Summary
Marvelhasn’t portrayed every superpower correctly, and it can finally get one right inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. The MCU’s Fantastic Four movie has plenty of pressure on it. Not only does it need to establish Marvel’s First Family beforethe release ofAvengers: Doomsday, but it also needs to deliver an excellent film that does justice to its titular characters. While there are fans of the previous movies in this franchise, a majority of audiences still believe a proper Fantastic Four adaptation hasn’t been done yet, and Marvel Studios could be the perfect team to do it.
One significant thing the installment needs to get right is the team’s superpowers. Marvel has previously done Sue Storm’s invisibility and The Thing’s super strength effectively on-screen, and the studio recently proved it can create the right visuals for Human Torch throughChris Evans' cameo inDeadpool & Wolverine. However, Marvel has had two opportunities to utilize superheroes with Reed Richards' elasticity powers, and the studio has dropped the ball twice. With this in mind,the story ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsgives Marvel a chance to finally portray Reed’s powers correctly.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is Going To Break A Grim MCU Trend
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the Marvel family’s MCU debut, and sets the team up to break a surprisingly dark trend by the end of their film.
Reed Richard Is The First Elastic MCU Hero After Marvel Changed Ms. Marvel’s Powers
In Marvel comics, Kamala Khan has body-morphing abilitiessimilar to Reed Richards. She discovered her powers after finding out she has inhuman genes during the aftermath of the 2013-2014 “Inhumanity” storyline. However, Marvel significantly changedMs. Marvel’s powers in the MCU. She isn’t an inhuman, and is instead a mutant. Her powers are unlocked after she wears her great-grandmother’s bangle, which connects her to energy from the Noor dimension.
Kamala’s abilities include light manipulation, which she uses to emit beams or protect herself from bullets and punches. She can also use light to grow her arms, giving her a similar ability to the comics with a mystical twist. Ms. Marvel’s changes could have been Marvel’s attempt to save themselves from poor CGI, but her new powers do connect more to Captain Marvel, which became an essential part ofTheMarvels' storyline. However, it means thatReed Richards is now the only MCU character who can physically stretch and morph their body.
The MCU’s Secret Invasion did also introduce a version of Super-Skrull, who is imbued with the Fantastic Four’s powers in the comics, but the MCU iteration takes from other characters instead.
Reed Richards Barely Showed His Flexibility Powers In Doctor Strange 2
Reed Richards has already appeared in the MCU. InDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, John Krasinski played a variant of Mr. Fantastic, delivering on a popular fan casting that existed on the internet for years. Unfortunately, Krasinski’s time as Richards was short-lived, getting killed by the Scarlet Witch along with the rest of the Illuminati. What makes his fate sadder is thatMister Fantastic barely had a chance to showcase his flexibility powers.
During his encounter with Wanda, Reed briefly stretches his hand toward her right before she turns him into spaghetti. This scene didn’t allow Reed to show his full potential, and it’s disappointing that viewers may never get to see Krasinski’s version of the character in a fight scene. However, Marvel has a chance to avenge Krasinski’s loss by givingPedro Pascal’s Reed Richardsa fantastic moment that lets him display the full possibilities of his powers. Hopefully,Fantastic Four: First Stepsis the first film that gets it right.
