Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie should move away from Dr. Doom

Should Marvel move away from Dr. Doom in a Fantastic Four movie?

Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four have been a staple in Marvel Comics since 1961. They’ve been the epitome of what it means to be heroic. Not only saving their universe (Marvel 616 universe), but they’ve also saved the multiverse from being destroyed. In fact, they are currently adding new realities to the fractured multi-verse. The Fantastic Four have been a successful franchise in comic books producing over 600 hundred issues and appearing in hundreds of others. While the Fantastic Four have tons of success in the comic books, they haven’t received the same level of success with their movies.

Only using Doom in each of the movies is selling the Fantastic Four short. Just because Doom is one of the greats, doesn’t mean that he has to be the antagonist in ever Fantastic Four movie. The Fantastic Four has a vast archive of amazing villains just waiting for a chance to be recognized. In fact, Dr. Doom wasn’t the first villain the Fantastic Four faced.

None of the Fantastic Four movies have been met with good reviews. For example, the 2015 Fantastic Four movie received a 9% from Rotten Tomatoes and has become a joke on the internet. There were a bunch of complaints about the movies, but there’s one grievance that is consistent; Dr. Doom hasn’t been good. Dr. Doom is one of the premier villains in all of comic books and he has been weak in every movie thus far. Both incarnations weren’t even close to what Doom is in the comics. After three failed attempts, I think it’s time for the Fantastic Four to step away from Dr. Doom and start using more of their vast catalog of villains.

Let’s talk about a being from space that’s older than the universe; Galactus. There aren’t many that come bigger and scarier than Galactus. He’s not just an elder cosmic being. Galactus is a force of nature that eats planets. When he’s attacked Earth on multiple occasions it’s usually the Fantastic Four that takes him down.

Galactus Image Source: Marvel Comics USA Today

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Galactus can’t be beaten with brute strength. Reed Richards has had to use his intellect more than a few times to defeat the Destroyer of Worlds. This could be the first time we really get to see Reed use more than just his ability to stretch to defeat a villain. And with Galactus comes the beings he’s charged with announcing their master’s arrival. The Heralds of Galactus. Galactus means we’d also see Terrax, Firelord, or, the most well-known herald, The Silver Surfer. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was NOT a good representation of the Eater of Worlds. Galactus desperately needs a do-over from what was done to him.

Another cosmic being is the Negative Zone’s ruler Annihilus. He even has a cool nickname, “Annihilus the Living Death that walks”. Annihilus’ bug-like appearance may make him look like a joke, but he is far from one. Annihilus has actually come close to ruling the universe. During his Annihilation Wave in space, he took out the Nova Corps and, with the help of Thanos, took out Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Those are two of the strongest beings in the galaxy and they took them down and captured them. It took the might of Nova, Drax, Star-Lord, Gamora, Kl’rt the original Super Skrull, and an entire army to defeat Annihilus and his army.

Even without all the cosmic beings or subterranean monsters, there are the genius level villains that constantly challenge the Fantastic Four out of pure jealousy. The Wizard is a constant pest. He even went as far as to kidnap the invisible woman and almost killed Reed, Johnny, and Ben, if not for T’Challa being involved. There’s the Mad Thinker who set up events that caused the Fantastic Four to disband for a period. There’s also the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. Okay, they may be a little too silly to be main antagonists, but they’d be great cannon fodder.

A quick Google search will open your eyes to the vast amount of villains the Fantastic Four have faced in the Marvel Universe. Some of them have a ton of power and charisma. Others, like The Trapster and Puppet Master, may need a makeover before they can be used in a movie. Dr. Doom may be their premier and most recognized villain, but he’s far from the end all be all. Exploring new options gives the franchise a new look and might bring people back to the theaters to see them.

Next: 50 greatest super heroes in comic book history

Which Fantastic Four villain do you want to see? Let us know in the comments below.