# The Fantastic Four: First Steps - pre-release discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 4, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874 "2025-02-04T16:00:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/101 "2025-02-13T16:48:57Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Did I dream a story in which Doom flies around in a hollowed out Sphynx? Kang the Conqueror is the one with the flying time-traveling Sphynx. [![](https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/scale_600/public/ff19-rama-tut-origin-1.jpg) ](https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/files/styles/scale_600/public/ff19-rama-tut-origin-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/102 "2025-02-13T17:12:38Z")
That said: [![](https://comicsarcheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/image015-2.png) ](https://comicsarcheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/image015-2.png) ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/103 "2025-02-13T17:41:47Z")
Does Doom actually want to kill the FF? Because, with his technology, it should be a breeze. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/104 "2025-02-13T17:43:28Z")
No. He needs the FF. For important missions like this… [![](https://www.comicbookherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/doom-ff5-timetravel.png) ](https://www.comicbookherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/doom-ff5-timetravel.png) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/105 "2025-02-13T18:16:05Z")
He’s basically what Doctor Doofenshmirtz from _Phineas and Ferb_ would be if he was a lot smarter and had an entire country at his disposal (rather than focusing on the Tri-State Area). And if Doofenshmirtz had access to sorcery. 🎶 “Dr. Doom Evil Incorporated!” 🎶 ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/106 "2025-02-13T18:45:12Z")
But Doom doesn’t put a self-destruct button on all his machines. “What can I say? They were on sale.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/107 "2025-02-13T18:47:19Z")
Since this is now the Doom-ridiculing thread, I’ll remind everyone about the time he was defeated by Squirrel Girl. [![](https://comicsarcheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image035-SG.jpg) ](https://comicsarcheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image035-SG.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/108 "2025-02-13T18:51:27Z")
That barely counts. _Everybody_ has been defeated by Squirrel Girl. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/109 "2025-02-13T19:15:14Z")
♫ ♬ Doom’s his own grandpa…♫ ♬ ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/110 "2025-02-13T19:28:31Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I guess my read on it was, you could get variety with a mad-scientist inventor who just tinkers with that XZ-12 device — or, as he puts it in this issue, _“There! It is over! I’ve adapted each XZ-12 device to affect you differently!”_ — such that, sure, this time he took a brawny crook who’d beaten up “six husky longshoremen who wouldn’t join his protection racket” and turned him into a guy who could lift _tons_ more than before; but, next time, he could unleash a blackmailed _speedster_ villain on the world, or whatever. But then his hook isn’t really, “Villain who is a mad inventor,” it’s “Villain who gives other villains super powers.” Every story with him becomes a punch up where they have to beat his mooks-of-the-week, then find the mastermind who created them. Having him be a guy who can pull a bunch of different inventions out of his back pocket lets you put him in a bunch of different, high-concept stories. You want to do a story with pirates. How do the FF get to pirate times? Dr. Doom built a time machine. You get an idea about a skyscraper being in space. How does the Baxter Building get into space? Doom launched it there. You don’t have to create a new villain for each of these stories - you can plug a familiar face in as the heavy, and you don’t have to justify why Doom’s able to do this new thing the story requires from him: he just built a new invention, and is using it to torment Reed again. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > But, like I’d said, he also seems to take a crook who has a bona fide superpower — albeit a minor one that he maybe had no use for beyond playing circus performer — and boosted the heck out of it. And that suggests _other_ powered small-timers who aren’t yet doing much only because a scientist hasn’t yet offered them a shot at being so much more. That’s just an established part of the Marvel universe - there’s tons of small time, punch-clock villains who’ve got a minor super ability, but aren’t really much more dangerous than a guy with a gun when you get down to it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/111 "2025-04-17T15:24:06Z")
New trailer. It’s been a long time since I have been this excited about an MCU release. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pAsmrKyMqaA/maxresdefault.jpg "The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Official Trailer | Only in Theaters July 25") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAsmrKyMqaA) ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/112 "2025-04-18T02:42:14Z")
The shadow of Galactus on Manhattan Island kicks butt. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/113 "2025-04-18T12:10:14Z")
We finally saw a bit of stretchy, and it didn’t look too bad. Hopefully, it’s minimized. Reed Richards’ real super-power is his brain. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2025, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/114 "2025-05-03T11:22:39Z")
The more trailers I see the more I am convinced Pedro Pascal is miscast as Reed Richards. He’s a good actor but I don’t get the “smartest guy in the room who’s thinking about 17 different projects he’s working on while you are talking to him” vibe that Reed has. He seems too warm in what little we have seen but it’s just trailers so who knows? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/115 "2025-05-03T16:40:15Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > He seems too warm Who says “genius” _has_ to equal “cold dick”? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/116 "2025-05-03T17:09:53Z")
Yeah, “cold dick” Reed isn’t part of the Silver Age playbook this film is drawing on. Now, “sexist sick”, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/117 "2025-05-03T17:13:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > While I love the MCU, I don’t read comics, and I don’t know much about the Fantastic Four. That teaser was… not impressive. Although I suppose I wasn’t its target audience. I _am_ the target audience, having been a F4 fan since the very early 1970’s. I didn’t find the teaser particularly impressive, either. I did think Ioan Gruffudd was good casting for the Reed Richards role, and he did what he could with what he had. Jessica Alba, I thought, was miscast as Sue Storm/Richards, and also I thought the “escape the crowd by undressing seen” was creepy as hell, like it was written by little boys sniggering "oooo - she’s running around _naked!"_ While the fan-nerd in my liked the two movies with that cast there were major flaws with the movies as a whole. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Looks like in this film there are going for a cool retro 50’s look, and will do the origin story in a series of flashbacks. I’m hoping that works better than a straight, linear narrative has in the past. > [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > He seems a bit short and the mustache doesn’t work. Reminds me of when Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine: he was too tall and his hair didn’t look like the comics. But, you know, the movie version of Wolverine was every bit as successful as the comic version. Or Tom Cruise as the vampire Lestat, which was also considered wrong by many but it worked out OK in the film. I’ll reserve judgement on casting choices until I see how they work out in the actual movie. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/118 "2025-05-08T21:39:14Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Reminds me of when Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine: he was too tall and his hair didn’t look like the comics. But, you know, the movie version of Wolverine was every bit as successful as the comic version. I’m very familiar with the Fantastic Four from the comics (I even read my dad’s old 60s comic collection when I was a kid) and I think I’d be okay if they took him in a different direction. Reed didn’t really have much of a personality. He was like those emotionless “scientist hero” types you’d see in old scifi B movies. (Which I’m guessing inspired the character.) The Pedro Pascal version might be an improvement. I think it’s very possible. You know who could probably play a spot-on Reed Richards? Liam Neeson, if he just played him the same way he played Qui-Gon Jinn in _The Phantom Menace_. That would be perfect. But that character sucked on screen. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/119 "2025-05-08T21:49:23Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > You know who could probably play a spot-on Reed Richards? Benedict Cumberbatch? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874/120 "2025-05-08T21:51:05Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Benedict Cumberbatch? Playing as he did Sherlock Holmes but with an American accent, maybe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fantastic-four-first-steps-pre-release-discussion/1013874.md?page=7)