The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to be shaken up in ways that will change what fans have come to expect of its multiverse. With the worlds of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four on the horizon, as well as Robert Downey Jr’s polarizing re-entry as Doctor Doom, the franchise is sure to feature many twists and turns.
So, fellow True Believers, I think it’s time we start thinking about The Maker’s entry to the MCU, and what that could mean for our favorite Avengers, mutants, and wall-crawlers. This comes in the form of a tragic villain who may be an even bigger threat down the line.
You’ve already read the title, so we’ll get right into it—presenting, The Maker, formerly the Reed Richards of the Ultimate Universe.
Who is The Maker?
Debuting in Ultimate Fantastic Four in 2004, this Earth-1610 version of the stretchable genius had a rough upbringing. Bullied by his peers and verbally abused by his father, Richards took his love and passion for science to new heights. Leaving his biological family for a new one consisting of Ben Grimm, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm.
Diverging from the path the other Fantastic Four origins, however, the incident that imbues the four with their signature superpowers isn’t generated by cosmic rays on a trip through the solar system. Instead, it’s a sabotaged experiment that transports the gang to a dimension known as the Negative Zone. This will come into play later.
Upon return from the Negative Zone, Reed’s elasticity and durability earned him the name Mister Fantastic. Johnny discovers he can turn into flame and harness the power of fire. Susan’s transparency and ability to generate force fields earn her the name of The Invisible Woman. Ben Grimm’s new rocky exterior curses him with the name of The Thing.
Reed is just as altruistic, awkward, and well-intentioned, albeit a little sassier than the traditional Earth-616 Reed Richards. As time goes on, he becomes more absorbed in his work than attending to his relationship to Susan Storm (now the Invisible Woman) or fixing the craggy hide of Grimm to his previous human form.
His pursuits eventually cost him his relationships. Susan soon breaks off her relationship with him, breaking his heart and kickstarting an unjustifiable rage that spirals him into a dark path. Orchestrating events that harm those who were closest to him, he becomes a dark mirror of himself. He becomes more like his universe’s Doctor Doom.
The more he dove into this side of himself, he ventured to and returned from 1,000 years into the future. Disillusioned with his reality, he sought to remake it. When that was no longer possible, he pursued other universes to court and remaster. He was beyond who he was and beyond these people—the same people who still sought his aid in times of crisis.
His appearance bore that of himself 1,000 years ago, ageless because of his powers. But Richards’s head expanded, allowing for more intellectual capacity. This is not the Reed Richards of old. No, this is The Maker.
Surviving the destruction and mixture of various universes in 2015’s Secret Wars storyline, he became a part of the new, mainline Marvel Universe. Unable to conquer it, he returned to the hidden Ultimate Universe, remaking it in his image, as seen in the current comic book runs of Ultimate Marvel titles we see today.
The actor who should portray The Maker in the MCU
Believe it or not, this version of Reed Richards’s origin story has already been adapted into film. And it’s one of the most unpopular Marvel movies to date. 2015’s Fantastic Four (or Fant4stic), starring Miles Teller in Reed’s role has been mentioned as one of the movie’s few bright spots.
The film faced backlash for being a darker, gritter adaptation of what’s typically shown as a bright and hopeful side of the Marvel Universe. When fans think of the Fantastic Four, they think of hope and unity. A “found family” trope where things are brighter. Not dim and bleak. Many touted Disney-Pixar’s The Incredibles as a more faithful representation of what the Fantastic Four movie was supposed to be.
So, the franchise was more or less cast aside by 20th Century Fox in favor of X-Men-related titles.
What makes this adaptation interesting, however, is that Richards’s character arc features disillusionment from his family, a strong friendship with Ben Grimm, and a chance given by Franklin Storm to continue his scientific pursuits. The way that Richards, Grimm, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm are also akin to the Ultimate universe in that they don’t receive their powers via cosmic rays. Rather, they’re gifted/cursed with their powers by a chance visit to “Planet Zero”, a dimension similar to the Negative Zone.
As an origin story, this variation of Reed sported the same awkward and morally altruistic attitude commonly seen in his portrayals. There were hints of his preference to stick with scientific endeavors more than his friends, but he still chose the latter when it counted.
The template is there for Miles Teller to return to the role but under different circumstances.
This casting would be a shock
As recent MCU films have shown, actors who portrayed different iterations of Marvel characters have returned. They’ve been able to continue and conclude their stories or even star in new ones.
The story can exist for Teller to reprise his Richards but with a twist. Symbolically, his return could mirror the casting aside of his “universe” just as audiences panned the 2015 film. Perhaps it was deemed too worthless by the TVA to be pruned, so it just exists in its corner, where this Richards could have grown bored and even aware of the situation. Just as The Maker killed his family, Teller’s Mister Fantastic could kill his universe to make way for remaking other universes.
We’re already finding the MCU’s Fantastic Four with Pedro Pascal adorably fitting the mold of a typical Reed Richards. Pascal has embodied the role without the public being able to see his portrayal yet. From taking obsessive notes of his character to being charmingly awkward, he’s what fans would expect, possibly more.
Pascal and Teller’s Reeds would then be stark opposing mirrors to one another. With Avengers: Doomsday seeing Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom soon to terrorize the MCU, Teller’s Reed would more accurately reflect Downey’s Doom.
Moreover, Teller’s Reed can inform the MCU that their heroes could shift their morals and views to dangerous degrees, heightening the drama for long-term stories just as the attack on New York in 2012 and the Blip from Infinity War had. Long-lasting ramifications.
In my opinion, this could work, as the 2015 Fantastic Four film had the dark, gritty feel that would justify Teller’s presence as the big bad for the MCU’s future. With billionaire tech geniuses in our universe already touted as villainous jokes to our society, I can’t see how this would not work. The Maker is arrogant, believing he’s smarter than everyone and if not, he should be.
Why Miles Teller should play The Maker
Short-term, Miles Teller as The Maker would be a shock, and long-term he can be one of the next overarching big threats to the universe.
When watching director Josh Trank’s version of Marvel’s First Family, Teller stands out in what’s already a great cast tasked with a disappointing presentation. He didn’t fit what fans would expect of Reed Richards of the main universe, but seemed more like what the Ultimate Mister Fantastic was and became.
Teller on his own is an exceptional actor with loads of more potential. His library of work speaks for itself. Project X, The Spectacular Now, War Dogs, the Divergent series, and Top Gun: Maverick showcase the myriad of talents he has to make this role a success.
Additionally, this would allow Marvel to dip into its acquired material and show that even the most unpopular of past films can be resurrected, to present to new audiences.
And that, my fellow True Believers, is why I think Marvel Studios should take the opportunity to have Miles Teller remake the character he once portrayed. This is why he should be someone who views himself as the ultimate Reed Richards.