As Marvel’s First Family head for the MCU inThe Fantastic Four: First Steps, fans should know that their steamiest theory about theFantastic Fouris 100% official canon. A lot of superheroes have had raunchy storylines, but it’s particularly surprising coming from the FF, who are defined by their family bonds and all-ages atmosphere.
Marvel’s comics have specified that there are many more powers for the team to unlock in the future, especially by combining abilities…
After being exposed to cosmic rays,Reed Richards gained the power to elongateand stretch his body into impossible shapes, extreme enough to drape himself over an entire New York skyscraper. In response, he took on the codename Mister Fantastic and dedicated his life to discovering the impossible.
As fans are wont to do,Fantastic Fourreaders have long speculated how Reed’s abilities may translate to the bedroom. And, as is often the case with superhero comics, it’s a question that Marvel’s writers already answered…
Yes, Reed Richards Uses His Powers for a Better Sex Life
If You Didn’t Think Marvel Would Confirm It, You Underestimated How Steamy Superhero Comics Can Get
InFantastic Four #532(from J. Michael Straczynski, Mike McKone, Andy Lanning and Paul Mounts), Reed Richards is contacted by a cosmic being known as the Entity. The Entity takes them both back to the Big Bang, watching the formation of Earth as the Entity asks Reed to decipher the meaning and purpose of life. Reed experiences relative years in space as he witnesses humanity’s evolution and progress to the modern day, ultimately concluding that small human moments are what make life worth living.
Surprisingly for a movie that isn’t exactly beloved, 2005’sFantastic Fournailed this aspect of the team…
Returning home shortly after he left,Reed arrives having not seen his family in years, even though they last saw him a few hours ago. Despite various problems bedeviling the Fantastic Four, Reed makes time to visit his sleeping children, check out the Thing’s new suit, and head to the bedroom withhis wife Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman. Cutting to a little later, Reed leaves Sue in bed as she comments in a quavering voice:
Have I ever mentioned what a… wonderful set of abilities you acquired from those cosmic rays? A perfect choice, I must say…
The clear implication is thatReed has used his stretching powers to enhance his performance in the bedroom- a surprisingly steamy way for Marvel to suggest its most straight-laced hero uses his powers. However, as surprising as this moment may seem, it’s actually consistent with the ethos of the Fantastic Four…
The Fantastic Four Have Always Used Their Powers in Everyday Ways
It’s Part of What Makes Them So Unique
As a franchise, the Fantastic Four is all about family. While the X-Men are hunted for their powers and heroes like Spider-Man keep them an inviolable secret,the Fantastic Four are international celebrities who don’t hide their abilities. Given that their family includes more than one world-class genius, they’re also prone to experimenting with their powers, both unlocking new applications and exploiting them in mundane ways.
Surprisingly for a movie that isn’t exactly beloved,2005’sFantastic Fournailed this aspect of the team. Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are shown using their powers in everyday ways - Reed impresses some club-goers with impossible dance moves, the Human Torch dries himself instantly after a shower, and the Invisible Woman clears up her skin by making a zit invisible. In the comics, the team push their abilities even further, with Sue Storm being able to change the color of her hair and skin thanks to her control over the visual spectrum.
This creativity is just as applicable to superhero life - Reed has shown the ability to enhance his sensory organs and muscles by stretching them, while theInvisible Woman can focus Human Torch’s lightinto powerful lasers. The comics have also specified thatthere are many more powers for the team to unlock in the future, especially by combining abilities. Of course, using superpowers to enhance your sex life is a little more unusual than these applications, but it’s not exactly out of character for superheroes.
Superheroes Have Always Been Raunchier Than Non-Fans Assume
Spider-Man, the X-Men and Batman Aren’t Actually for Kids
As surprising as it seems for the FF’s sex life to be depicted in comics,superhero stories have pretty much always had a psycho-sexual component, partly because of how characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men use superpowers as a metaphor for adolescence. In mainstream comic lore, it’s not unusual for the sex lives of superheroes to come up frequently, from Spider-Man and Silk’s spider-pheromones causing an irresistible attraction whenever they’re close to each other, toSuperman bringing home an alien gladiatorial costumefor Lois Lane’s enjoyment, to the X-Men using their holographic Danger Room for amorous liaisons.
However, out of all the sexy superhero moments in Marvel Comics, two stand out as the most inappropriate and cringe-worthy of all time. The first is fromAvengers Volume 3 #71, whereAnt-Man and the Wasp rekindle their romancewithsome size-changing bedroom antics in Las Vegas. The page can be found online but has been removed from all collected editions of the story, which is probably for the best given how embarassing the majority of fans found the depiction. The other competitor is from the notoriousSpider-Man: Reign- an alt-future story where Peter learns that his beloved wife Mary Jane died due to years of exposure to radiation in his bodily fluids.
The Fantastic Fourare as family-friendly as superheroes come, but even the staid academic Reed Richards isn’t exactly uninterested in superpowered hanky panky. At the same time, this isn’t a steamy one-off - it’s part of how theFantastic Fourhave always been depicted as truly at-ease with their abilities - a theme which is likely to carry over to the upcomingThe Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Fantastic Four
TheFantastic Fouris a superhero franchise centered on Marvel Comics' first family of superheroes. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the team made its comic book debut in 1961 and quickly became a cornerstone of Marvel’s success. The franchise follows four astronauts—Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm—who gain superpowers after being exposed to cosmic radiation. Over the years,Fantastic Fourhas been adapted into several live-action films, animated series, and video games. The films have seen multiple reboots, with varying levels of success, and are now set to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with a new film slated for release in 2025.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Cast
The Fantastic 4: First Steps features Marvel’s First Family navigating their dual roles as superheroes and family members in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. They defend Earth from a formidable space god, Galactus, and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer, testing their familial bonds and heroic resolve.
