Buzz
Despite their ongoing struggle to achieve cinematic greatness, Marvel's original superhero team, the Fantastic Four, has enjoyed a rich history of thrilling adventures. Some of the most astonishing tales, however, stem from the real-life drama and creativity of the brilliant minds behind the comics.
10. The Forgotten Movie
While many are aware of the underwhelming 2005 Fantastic Four movie and its follow-up, few know that it wasn’t the first attempt at bringing the team to the big screen. The original film, shrouded in legal battles and rights issues, never saw the light of day.
The story began in 1986 when German producer Bernd Eichinger acquired the film rights to the Fantastic Four. Despite pitching the project to major studios like Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures, even the success of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman couldn’t persuade them to take a risk on Marvel’s iconic team. With his rights set to expire by the end of 1992, Eichinger devised a bold yet straightforward strategy: retain the rights by producing a low-budget film. After all, there was no requirement for the movie to be high-quality or even publicly released.
Eichinger enlisted B-movie icon Roger Corman to produce the film. Made on a shoestring budget, the movie was promoted with trailers promising a global premiere, but it never saw the light of day. Marvel executive Avi Arad went a step further, purchasing the rights to the film and ensuring all copies were destroyed. While the cast and crew were unaware of Eichinger’s scheme, it ultimately paid off for him, as his company, Constantin Film, went on to produce the big-budget adaptations in 2005 and 2007.
9. Invisible Girl or Woman?
The evolution of the Invisible Woman’s character and abilities mirrors the gradual rise of feminism within Marvel Comics. Initially, she was more of a supporting figure than a key player, as her power of invisibility offered little utility in a team focused on exploration and combat.
After 22 issues of limited relevance, the writers expanded her abilities to include making others invisible, projecting force fields, and unleashing psionic blasts. Despite these enhancements, her early storylines often relegated her to the role of a damsel in distress, frequently kidnapped by villains seeking her as a bride.
When writer John Byrne assumed control of the Fantastic Four, he significantly enhanced both her powers and personality. Her force fields gained versatility, allowing her to manipulate matter, stun foes, and deliver powerful long-range attacks. She also adopted a more assertive and confident demeanor, transitioning from the Invisible Girl to the Invisible Woman. Through Byrne’s work, Marvel finally took meaningful strides toward portraying a strong female heroine—albeit two decades after her debut.
8. Their Love Lives Are Unconventional
When exploring how superheroes attempt to balance their extraordinary lives with normalcy, one unavoidable topic is the peculiar nature of their intimate relationships. Superman, for instance, possesses powers so immense that even a momentary lapse in control could prove fatal. This raises questions about how he and Lois Lane manage their personal lives, which might explain their lack of children.
The Fantastic Four have also sparked intriguing fan debates over the years. In the 1995 film Mallrats, Jason Lee’s character seizes the opportunity to ask Stan Lee, playing himself, a burning question about The Thing: “Is his anatomy made of orange rock like the rest of his body?” While Stan Lee avoided the topic in the movie, he addressed it directly in a 2011 Vanity Fair interview, stating that it’s only “common sense” for The Thing’s anatomy to match his rocky exterior.
Once the topic of superhero intimacy was broached in the interview, Stan Lee didn’t hold back. He confirmed a long-standing curiosity among fans about Mr. Fantastic’s elastic abilities, remarking, “His power to stretch would undoubtedly offer unique advantages in various aspects of life, including intimacy.”
Add to this the time the Invisible Woman had a brief affair with Namor, and it becomes clear that Marvel’s first family has a far more unconventional private life than their public image suggests!
7. Mr. Fantastic Often Treats His Wife and Team Poorly
At first glance, Mr. Fantastic stands as one of Marvel’s most celebrated heroes: a brilliant scientist, daring explorer, and the go-to savior when Galactus threatens Earth. Yet, beneath this heroic exterior lies a character often depicted as inconsiderate and self-centered.
