The Marvel Cinematic Universe is ready to take the gloves off. With Thanos gone and Kang not returning, other villains are preparing to fill the void. The first one up to bat is Galactus, who sends the Silver Surfer to Earth-828 to prepare the planet for his arrival in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He plans to eat Earth like any other world, but the Fantastic Four aren’t going to let that happen. They put their heads together and decide the best course of action is to head to space to confront the mysterious being, even though they know nothing about the situation they’re walking into.
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Before coming face to face with the Devourer of Worlds, Marvel’s First Family discusses what might be waiting for them when they get off the ship. All the information they have is the name Galactus, which doesn’t mean anything to them. Well, the brainstorming session isn’t a total loss because it sets the stage for another Marvel villain.
The Fantastic Four Think They Could Be Facing a Space Dragon
Obviously, since they’ve lived on Earth all their lives, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, Susan Storm, and Johnny Storm don’t have any experience with aliens outside of some mysterious messages. They’re in a state of shock when the Silver Surfer arrives and don’t have an answer for the public when they start asking questions. To get a grasp on the situation, the Fantastic Four venture out into space. Ben still can’t believe they’re preparing to fight a planet-eating being, though, so he speculates that they may be about to have their first interaction with a “space dragon.” He’s half-kidding, of course, but he shouldn’t be throwing those words around lightly because Marvel Comics is full of strange creatures.
The most notable being from space that looks like a dragon is Fin Fang Foom, who hails from the planet Kakaranthara. A shape-shifting alien, he leaves his planet behind when he decides that his race’s peaceful attitude isn’t a good fit for him. Foom’s journey takes him to Earth, where he begins to plant the seeds of a hostile takeover. Heroes from different periods mention running into the villain and battling with him. However, he really grows a disdain for Tony Stark, who uses technology to cause problems for the giant dragon. There’s little chance that Fin Fang Foom will pick a fight with a variant of Tony Stark in the MCU, but there is another big-screen hero who could be on his radar.
The MCU Has Been Setting the Stage for Fin Fang Foom for Years
It’s easy to look at the giant dragon that Shang Chi fights in his solo movie and think it’s Foom. After all, there can’t be that many giant dragons running around. However, that creature has nothing to do with the alien, being nothing more than Ta Lo’s protector. That doesn’t mean there are no connections between Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the comic book villain, though. The titular weapons that the Mandarin uses come from a mysterious ship that appears to be from space. In the comics, the rings arrive on Earth in the same way, but their creators aren’t a mystery. The Makluans, the same race Foom belongs to, build the rings as a way to pilot their sophisticated ships, and there’s a good chance they’re going to come looking for the ones Shang-Chi is using.
Shang-Chi‘s post-credits scene sees the titular hero meet other major MCU characters, including Wong, Bruce Banner, and Carol Danvers. They’re all trying to figure out what the rings are and where they come from, but the only conclusion they come to is that there’s a tracking beacon within them that’s active. Clearly, either Foom or another Makluan is on their way to Earth and probably not looking to make friends. It may take a few more years, as the fight with Doctor Doom is sure to take precedent, but The Thing’s meeting with a space dragon may happen after all.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters now.
Did you catch the reference to a space dragon in The Fantastic Four: First Steps? Do you think it’s a tease for Fin Fang Foom? Let us know in the comments below!
