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Fantastic Flops: Fantastic Four (1994) Season 1 is an Exercise in 90s Cheesiness

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In a continuation of the “Fantastic Flops” series, I’m going back and re-evaluating the 1994 and 2006 Fantastic Four cartoon as well as the 1998 Silver Surfer seriesand various crossovers and seeing if they’re a “Flop”, “Bop”, or “In-Between”.

The 1990s are seen as somewhat of a golden age for superhero cartoons with such classics as Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series as well as Superman: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. One show that doesn’t seem to get as much love of these is the 1994 syndicated Fantastic Four cartoon that aired with episodes of Iron Man as part of The Marvel Action Hour. In fact, contemporary Fantastic Four comic book writer Tom DeFalco made fun of it in Fantastic Four #396 where replacement team member Scott Lang roasts the show while ribbing The Thing.

Fantastic Four‘s animation is nothing to write home about with the exception of some cool monster designs for Namor and Mole Man’s denizens as well as a very Jack Kirby-accurate Blastaar. Mr. Fantastic’s powers definitely will always look better in this medium. On the writing and story side, showrunner Ron Friedman and his cohorts Elwin Ransom (So cool that they have the same name as the protagonist of C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy) and Don Segall’s scripts fluctuate from poignant adaptations of the source material to chaotically humorous (See “The Mole Man”, especially Johnny Storm’s rap because voice actor Brian Austin Green wanted to have a hip hop career.) or intelligence insulting (Both Skrulls episode.) This is a show that jokes about Prince Charles dating Roseanne Barr and features guest spots from Dick Clark and Gary Owens in the two part pilot, but also the solution to defeating various villains comes up in unrelated conversations between Mr. Fantastic and other members of the team. It also loves a running gag and catch phrase, which makes sense for the team that brought you “Flame on” and “It’s clobberin’ time”, but I swear if I have to hear the Thing say “One for the money, two for the show”, I might cancel my Disney Plus subscription. (I do enjoy the Thing’s obsession with Wayne Newton, and how he fights with Johnny Storm when he tries to burn them up.)

The mediocre “Mask of Doom” three-parter is the Fantastic Four show in a nutshell. It begins with the Thing poorly following a TV yoga workout and follows with 2 episodes of he, Mr. Fantastic, and the Human Torch dodging various Dr. Doom death traps while he mansplains his origin story to the Invisible Woman. The third part is an anachronism-filled time travel caper set in 4th century BCE Greece that has big Bill and Ted energy, especially when the Human Torch romances a Greek oracle. The extended theme song, credits, and “previously on” recaps really eat into the runtime of the episode, and important plot points like Victor Von Doom’s relationship with Reed Richards as a college student is quickly glossed over so the team can run around in creepy passageways. Dr. Doom’s origin story should have been the A-plot, and the action hijinks should have been the B-plot, but Friedman and Ransom flip that dynamic. One thing I will say about the Fantastic Four cartoon is that your never more than a few minutes away from the Thing punching something and generally crashing out.

I briefly mentioned the two Skrulls episodes as being the low points of Fantastic Four, and they are along with “Behold the Negative Zone”, which shows that Annihilus and Blastaar are more interesting in their own world than on Earth. Despite having a vast invasion fleet and a warrior with all the powers of the Fantastic Four plus hypnosis, the Skrull never come across as a threat. Friedman, Ransom, and Segall would rather do a cheap imitation of basically Mars Attacks (Which hadn’t come out at the time of the cartoon.) than dig into Marvel’s rich cosmic tapestry. The most memorable moments from this episode are finding out that the Thing didn’t vote for Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential election, and that he has bars. Seriously, he spends the entire “Super Skrull” episode trying to film a rap rock video for MTV, one of his many attempts throughout the season to capitalize on his fame as a member of the Fantastic Four to make money.

