The Fantastic Four are Marvel’s first family, and one of the most beloved superhero groups of all time. They are a classic team with many classic villains at their disposal for adaptations. Some of Marvel’s greatest villains were initially Fantastic Four villains who became bigger threats for other entities as well. From Doctor Doom, to Galactus, to Kang The Conqueror there are a variety of villains to create a big threat for an initial film for the Fantastic Four or for them to be the looming threat of phase five. Let’s rank what villains we could potentially see in a MCU Fantastic Four reboot.
5. Doctor Doom
Known as the Fantastic Four’s greatest villain, he’s ranked at five simply because of appearance fatigue. Marvel is known for straying away from repeated origin stories and the reuse of the same villains from previous adaptations. But there is belief we will see Victor Von Doom in any initial Fantastic Four film we receive. A post credit scene depicting the rise of Doctor Doom could be something that generates hype like no other. Doom is known for his rivalry with Reed Richards and his affection for Sue Storm respectively, yet can become more than just a one off villain due to his powers and secret wars looming around the corner. Doom is a great villain but it’s more likely he makes an appearance in the film and flies behind the radar only to become a bigger threat down the line.
4. Kang The Conqueror
Kang the conqueror, descendant of Reed Richards is an amazing villain that has made his presence felt already. Although it was He Who Remains, we got our first look at Jonathan Majors as the first Kang variant in Loki. Kang the conqueror is a character that could span to phase 5 as the big bad and be a recurring villain like Loki in multiple films and potentially multiple franchises as he is set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Kang is such an impossible villain to track and predict what all he’ll appear in but there is a chance the Kang we see in the upcoming film could appear again fighting against his family. Expect to see him in a potential Fantastic Four film, Young Avengers film, and potentially Secret Wars film. Yet he’s a longshot to appear in the Fantastic Four MCU debut.
3. Annihilus
One of the more powerful villains in the Fantastic Four’s lore is none other than Annihilius. Why not start the franchise off with a heavy hitter that we haven’t seen in live action before? Annihilus is ranked third merely because the film would have to take place with Reed discovering the negative zone, which could be an MCU origin for the characters. Yet it’s unlikely the MCU heads the route of placing such a powerful villain in their origin story without the character being established or hinted at. This is a slam dunk if the writing is strong and Annihilus isn’t nerfed as a character but merely toned down. It could make sense from a story telling standpoint and give Marvel’s Fantastic Four a unique origin story. Here’s hoping we get this storyline, but again it’s mildly possible.
2. Mole Man
Mole Man is most likely a name you didn’t expect to see here. He’s the most underrated villain in the Fantastic Four’s lore. This is the perfect time to introduce him as Marvel has a phenomenal track record of bringing lesser known or respected characters to the big screen and turning them into household names. There is so much emotional gravitas waiting to be pulled out of this character, he’s a real threat to the team as a scientific genius who has radar sense, has an army of semi-humanoid creatures called the Subterranean. Mole Man has also found deviant technology in the comics and mastered it, which could be a possibility with the Eternals lore established. He is the king of the unseen or undesired, and there are many ways his story could be told. With Marvel’s knack for establishing lesser known or respected characters as their villains I expect Mole Man to be a name to watch.
1. Super Skrull
Super Skrull is a villain I fully expect to see build up to with upcoming films and Disney Plus series setting up more skrull and kree involvement. Such projects include the current series Ms. Marvel, The Marvels, and Secret Invasion. This also includes the established skrull presence from Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision. Seeing this character fight against the Fantastic Four would be so enticing and entertaining. The character has history with the Fantastic Four in the comics yet it could be rewritten that he is looking to take over earth to create a safe haven for his people as hinted at in Captain Marvel that skrulls are essentially refugees. It is also mentioned that all skrull do not wish to co-exist wherever they find safety. This could be the conflict at hand and we could see the Fantastic Four avoid an entire origin story while giving us mentions of it like Spider-Man: Homecoming. That route may not be the fan-favorite but it is a possibility audiences have to keep in mind. With so much groundwork for a Super Skrull appearance we cannot ignore the possibility of the character being the MCU’s Fantastic Four initial villain.
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