7 Great Fantastic Four Characters That Still Need an MCU Appearance

These brilliant supporting characters to Marvel’s First Family deserve their first Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances after The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Marvel Studios introduced the Fantastic Four of Earth 828 to the MCU back in July, and Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn’s Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Ben Grimm have quickly become the most popular version of the Fantastic Four in live-action. First Steps didn’t just feature the iconic team, but also debuted some of the superhero team’s best supporting characters, too.

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As well as introducing Marvel’s First Family to the MCU, The Fantastic Four: First Steps also spotlighted the villainous planet-eater Galactus (Ralph Ineson), who sought the Power Cosmic inside Franklin Richards, and Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Lynne Nichols (Sarah Niles), Ted Gilbert (Mark Gatiss), Rachel Rozman (Natasha Lyonne), Harvey Elder’s Mole Man (Paul Walter Hauser), and HERBIE (Matthew Wood) were included as some of the team’s best supporting characters. We want even more to debut in the MCU’s future Fantastic Four stories, though, and these seven characters would be incredible additions.

7) Kristoff Vernard

First introduced in 1982’s Fantastic Four #247, Kristoff Vernard was a young Latverian boy who was adopted by none other than Doctor Doom and raised his as his heir. With Doctor Doom – played by Robert Downey Jr. – set to be central to the MCU after debuting in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, it’d be great to see his family tree explored, too. Introducing Vernard, who is just as twisted as his adoptive father but also briefly becomes a member of the Fantastic Four, would be an excellent way to humanize Victor Von Doom and make him a more well-rounded antagonist.

6) Sharon Ventura

Ben Grimm’s transformation was overwhelmingly physical, unlike his Fantastic Four teammates, which leaves him somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. Introducing Sharon Ventura to the MCU could solve this problem, as her enhancements at the hands of Dr. Karl Malus (who appeared in Jessica Jones) and the Power Broker (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Sharon Carter) gave her similar abilities to the Thing. She was mutated by cosmic rays into She-Thing, and it would be amazing to see Sharon Ventura and Ben Grimm fight together in the MCU, especially since the franchise needs more strong friendships.

5) Alicia Masters

While Sharon Ventura would be a brilliant new friend for Ben Grimm, it’s also possible that future MCU projects could debut his most prominent love interest from Marvel Comics. It would be great to see Rachel Rozman return, but we also want to see Alicia Masters. The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ mention of the Puppet Master confirm Masters’ existence, as the villain is her step-father. Masters became a core part of the Fantastic Four’s family dynamic in Marvel Comics as Ben Grimm’s eventual wife, and it would be great to see more formidable but unpowered women in the MCU.

4) Lyja

Stories involving shape-shifting Skrulls in the MCU may have been soured after Secret Invasion, so debuting Lyja could offer them some redemption. Lyja – initially a villain – used 1984’s Secret Wars event as a distraction to replace Alicia Masters, infiltrating the Fantastic Four. This could occur in the MCU during Avengers: Secret Wars, allowing a sequel to First Steps to explore Lyja’s story. After falling in love with Johnny Storm, she helped the team recover the true Alicia Masters and then fought alongside the team on several other occasions, so her debut could bring justice for the MCU’s Skrulls.

3) Wyatt Wingfoot

Despite having no superpowers, Wyatt Wingfoot has a long history with Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, so it’d be great to see more Native American representation included in the MCU alongside Marvel’s First Family. Wingfoot helms from Oklahoma in the comics, so could be connected to Echo (Alaqua Cox) in the MCU, while his long-running romance with She-Hulk could also bring Tatiana Maslany back. He is a skilled athlete and gifted marksman, so would be a strong asset to the Fantastic Four, and it’d be great to see one of their original supporting characters from 1966 come to the MCU.

2) Crystal

Marvel Studios has mostly ignored the Inhumans in the MCU, especially after the epic failure of Marvel Television’s Inhumans series in 2017. The only sight of an Inhuman in the MCU proper was Anson Mount’s appearance as Earth 838’s Black Bolt in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but First Steps’ exploration of a new universe leaves the door open for Inhumans to debut. Crystal was one of Marvel Comics’ first Inhumans and one of Johnny Storm’s most prominent love interests, so her debut could be the best way to bring a whole host of Inhumans into the MCU.

1) Nathaniel Richards

Reed Richards’ time-traveling father has never before been seen in live-action, but the exploration of different timelines and universes in the MCU presents the perfect opportunity for him to be introduced. Nathaniel Richards, crucially, is a direct ancestor of the Nathaniel Richards who becomes Kang the Conqueror, so debuting Mister Fantastic’s father would establish a fantastic connection between Marvel’s First Family and the Multiverse Saga’s former villain. This could perhaps create the chance for Kang to be recast after Jonathan Majors’ arrest, conviction, and firing, and give the Fantastic Four one of their best supporting characters and antagonists.

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