The high point of Fantastic Four other than the utter silliness of “Mole Man”, which also features Reed Richards and Human Torch/his spoiled girlfriend Melinda and Sue Storm and the Thing working as pairs, is the “The Silver Surfer and Coming of Galactus” two-parter. The scene where Alicia Master senses the Surfer’s humanity and kindness and compares it to Ben Grimms is played beautifully by Pauline Lomas and Robin Sachs. Also, Alan Oppenheimer and Shakespearean actor Tony Jay bring a real direness and grandeur to the episode as Uatu the Watcher and the Devourer himself with the Fantastic Four facing their greatest threat yet. And while this is going on, they’re facing eviction from their landlady Ms. Forbes in a take-it-or-leave-it performance from Joan Lee, who did a much better job as Madame Web in Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Dealing with every day struggles while facing the end of existence and finding the good in antagonists is Marvel at its finest, and these plus the YouTube clip of Johnny Storm rapping are the episodes of this series you should watch.

The framing narrative of the two-part pilot of Fantastic Four set at a Dick Clark telethon reminded me a lot of how Fantastic Four: First Steps told the team’s origin. Even though the film was set in the 1960s and the show was set in the 1990s, it hops right to the adventures with the Fantastic Four being a known entity with recurring foes, a relationship with the US government (And a nagging landlady), and as public figures. The 2025 film handles these elements in a much more interesting way, but it’s also a PG-13 blockbuster film and not hamstrung by the need to sell toys to cereal eating children and maybe a stoner or two. I really wanted to give a “Mid” score to Fantastic Four Season One, but am choosing to get a “Flop” instead because there is definitely potential for improvement as evidenced by a season finale that balances pathos (Silver Surfer must doing something heroic without his abilities.) and humor (A few meta jabs at their Action Hour compatriot Iron Man). If anything, the theme song is an ear worm!

Overall Verdict: Flop

Fantastic Flops: The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a Decent Story and Charming Production Design

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Fantastic Four: First Steps

Even though the Fantastic Four comics kickstarted the creation of the Marvel Universe, their film adaptations have been critically maligned. In the “Fantastic Flops” series, I’m going back and re-evaluating the four previous Fantastic Four films and seeing if they’re a “Flop”, “Bop”, or “In-Between”.

To get the obvious out of the way, after 31 years of struggles and not-so-close calls, we finally have a good live action Fantastic Four film in the clunkily named The Fantastic Four: First Steps. (Franklin Richards is incredibly crucial to this film so I get why they did it though.) Veteran television director Matt Shakman (Wandavision, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and writers Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, and Kat Wood turn in an engaging, retro-futurist standalone yarn that honors the spirit of those early Jack Kirby and Stan Lee comics while adding psychological and ethical dilemmas that come from some of the more contemporary runs like Jonathan Hickman’s work in the early 2010s.

The best thing that Fantastic Four: First Steps has going for it is the production design. Kasra Farahani crafts a world where in the 1960s Marvel Comics only published Fantastic Four comics for the first four years of its existence instead of immediately expanding its universe and bringing back old superheroes like Captain America. Shakman uses breezy news reel montages to establish a utopian world that would make New Deal Democrats, flower children, and sci-fi fanzine readers all smile in perfect harmony. There is a sheen, but also a lived-in feel to the technology used by the Fantastic Four on their various missions as well as the Baxter Building and downtown Manhattan. It’s a shiny, happy world, but there are some rough edges like when Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) goes to his old neighborhood in Yancy Street to get black and white cookies and perform feats of strength for kids at the local Hebrew school. (The Thing’s Jewish heritage is very much intact in this film.) The attention paid to the brave old/new world helps keeps the stakes real when a regal, yet slightly melancholy Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) heralds the coming of Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and the end of this universe. As a cherry on top, Michael Giacchino’s score perfectly blends soaring heroism and sci-fi exploration.

Let’s continue on to the casting. I didn’t love Joseph Quinn as Human Torch, and he doesn’t have the charisma that Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan had in previous iterations of the character. Although charming in other roles, Pedro Pascal doesn’t quite pull off the universe’s smartest man, Reed Richards in the science speak sequences. This is really a difficult role to cast. I did find him endearing as a clueless, new dad and trying to override the part of his brain that treats everything like a problem to solve. Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman carries the film. She bring heart, humanity, diplomacy, and a mother’s love that turns a moment that could have been a deus ex machina, close the portal, and end the movie type sequence into something emotionally resonant. There’s a big “having it all”, second wave of feminism energy into the way that she’s written as Invisible Woman that fits the period as she is a mother, de facto team leader, and quite the diplomat as well. There’s a sequence where she smooths over a moral dilemma that should be required viewing in public relations courses.

