Bring The Fantastic Four Into The MCU
There are all sorts of complications about bringing the X-Men into the MCU, but with the Fantastic Four it’s very simple. Just put Marvel’s First Family back where they belong already!
While the studio has found success with the X-Men, Fox has never known what to do with the Fantastic Four. The 2005 movie and its sequel aimed to replicate the bright, all-ages tone of the comics and ended up skirting Batman & Robin levels of camp and cheese. Then, the 2015 reboot ended up being even worse by trying to “Nolanize” the characters but failing miserably. What Fox should have done is pitch the Four the same way that Marvel does all their properties: fun, accessible to everyone but grounded in character.
Apart from the MCU being the best tonal fit for the gang, there’s just so much opportunity for crossover if the Fantastic Four joined the universe. Spider-Man is always teaming up with them in the comics, for instance, and having Mr. Fantastic on board could mean a role for the Illuminati is possible in the future.
Though it might be a bit tiresome to have new versions of Reed Richards, Sue Storm and the rest so soon after the last time, it’s really the only way to do the Fantastic Four justice at this point.
Don’t Mess With Deadpool
This is what every X-Men fan is praying for: please Disney, don’t mess with the Merc with the Mouth.
While the mutants being folded into the MCU arguably makes sense in a lot of ways, fitting the dirty-mouthed Deadpool into the franchise would be a lot more jarring. The MCU has been wholly kid-friendly for one so far, so to insert an R-rated mature hero such as Wade Wilson into the mix would be a major game-changer. Not to mention the fact that this is Disney, the home of Mickey Mouse, that we’re talking about. The studio is very particular about what falls under their brand.
But no one wants to see a neutered-down version of the character, especially now that we know how successful an accurate take can be. In fact, with the Fantastic Four currently dormant, Deadpool is likely the second biggest franchise behind the mainline X-Men films that Disney execs can’t wait to get their hands on. So, they need to make sure they aren’t going to mess it up.
It actually looks like the studio has already decided to keep Deadpool R-rated, as the company’s CEO Bob Iger has said that he sees an “opportunity” to produce some “Marvel-R brand” movies. Who knows, maybe Deadpool could start a revolution of more mature content from Disney? We’ll have to wait and see.