To begin with, none of the Fantastic Four would have gained their powers if Reed Richards hadn’t invited them aboard his experimental spacecraft. While Ben Grimm, who later became The Thing, at least had piloting experience, Reed allowed his inexperienced girlfriend, Sue Storm, and her younger brother, Johnny, to join the mission. This decision came despite Ben’s warnings about the unpredictable effects of cosmic radiation on their bodies.
Mr. Fantastic’s relationship with the Invisible Woman is far from ordinary. In their early years together, he often displayed a patronizing attitude, uttering lines like “wives should be kissed—and not heard!” When she warned him of dangers during battles, he infamously retorted, “stop sounding like a wife,” and demanded she hand him a weapon. In some outdated and problematic comic panels, he even resorted to physical discipline to assert dominance over his wife and child.
Despite these flaws, Reed Richards remains one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes—though it’s hard to ignore how he transformed his friends into superpowered beings, dictated their uniforms, and formed a team named after himself. Not to mention the emotional and physical mistreatment he inflicted on those closest to him.
6. Reed and Sue’s Child Possesses Immense Power
When Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman welcomed their son, Franklin Richards, into the world, they discovered he was a mutant—a result of the cosmic radiation his parents had been exposed to. Franklin stood out from other mutants in two key ways: his powers emerged at an unusually young age (unlike most X-Men mutants, who develop abilities during adolescence), and his capabilities were so immense that he could potentially annihilate the planet.
Franklin’s powers vary depending on the writer, but they often include telepathy, time travel, telekinesis, molecular manipulation, and even the ability to create pocket universes. In one notable instance, he transformed Galactus, the devourer of worlds, into his own herald.
Franklin’s extraordinary abilities make him both a valuable ally and a potential danger to Earth’s heroes. At one point, he is kidnapped by his grandfather and taken to the future, as his presence in the present poses a threat to Earth’s survival. Later, a future version of Franklin saves the planet from the Mad Celestials by reviving Galactus and sending him to defeat Earth’s enemies.
5. Mr. Fantastic’s Dark Side: A Fascist Streak
In Marvel’s Civil War storyline, the tragic deaths of children during a battle involving inexperienced heroes lead Tony Stark and the US government to mandate that all superpowered individuals register as SHIELD agents. While Stark and the authorities frame this as a beneficial arrangement—offering heroes financial support and perks—many resist the idea of surrendering their secret identities. On the opposing side, most pro-registration heroes struggle with the moral dilemma of apprehending and imprisoning friends who refuse to become government tools.
Mr. Fantastic, however, shows no such hesitation. As he constructs a prison in the Negative Zone—a dimension he once explored—he enthusiastically tells the Invisible Woman that this project is “the most thrilling endeavor we’ve ever undertaken.” Why imprison dissenters in another dimension? The goal is to banish them from Earth permanently. When asked about the ethical implications, Reed responds with glee, “I haven’t felt this exhilarated since I first observed a black hole!”
His plans grow even more extreme as he deploys a cloned version of Thor to attack his former allies, resulting in the death of the superhero Goliath. Amidst all this, Reed neglects his brother-in-law, the Human Torch, who lies hospitalized. His justification? Complex calculations scrawled on walls, à la Beautiful Mind, convince him that unregistered heroes pose a vague but catastrophic threat to society. A reasonable concern, perhaps, but one that eerily echoes authoritarian logic.
4. Dr. Doom Prefers World Domination Over Cosmetic Procedures
The origins of Dr. Doom are widely known. During his time at Empire State University alongside Reed Richards, the two collaborated on a reckless project aimed at communicating with the deceased. At the last moment, Reed identified a critical error in the calculations and urged Doom to halt the experiment. Ignoring the warning, Doom proceeded, resulting in an explosion that fueled his hatred for Richards and left his face disfigured, hidden forever behind his iconic metal mask.
In the 1970s, however, legendary comic artist Jack Kirby offered a different take on Doom’s appearance beneath the mask: a strikingly handsome man with only a minor scar. Kirby believed this reflected Doom’s immense pride, as even the slightest imperfection drove him to despise a world he now deemed more beautiful than himself, ultimately shaping him into a supervillain.