So, if it only got the casting about half-right, then why does Fantastic Four: First Steps succeed where its predecessors failed? It is because Shakman and the writing team understands the Fantastic Four are at the best when they’re solving problems and not just punching bad guys. I love the impossible dilemma that is set for the team: choosing between giving Reed and Sue’s firstborn child to Galactus or giving the Earth to the Devourer. The preparation of Galactus’ invasion is actually one of the most underrated and engaging parts of the film. It’s entertaining watching Reed test all kinds of science and equations while Sue markets them to folks around the world. This is while Johnny Storm becomes a linguistics expert because he has a little crush on the Silver Surfer, and Ben Grimm has a crush of his own on Rachel (An always spectacular Natasha Lyonne) and connects with his neighborhood before the end of days. And when the initial plan fails, it’s fun to watch the team move and adjust on the fly. They’re like a well-oiled machine that’s been doing this for four years, helped usher in a utopian society, and of course, their next challenge is fighting God.

Another element that makes Fantastic Four: First Steps a successful film is the aura that Matt Shakman, the visual effects team, Garner, and Ineson give to the Silver Surfer and Galactus. As revealed in the trailers, the movie uses a comics-accurate design for Galactus, and I love how Ralph Ineson in both voice and motion capture plays the antagonist like a universal constant and force of nature, not a malevolent being. He really wishes he could stop doing this, but someone has to keep the scales balanced in the universe. It’s a similar situation with the tragic Shalla-Bal who acts as Galactus’ herald because she wants to keep her planet and children safe. I love the parallels that Shakman, the writers, Vanessa Kirby, and Julia Garner draw between the Silver Surfer and Invisible Woman, and the flashback scene is pure tragic poetry. It’s nice to see these iconic characters finally get their due in live action, and the writers wisely leave a door open for them to return. Also, hell yeah, the power cosmic!

Despite some less than stellar casting, jokes that unfortunately don’t land, and a return sequence from Galactus’ ship to Earth that drags on and on, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an entertaining retro sci-fi blockbuster with clever world-building and memorable production design plus a multi-faceted lead performance from Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm-Richards that makes up for the way the character was poorly written and portrayed in previous films. The battle against Galactus is fittingly epic, and it makes you want to pore over Jack Kirby splash pages or re-read those Jonathan Hickman trade paperbacks. Also, in a similar vein to its movie-mates Superman and Thunderbolts, it’s nice to have superhero films that tell a complete story and have decent character arcs instead of just trying to set up the next installment.

(P.S. I need a Disney Plus animated series in the style of the second post credits scene!)

Overall: 7.0
Verdict: Bop

Fantastic Flops: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is an undercooked mockery of some epic source material

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Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Even though the Fantastic Four comics kickstarted the creation of the Marvel Universe, their film adaptations have been critically maligned. In the “Fantastic Flops” series, I’m going back and re-evaluating the four previous Fantastic Four films and seeing if they’re a “Flop”, “Bop”, or “In-Between”.

Fantastic Four (2005) did okay at the box office so 20th Century Fox decided to run it back with director Tim Story, co-writer Mark Frost, and the whole cast from the first film, including Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom and Kerry Washington as Alicia Masters. Frost is joined by Simpsons and My Super Ex-Girlfriend writer Don Payne and John Turman, who worked on Ang Lee’s Hulk. In the second and final film in this franchise, they attempt to adapt the iconic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby stories “The Wedding of Sue and Reed” and “The Galactus Trilogy” while also being influenced by the more recently published Ultimate Galactus Trilogy by Warren Ellis and various artists. This latter comic is why Galactus is a mute, amorphous cloud and not the godlike being he’s depicted as in the 616 Marvel Universe. Throw in a subplot where Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) becomes the Super-Skrull plus an appearance of future Herald of Galactus/Nova Frankie Raye (An unamused Beau Garrett), and it seems like Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer took some big swings across the board, especially for a movie with a 90 minute run time. However, it’s all strikeouts except for a few funny moments, a cool design for the Silver Surfer (Motion capture by Doug Jones ; voice by Laurence Fishburne), and Ioan Gruffudd finding his backbone in a badass monologue directed at General Hager (Andre Braugher in a thankless role) and taken almost word for word from Ellis’ Ultimate Extinction where Mr. Fantastic uses it to call out Nick Fury.

