The Fantastic Four has had quite the colorful history in film - from the unreleased 1994 adaptation, to the hit or miss 2015 reboot and everything in between - but despite their extensive comic history and large fanbase, the team has yet to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Could the new Fantastic Four: Road Trip series from Marvel Comics be hinting that integration is coming?
Fantastic Four: Road Trip #1 has some interesting details that have readers theorizing that this is Marvel's way of preparing the team for the cinematic universe. The premiere issue follows the classic members: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Thing, and Human Torch - as well as the additions of Powerhouse and Brainstorm - as they do what the title implies: take a road trip. What's interesting in this new series, however, is that Franklin Richards (Powerhouse) was actually never a mutant, which fans are saying gives him a cleaner movie entry. Tying this to the implication that Valeria Richards, or Brainstorm, does have powers, gives The Fantastic Four a fresh new angle and a new perspective, from characters that viewers may not be as familiar with as the traditional four fans have seen time and time again.
Introducing the kids of classic characters is usually a great way to bring in new and old fans alike, because while younger viewers can connect with the newbies, there's still the draw of the well-known faces, and given the success of Tom Holland's Spiderman, some younger characters are sure to hit it off with viewers. The Road Trip series has a wholesome ambiance to it, the characters having a strong relationship among them with just enough comic action that readers would expect.
Seeing the Fantastic Four in the new era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is an exciting prospect for many fans, especially given that the Avengers-era that movie goers have grown accustomed to is over with the release of Avengers: Endgame. Characters fans know and love, such as Spiderman and Black Widow still remain, with upcoming releases already announced (though Black Widow's solo film will be a prequel), but many have been theorizing what the next age of Marvel films will be, from the idea of integrating The X-Men and, of course, Marvel's first family, Fantastic Four.
A Fantastic Four film release has never quite hit the nail on the head, but given the record-breaking success of the MCU over the years, and the transition into a new chapter, many believe that now is the perfect time to bring in the classic team. Will this be the case, and will the Fantastic Four: Road Trip series give readers any more clues? Fans will just have to wait and see.