What Killed the Other Fantastic Four Movies?

Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” comes out next month, which has fans reflecting on past “Fantastic Four” attempts and failures. Many former films went terribly wrong for different reasons. Uncover the factors that made past franchise attempts a laughing stock and you might feel more excited to check out the upcoming movie.

1. Studio Interference With Creative Choices

The 2015 film “Fantastic Four” became an infamous reboot after too many studio-influenced changes. 20th Century Fox required numerous rewrites and reshoots, ultimately changing the director’s original cut into what you might have cringed at in your local theater. Studio heads often request changes, which hurt fan reception and story coherence in the “Fantastic Four” movies no one wants to rewatch. 

2. Potential Genre Fatigue

Superhero movies didn’t begin when “Iron Man” debuted in 2008, despite what the most hardcore Marvel fans might want you to think. Studios have been turning comic books into silver-screen stories for decades. Some people will get tired of seeing similar plot lines and recycled characters.

Given the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the initial “Fantastic Four” movies, fans also had more choices. They could see a Fox production with publicity baggage or shiny new Marvel characters that even featured the Human Torch himself.

3. Unfortunate Casting Choices

Casting directors determine a movie’s success significantly. You won’t care about Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s relationship if they have friendzone chemistry. Audiences also skip movies based on casting choices. When Disney’s “Snow White” remake came out in 2025, people with dwarfism criticized the film because the company chose to animate the seven dwarves instead of cast actors. 

4. Cheesy Scripts and Special Effects

The prosthetic suit Michael Chilis wore in the 2005 film stands the test of time better than Silver Surfer’s CGI in the 2007 sequel. People even recognized the bad CGI while “Rise of the Silver Surfer” was still in theaters. Combine the terrible visuals with lackluster scripts and you’ll get a string of bad superhero movies that sour the franchise.

5. Bad Publicity and Initial Reviews

You didn’t need to get caught up on the 2015 film’s on-set drama or the director’s frustrations to know the movie was bad. The early reviews noted multi-act pacing problems and script inconsistencies. If you weren’t one of the people skipping the premiere because of the movie’s bad production reputation, you likely didn’t see the film because reviews created a negative buzz that fans still agree with today.

Will the Future Be Fantastic Moving Forward?

Marvel made $38 million at the box office before “Deadpool & Wolverine” ever premiered. The studio might inject some of its magic into “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” by revamping the universe’s aesthetic. Given the lack of production drama, positive feedback from the director and all-star cast, the franchise could make a comeback this summer.