In the 1980s, writer John Byrne expanded on this concept, suggesting the accident caused only a small scar. However, Doom’s haste to don his newly crafted mask before it cooled permanently marred his entire face. Given such reckless decisions, it’s no wonder the “Dr.” in his name is a fabrication—Doom never completed his degree.
3. The Fantastic Four Might Be a cat Creation... and Played a Role in Marvel Denying Its Cocreator Millions
The competitive history between DC Comics and Marvel Comics, along with their shared pool of writers, has led to striking similarities in storylines, characters, and even entire teams. A notable example is the resemblance between the Fantastic Four and DC’s Challengers of the Unknown. Both feature a quartet of adventurers who survive a near-death experience, gain occasional superpowers, and don matching uniforms to protect humanity. The connection is no coincidence: Jack Kirby, who co-created the Fantastic Four, also created Challengers of the Unknown.
The situation becomes more complicated when examining the creation process. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby developed the Fantastic Four using the “Marvel method.” Kirby, as the artist, would propose the story to Lee, receive approval, and then craft the entire comic, including much of the dialogue. Lee had the final say and added any additional dialogue he desired. And just like that, the comic was born.
So, where did things go wrong?
Since Kirby was responsible for much of the story, dialogue, and notes, he believed he deserved compensation as both a writer and an artist. However, Stan Lee was credited solely as the writer, prompting Kirby to leave Marvel. Years later, Kirby struggled to reclaim his original artwork from Marvel, with each page now valued at thousands of dollars. After public outcry, Marvel returned only a fraction—no more than 20 percent—of the pages Kirby had created for them.
The dispute resurfaced when Kirby’s estate filed a lawsuit against Disney, seeking a share of the profits from Marvel movies. Despite his pivotal role in creating iconic characters like the Avengers and Groot, Kirby’s name rarely appears in the credits of films based on his creations. In 2014, nearly two decades after his passing, Marvel settled the case with his family.
2. The Fantastic Four Were Designed as a Counter to the JLA
The true origins of the Fantastic Four remain as enigmatic as their many adventures, but Stan Lee’s account offers a relatable and human perspective. According to Lee, Marvel was envious of the success of DC Comics’ Justice League of America (then under National Periodical Publications) and sought to create their own superhero team to compete.
The task fell to Stan Lee, who envisioned something entirely different. Lee asserted that even in 1961, when he and Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four, superhero comics felt “creatively limiting.” While he didn’t explicitly name them, Lee clearly opposed the idea of nearly perfect heroes like those in the Justice League. Instead, he aimed to craft characters who were “flesh and blood,” flawed, and “fallible and feisty.”
In essence, beneath their “costumed exteriors,” Lee wanted his characters to remain human, with “feet of clay.” This approach ensured that Marvel’s first family was inherently flawed, making them more relatable and realistic.
1. The Thing Nearly Crossed Paths with The Flintstones
For a character transformed into orange rock by cosmic rays and who battles Mole Men for a living, you’d think The Thing’s story couldn’t get stranger. Yet, in the late 1970s, it did. He appeared in a Flintstones spin-off titled Fred and Barney Meet The Thing.
Despite the show’s title, the superhero never actually meets Fred and Barney. Instead, the hour-long program combined an episode of The New Fred and Barney Show with one of The Thing. However, Marvel fans might struggle to recognize their beloved character. In this version, the protagonist was a skinny high school student named Benjy Grimm, who wasn’t mutated. When in trouble, he would clink two magical rings together and shout a phrase so absurd it makes “it’s clobbering time” sound poetic: “Thing ring, do your thing!” Instantly, orange rocks would materialize to cover his body, giving him the appearance of the iconic Marvel hero.
What became of his rocky persona? Beyond occasionally battling mad scientists, he primarily shielded his friends from pranks and a genuine leather-clad gang led by a character named Spike. The series lasted a mere three months, never included any other Fantastic Four characters or antagonists, and left viewers longing for the show to vanish as effortlessly as the Invisible Woman.
