It remains to be seen how the Fantastic Four will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Clifford Johnson, a scientist who has advised Marvel in the past, has an idea of how to do it, which involves Black Panther and Wakanda. Why not use one of the most popular characters in the MCU to bring Reed Richards and the gang into the fold?
Clifford Johnson is a British theoretical physicist and USC professor who has advised on a number of Hollywood projects over the years. Some of his recent efforts include Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. So he has danced in this sandbox before. Johnson was recently interviewed about Palm Springs, Hulu’s new time travel comedy that he advised on. During the conversation, Johnson revealed his idea for the Fantastic Four‘s introduction. Noting that the African superhero was originally a scientist in the comics, Johnson had this to say.
“Wakanda and the Fantastic Four should connect at the beginning, and I know how to do it. I think it would be a cool wink to the comics and another way to show diversity in science to have the entry point of the Fantastic Four into the Marvel cinematic universe happen because the Wakandans discover them in some extra dimension and bring them into the MCU. If they call me, I’m willing to go to town on that.”
Last year, Disney purchased most of Fox’s media assets in a huge $71.3 billion deal. While there are many moving pieces contained within the deal, the rights to the X-Men and Fantasitc Four were key. Since Disney also owns Marvel, the characters are now in the hands of Marvel Studios. Last year, Kevin Feige announced that both franchises will be getting reboots set within the MCU. Beyond that, much remains mysterious.
Little has been revealed about Marvel Studios’ intentions for the Fantastic Four at this time. Much speculation has taken place, with John Krasinski voicing his desire to play Reed Richards. But nothing has been firmed up. Bringing characters like this into an already established universe will take some finesse. This is certainly one way to go about it. Marvel has already proven that they can accomplish this, with Black Panther’s introduction in Captain America: Civil War serving as the perfect example.
The Fantastic Four, comprised of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, aka Thing, have had two previous iterations on the big screen in the 2000s. Most recently, the 2015 reboot proved to be one of the biggest superhero movie flops in history. Given the legacy of these characters, one has to assume that Marvel and Disney are going to do everything in their power to get it right this time. Should they need any help getting the science right, Clifford Johnson is waiting for the call. This news comes to us via IndieWire.
