The *NOT* so Fantastic 4

I think we can all agree that Fantastic Four has been butchered too many times to count, when it comes to being a film. I know personally I have lost all faith in anyone ever producing a good Fantastic Four movie. That is why, in this article I will be proposing that the Fantastic Four moves to a streaming service and becomes a TV series rather than a film, and here’s how I’d do it.

The Series:

First things first, I want to make this series not another “superhero” movie, and by that I mean, I want the characters in the series to have real emotional depth and real goals. Alright with that being said, I will now discuss how to make the Fantastic Four GREAT AGAIN!

Episode Layout:

Okay so, we know that the Fantastic Four has 4 main characters, and so what I’d ideally like to do is dedicate 4 direct episodes to each member of the fantastic 4 and showcase them going through life after the accident and how they are adapting to it and how it has “ruined” their lives. This way we now have the first 5 episodes of the series planned out. 5 episodes because the first episode will be dedicated to the accident and how it happened. After the first 5 episodes are done and we now know our “4 heroes” better (i.e. goals, insecurities, personalities), we can introduce and give a whole episode to Doctor Doom (who is possibly the greatest Super-villain to ever exist). After the introduction episode that Doctor Doom receives, we are then going to dedicate the rest of the season to the Fantastic Four working together to try and stop Doctor Doom. You can dedicate like 2 or 3 episodes to this, so that you can either have an 8-episode season or 7-episode season, its really up to the creators.

Episode 1:

In this episode you highlight the accident and the events leading up to it. Meaning the accident will occur at the end of the episode, which will tie the rest of the season together.

Episode 2: Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic)

I want to get Reed Richards episode out of the way first because I believe he can be used in every episode of the series if you really wanted him too. In this episode he doesn’t do any fighting or anything by the way, the sole purpose of this episode is to showcase the effects that come with the accident. Along with the side effects, you can also showcase Reed Richards and his attempts to make himself normal.

Episode 3: Susan Storm (Invisible Woman)

I mean I would describe this episode but in reality, its going to be the exact same thing as the first episode... just instead of focusing on Reed Richards, it's going to focus on Susan Storm and her struggles. In Susan's episode however, you can make her have trust/emotional issues towards Reed Richards. These issues will get resolved by the end of the episode, but these issues could affect her superpowers and her control over them.

Episode 4: Johnny Storm (The Human Torch)

Again, the same thing as the first 2 episodes, just this time we are focusing on the Human Torch and not the other two. What I’d ideally like to do is focus on his insecurities and anger management though. For instance I think you could have him partying and having a great time and then he catches on fire and loses his temper, causing him to ruin his house and everything – kinda like that scene in Ironman 2 where Tony freaks out at his own party and screams. I want that for Johnny Storm. Doing this will let us see that Johnny has anxiety and isn’t in control over his powers.

Episode 5: Ben Grimm (The Thing)

I don’t wanna repeat myself… but this episode is going to be like all the other episodes, just it’s going to depict the Thing. I think the major focus of this episode should be the Things sadness and loss; for instance, make him lose his fiance, his house and other random things. He should be completely depressed and lost until the final moments of the episode where he saves someone from being murdered or something along those lines. Him saving a life will then force him to realize that he has been given a gift and that he needs to use this gift for others.

Episode 6: Victor Von Doom (Doctor Doom)

In this episode… we are focusing on Doctor Doom, who is the antagonist for this series. He was also affected by the accident in the first episode and is now on the verge of losing everything. He blames Reed Richards and thinks that he is the one who wronged him. Now since Doctor Doom is extremely wealthy and now powerful, during this episode you can have him design his very own suit and swear vengeance against Reed Richards. The final scene of this episode should be Doctor Doom placing his mask on his face and saying something like “I’m coming for you Richards” or “Let there be doom” lol. Something to insinuate that Doctor Doom is ready.

Episode 6/7: The Fight

These two episodes are way too long to type out, so just picture this… The whole Fantastic 4 group gets back together, and then part way through the 6th episode they begin the fight against Doctor Doom. The 7th episode will then be fully dedicated to the fight against Doctor Doom; however, you can also put flashbacks in this episode to showcase the past relationship that Doctor Doom had with the Fantastic 4. Doing this will give him more of an emotional connection and more of a backstory, then if he was just a “villainous killer”. The episode can end by having them think they captured and got rid of Doctor Doom, but in reality he will escape or be let go by the second season.

Hypothetical episode 8:

Showcase the aftermath of the Doom fight and highlight how these 4 heroes are still not perfect.

Conclusion:

And boom! You have the best adaptation of the Fantastic 4 ever! And that's because it's not rushed and trying to fit 4 or 5 massive personalities into 1 film. That's why the MCU created a solo film for each of the Avengers before creating the Avengers. You can't create a meaningful film with real character development if there are too many main characters who are all struggling with different issues... But you can create a meaningful TV series out of it, because a meaningful TV series lets the characters develop.