Electronics) is a robotic ally to the Fantastic Four who sometimes guards the Baxter Building, assists Mr Fantastic, or babysits Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin. Is an appearance from H.E.R.B.I.E. essential?
Truthfully, no. But in a reboot set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is a character who could provide some much-needed comic relief (which isn't quite as slapstick as the team's first two appearances).
Comic book fans would definitely welcome this, and H.E.R.B.I.E. could definitely work in this shared world. In many ways, J.A.R.V.I.S. laid the groundwork for an appearance like this, and Marvel Studios should definitely embrace the eccentric side of this team's wacky dynamic.
3. Getting The Thing Right
Special effects have advanced a great deal since the first two Fantastic Four movies, and were good enough by 2015 to mean we finally got to see a CGI version of The Thing. He looked...fine.
There was nothing wrong with the visual effects (they were actually pretty impressive), but a grounded approach to Ben Grimm's appearance robbed him of much of his personality. Marvel Studios has perfected CGI characters - just look at The Hulk and Thanos - but that's not what we're concerned about; we just want a completely comic accurate take on The Thing in this reboot!
There's no reason at all that can't be the case, and so we have to trust they get it right.
2. Please, No More Love Triangles
A Fantastic Four reboot will inevitably have a love story element to it, but that should be contained to Reed Richards and Sue Storm, one of Marvel’s most well-known couples and a staple of the Marvel Universe. There’s definitely no need to make Ben Grimm jealous of their relationship, and there’s especially no need to have Victor Von Doom into things.
Can The Thing find love with Alicia Masters? Absolutely, but love triangles are a tedious bore, and with every comic book fan out there well-aware that Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman are meant to be, why waste time delaying the inevitable in this upcoming reboot?
There are many far more interesting things that this reboot could and should be focusing on, so let’s see them portrayed as a happy couple instead, potentially from the very start. Marvel Studios can certainly add plenty of drama to a movie like this but, please, no love triangles!
1. The Real Doctor Doom
Just like in the 2005 movie, 2015's Fantastic Four reboot gave Doctor Doom his powers at the same time as those heroes, but that's not something we need to see on the big screen a third time.
This Victor Von Doom's powers should be rooted in magic, and it's a must that his Latverian roots are properly explored this time, not to mention the fact that he rules over that nation with an iron fist. What’s perhaps most important are his motivations and personality. It shouldn’t be as a jealous love interest or an egomaniacal businessman this time around.
Instead, he needs to be terrifying, ruthless and insane. Doom is one of Marvel’s greatest villains, and this Fantastic Four reboot should portray him as such (finally giving us the version we want).