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The Avengers have been the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade now, and with the popularity and success of films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, that strategy seems to have majorly payed off with movie-going audiences around the world. A team that started out as a second-tier comic book group became the biggest heroes in pop culture. But, it seems the MCU needs to start thinking about a change in pace.
One of the major reasons behind the Avengers being positioned as the tentpole team of the MCU came down to the simple fact that Marvel Studios didn’t have the film rights to more popular characters like the X-Men or Spider-Man. This did turn out to be a blessing in disguise, as it created a brand-new franchise that people are constantly excited to see, but it also allowed for other teams and characters to fall by the wayside. With the MCU struggling in recent years to remain relevant and engaging, it seems that the best course of action would be to let another team take the spotlight for a while — Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four Were Marvel’s Most Important Comic Team for Decades
The Family of Misfit Heroes Crafted So Much of the Modern Marvel Universe
While the Fantastic Four’s live-action adaptations haven’t been well received, their comic book counterparts are some of the best, most engaging characters in the entire Marvel Comics lineup. With some of the best stories, best supporting characters, and best villains in the entire Marvel Universe, it’s a shame that so many members of the general public see the Fantastic Four as nothing more than a group of knock-offs.
They’re the team that shaped Marvel Comics and ushered in the modern age, and that’s something that more people should be aware of. Without the Fantastic Four, there would be no cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, meaning no Galactus or Silver Surfer. There’d be no Black Panther, no Inhumans, no Skrulls, and no Watcher.
For decades, Fantastic Four books were far more engaging and important to the overall stories and thematic arcs of the Marvel Comics Universe than anything coming from the pages of The Avengers. That isn’t to say that The Avengers wasn’t full of plenty of excellent comic book storytelling, but it was never the powerhouse that Fantastic Four was.
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Even the X-Men didn’t have the engagement or the pull that the Fantastic Four did in their early years. Before Chris Claremont came on the scene and revamped the X-Men with additions to the team like Wolverine and Storm, the mutant heroes of the Marvel Universe were suffering from mediocre sales and poor reception. The Fantastic Four were the darlings of Marvel Comics readers, and that’s in large part due to the fact that their stories were simply the best of the bunch.
The Fantastic Four had some of the most consistently creative stories being published in any comic book of the era, and it set the team apart. Jack Kirby’s art was sensational in each and every panel, and Stan Lee’s verbose writing style never fit better than it did in the pages of Fantastic Four. The book featured incredible stories with characters like Doctor Doom, Galactus, the Mole Man, the underrated villain team known as the Frightful Four, and so many others. The Fantastic Four was the ultimate superhero book, revolutionizing superhero storytelling in general.
The Avengers Have Already Had Their Time in the Spotlight
It’s Time for the MCU to Move On and Make Way for the Fantastic Four
The Avengers have had four blockbuster films in the MCU since 2012, and each one has showcased a slightly different roster facing off against a variety of threats. They’ve battled gods, evil robots, terrifying alien races, and cosmic powerhouses beyond their understanding. The team has had a good run in the MCU, with none of the Avengers movies being anything less than good.
Even Avengers: Age of Ultron, which many fans consider the weakest film in the bunch, is still supremely enjoyable. The fact that the Avengers have had such a good run in the movie department might indicate that they should be positioned at the forefront of the MCU in perpetuity moving forward, but that would be a foolish move.
The Avengers have had so much exposure in mainstream pop culture that overexposure might lead general audiences to lose interest in future Avengers films. With two more installments, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, on the horizon, there’s a real concern that neither will match the box office success of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
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The Fantastic Four Movie Needs to Include These Forgotten Marvel Characters
WIth a new MCU movie on the horizon, the Fantastic Four’s supporting roster of characters needs to be filled in by this often forgotten gang.
Audience fatigue is a factor, but another major issue is the current lack of a clear Avengers roster in the MCU. While this year’s Thunderbolts hinted at a New Avengers lineup, it’s still unclear whether this team will represent the mainline Avengers going forward. It’s a significant problem, especially given that the Avengers are the MCU’s central supergroup. However, this kind of roster uncertainty is also a common challenge in long-running franchises.
Eventually, the heroes and actors that fans know and love will be replaced in the MCU, and they’ll have to be replaced by other characters. Sometimes, this can work out for the better, but oftentimes, fans feel like they’re being subjected to second-stringers. It’s hard to be excited about a team comprised of B-list heroes who have barely been showcased previously, especially when the team used to consist of major figures like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the Hulk. There are still major players active in the MCU, and they could certainly join the ranks of the Avengers, but there might be a much easier and more elegant solution: pushing the Fantastic Four to the MCU’s forefront.
The Fantastic Four Should Pick Up Where The Avengers Left Off
The MCU’s Major Events Should Be Fantastic Four Films
The comic book history of Marvel’s First Family has proven that the team can and should carry the weight of a universe, and that is something that should be taken to heart in live-action. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps fast approaching, the future of the team in the MCU is bright, and if the trailers are anything to go on, it seems that the Fantastic Four have finally been done right in live-action.
If First Steps is a success, then there’s no reason the Fantastic Four shouldn’t take center stage in the MCU going forward. Their stories are so exciting, so bold, and so often cosmic in nature that it would be the perfect way to shake things up. A team of only four heroes, more focused on familial dynamics, scientific progress, and exploration than on specifically being superheroes, would be an excellent change of pace, which is exactly what mainstream audiences need.
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The Answer to This Decades-Old Fantastic Four Problem Is Hiding in Plain Sight
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Heroes and teams in the MCU have often been oddly tied to military or government structures, with the Avengers frequently operating as an extension of S.H.I.E.L.D. While this isn’t inherently a bad approach, it does feel strange that the franchise’s superheroes are so often framed as glorified soldiers or covert agents. It would be refreshing to see the Fantastic Four function independently of global governments. Watching how they tackle major threats on their own terms and potentially unite other heroes and teams when needed could offer a spectacular shift in tone and dynamic for the MCU.
The MCU needs to make some changes, and one of those could be diversifying what audiences come to see as the “big movies.” If the only things people see as “important” to the overall story of the MCU are films with “Avengers” in the title, then the cinematic universe will remain on shaky ground. Marvel Comics has remained as popular as it is for as many years as it has because it has so many characters and teams that are worthy of major stories and events in their own right. The Avengers’ time has passed, and the Fantastic Four are the obvious choice to take on the role of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s main superhero group.
“}]] The Avengers have led the MCU for the better part of a decade, but it’s time for Marvel’s First Family to take the reins for the universe’s future. Read More