Summary
The Fantastic Fourare often referred to as Marvel’s first family, and that is mainly because they were the first superhero team to be published by the company in 1961. Their arrival on store shelves marked a new era for comics and began the lengthy shared universe of Marvel heroes that rivaled even DC at the time. The Fantastic Four consists of four main members: Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing. These members are most associated with the team, and they will be the characters that appear in the upcomingFantastic Fourmovie that will take place in the MCU.
However, many other superheroes have been part of the team over the years. So, which other Marvel heroes in the MCU have also had a history with this iconic team?
1Luke Cage
Replaced Ben Grimm/The Thing
There was a lot of confusion about whether Luke Cage and the other Marvel heroes who appeared in Netflix TV shows are part of the MCU. The original plan seemed to suggest that these characters existed in a separate continuity. However, the retooling of Marvel’s newDaredevil: Born AgainTV show now suggests that these heroes are being folded into the current MCU canon. Therefore,Mike Colter’s Luke Cage can now be considered an MCU hero.
In terms of The Fantastic Four, Luke Cage first joined the team when The Thing lost his powers after he was exposed to gamma radiation. In need of another heavy-hitter, the team approached Cage to fill in for Ben Grimm until his powers returned. Luke Cage has a different moral code to the family-friendly team of explorers, so it was interesting to see the street-level hero-for-hire journey into space in this new iteration of the team. Perhaps the MCU could toy with this unique idea in the future.
2She-Hulk
The Fantastic Four found themselves in need of another strong presence after Ben Grimm once again lost his powers during the massiveSecret Warscrossover event in the 80s. The answer to their problem came in the form of Jennifer Walter, aka She-Hulk. Jennifer is unlike her cousin Bruce and can turn into her Hulk form at will, so she is a much safer bet to have on a team like The Fantastic Four.
Unfortunately, She-Hulk’s first appearance in the MCU was not met with high praise. The comedy show that hit Disney+ in 2022 received an audience score of 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, andthe character’s future in the franchise is currently in limbo. With The Fantastic Four coming to the MCU soon, using this property to revamp She-Hulk would be a great idea, while also paying homage to a big event in the comics.
3Ant-Man
Replaced Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
Several people have taken on the mantle of Ant-Man in the comics. The first was the tech genius, Hank Pym, who was also a founding member of The Avengers. However, the MCU decided thatits main Ant-Manwould be the reformed thief, Scott Lang, with Hank Pym serving more as a mentor in the movie franchise. When it came time for Ant-Man to join The Fantastic Four, the team also went with Scott Lang.
During a story arc that saw Mr. Fantastic go missing and The Invisible Woman leading the team, Sue found herself in need of a new tech expert to save The Thing from the micro-verse. Unfortunately, Hank Pym was also missing at the time, and so Scott was recruited to shrink down and save Ben Grimm. After this successful mission, Ant-Man stayed on the team because of his scientific knowledge, rather than his powers.
4Black Panther & Storm
Replaced Reed Richards & Sue Storm
One of the biggest crossover events in Marvel Comics isCivil Warfrom the mid-2000s. This conflict brought in every superhero in this universe, as a new superhero registration act forced the characters to pick a side in the brewing war. Sadly, Reed Richards and Sue Storm chose opposite sides in this conflict, which put a strain on their marriage. Both agreed to leave the team for a while and Black Panther and his current wife, Storm of the X-Men, took their places.
Black Pantherwas a huge hit for the MCU, so it would make sense for Marvel to use this character to promoteThe Fantastic Fourin the future. Sadly, the lead actor behind this character, Chadwick Boseman, passed away, and the mantle of Black Panther was passed onto his sister, Shuri, in the sequel. As a result, how this new version of the character will interact with The Fantastic Four or Storm when she finally debuts in the franchise is unknown.
5Spider-Man
Replaced Johnny Storm/Human Torch
Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four have been linked in the comics ever since Peter Parker gained his powers inAmazing Spider-Man #1and showed up at the Baxter building hoping to be recruited by the team. He was denied a position but has remained friends with everyone on the team since. His strongest friendship was with Johnny Storm/Human Torch, which is why Spider-Man was recruited to replace Johnny after he died in a supernova he created to stop Annihilus.
Spider-Man is no doubt one of the most popular comic book characters in history, and the version played by Tom Holland in the MCU has also been popular. With that said, putting this character in The Fantastic Four in the MCU is likely to overshadow the rest of the team. Here’s hoping the franchise establishes the friendship between Spider-Man and The Human Torch, though.
6Hulk, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, And Wolverine
Replaced Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, And The Thing
As with a lot of comic book series, the publishers will often attempt to revamp the ongoing arc to attract more readers, and Marvel did this withThe Fantastic Fourin 1990. To increase sales, the writers took out all the current members of the team to replace them with more popular characters. As a result, the new Fantastic Four consisted of Hulk, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. This new team dynamic proved popular at first, but fans began to miss the family team after a while, so the original team was eventually reinstated.
If Marvel fans are hoping to see this version of The Fantastic Four in the MCU, they will be waiting a while. For starters, The Fantastic Four will need to be introduced properly first before they are replaced. Secondly, characters like Ghost Rider and Wolverine have not yet been introduced to the MCU. Ghost Rider did have a small appearance inAgents of Shield, but it is unlikely that the studio will move that character into the movies. What’s more, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is only supposed to appear as a one-and-done inDeadpool and Wolverine.Therefore, it is unlikely that these replacements will show up in any version of The Fantastic Four, but a small reference inAvengers: Secret Warswould be fun.
