Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Fantastic Four: First Steps.The Fantastic Four: First Stepsonce again touches on theMarvel Cinematic Universe’s surprising Fantastic Four death trend; however, the movie also ends it through its most powerful character. With the MCU’s new take on the team,there are now three cinematic Fantastic Four franchises. Deaths are a common part of superhero projects, and theFantastic Four moviesfeature plenty.
Interestingly, no member of the Fantastic Four dies in both the 2000s franchise helmed by director Tim Story nor in the ill-received 2015Fantastic Fourreboot. However, in the two franchises, the fate of the team’s main villain is ambiguous. First,the original live-action Doctor Doom was frozen in place before being sent to Latveria. However, he would survive it.
That said, the fate of Toby Kebbell’s Doctor Doom in the 2015 Fantastic Four movie was darker.The Thing punched Doctor Doom directly into an energy beam, causing Victor von Doom to disintegrate. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom debuts inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps' post-credits scene, but a member of the team is responsible for the MCU’s Fantastic Four death trend.
The MCU Debuted Two Fantastic Four Members Before The Team’s First Movie
The Multiverse Saga Opens The Door From Alternate Versions Of MCU Heroes
WhileThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsmarks the MCU debut of Marvel’s First Family, the movie isnot the first project in the franchise to include Fantastic Four members. With the Multiverse Saga, the studio has had the opportunity to explore other universes, bringing back characters from other franchises, as well as making fans' casting dreams come true.
Both connect to the Fantastic Four’s MCU history. The first member of the team to show up in the MCU was Mister Fantastic. InDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,John Krasinski was cast as Reed Richards, with his Marvel hero part of Earth-838’s Illuminati. A fan-favorite for Reed, Marvel cast him in the one-off role to make fans happy.
Another major Fantastic Four death came in the MCU’sDeadpool & Wolverine.
Sadly, the Scarlet Witch brutally murdered Krasinski’s Reed. Another major Fantastic Four death came in the MCU’sDeadpool & Wolverine. The multiverse-heavy movie featuredthe return of MCU Captain America star Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, or a variant of him, from the 2000s Fantastic Four movies. Cassandra Nova stripped the Human Torch of his skin, mercilessly killing him.
Marvel Establishes An MCU Fantastic Four Death Trend In First Steps
The Franchise Just Killed A Major Fantastic Four Hero
After the two multiverse members of the Fantastic Four died, I was not expecting any deaths to come inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps. Well, I was wrong. TheFantastic Four movie’s endingwas incredibly emotional, with the MCU team having to fight Galactus to save Franklin Richards. They succeeded due toSue Storm pushing her powers to the limit.
Vanessa Kirby’s Sue dieddue to that, which left me shocked. This marks the third time that a Fantastic Four member has died in the MCU, with all the deaths happening in the same project in which said characters debuted. Thankfully,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsused its most powerful character to demolish the MCU’s Fantastic Four death trend shortly after Sue died.
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Vanessa Kirby/Sue Storm
The driving force ofThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsis how Galactus wants Franklin Richards due to his immense power, and the heroes try to save Reed and Sue’s son, as well as their Earth, from him. Even though he is still a baby,Franklin is powerful enough to resurrect Sue. As such, the MCU’s Fantastic Four death trend was broken.
The MCU Movie Did Tease Another Possible Fantastic Four Death
Multiple Heroes Were Ready To Sacrifice Themselves
While Sue Storm was the only Fantastic Four member to die on the team’s debut, the movie also teased another possible death. During the final fight,Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm decides to sacrifice himself to save his family. The Human Torch was fully ready to fly Galactus through the portal and go to the edges of the universe with him.
While traveling through the portal itself would not have killed Johnny, I can imagine that the level of frustration Galactus would present after the ordeal could lead to the villain murdering the MCU hero. However,Julia Garner’s Shalla-Bal, aka the Silver Surfer, intervened, pushing Johnny out of the way and taking Galactus through the portal herself. She saved Johnny.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepshas many Marvel Comics connections. One of the biggest is the existence of the Future Foundation. The organization wascreated in the comics right after the Human Torch was thought to be dead. While Franklin Richards broke the MCU’s Fantastic Four death trend by resurrecting Sue, there are enough teases involving Johnny going around.
How The MCU’s Fantastic Four Death Trend Is Unlikely To Continue After First Steps
Franklin Richards Changes The Franchise
Despite the Human Torch death teases, I find it hard to believe that the MCU will really kill a main Fantastic Four member.The Fantastic Four will return inAvengers: Doomsday&Secret Wars, with the team playing a key role in the upcoming MCU movies. WithAvengers: Secret Wars' confirmed MCU reboot, the franchise should see veteran heroes recast.
Given howthe MCU’s Fantastic Four just entered the franchise, the movie’s cast must be in for the long run. The new iteration of the MCU will need major heroes that the audience is attached to in order for the new actors to ease into their roles. Besides, with Franklin’s powers growing, no team deaths should happen afterThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