The initial setup of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does have some merit. Reed Richards and Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) want to get married, but the world is about to end so they don’t live happily ever after. However, their relationship is built on “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” stereotypes as all the “will they, won’t they” tension from the first film is gone, and they’re the default couple in this one. In addition to the weakness of this key romance, the characters’ individual motivations are wonky, and their arcs are non-existent. Of course, Johnny Storm wants to be a rich, famous celebrity, and Reed Richards wants to do science, which consists of him fiddling with things that look like Game Boys and Xbox controllers and staring at screens. (We’re one year away from Iron Man, and science looking cool again.) However, Sue Storm just wants to be a trad wife even though she was a genetics researcher in the previous film and shows skills as a mediator and leader in being the first person on Earth to actually have a conversation with the Silver Surfer. There’s also Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) who is in a stable relationship with Alicia, and his monstrous nature is played for laughs. He also doesn’t get a lot to do in the action sequences with Human Torch (Thanks to special molecular shifting abilities given to him by the Silver Surfer.) and Invisible Woman running point in that department, and Silver Surfer handling the final fight by himself. It’s an unfortunate waste of a solid performer.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Another character whose appearance in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is even more unnecessary is Victor Von Doom. There are a couple, hastily edited sequences of him in the shadows tracking the Silver Surfer and then getting his face healed after being zapped by the Herald of Galactus. And, then, Frost, Payne, and Turman take a page out of fellow Fox superhero sequel X2‘s playbook by having the Fantastic Four team up with their worst enemy against an even bigger threat. However, X2 succeeds because Magneto is a sympathetic figure with a genuine friendship with Professor X. The Fantastic Four films hinted at a friendship/rivalry between Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom, but these are just two guys who hate each other and stare at computer screens while Doom gets in the U.S. military’s good graces enough to test the power cosmic and fly around on a surfboard pointlessly extending the run time of the movie. Unlike both the original and Ultimate Universe Galactus trilogies, there’s no plan for taking on the Destroyer of Worlds other than having the Silver Surfer fly at him and sacrifice himself. (Of course, he gets better because studios have been trying to get a Silver Surfer film greenlit since Terminator 2 figured out the cool silver CGI effects.) They’re bullshitting so much that there’s no time for Richards and/or Von Doom to demonstrate their genius beyond a too little, too late appearance of the Fantasticar. Dr. Doom is mainly a boring distraction in the film, and we know even less about Latveria and his connection to them.

Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer is a moronic reflection of both the family dramedy and cosmic sides of the Fantastic Four comics. Tim Story and the screenwriters go for broad punchlines instead of fun character-driven humor even though there are some fun moments like Mr. Fantastic and the Thing cutting it up on the dance floor, or Raye roasting the Human Torch. On the cosmic side, Silver Surfer and Galactus feel like plot elements in a Roland Emmerich film not Biblical, Kirby Krackle larger than life figures although there’s a fluidity to Jones’ mo-cap performance and a majesty to Fishburne’s voice acting. Also, this might be a side effect of 17 years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its world feels hollow and lacks a sense of wonder. Evans and Chiklis definitely had potential in the roles of Human Torch and the Thing, but were ruined by obvious punchlines and plot developments as well as one dimensional villains. Both Fantastic Four films suffer from Story, the screenwriters, and editors William Hoy and Peter S. Elliott not letting scenes breathe and letting us have a chance to know and love these characters. It really needed more scenes like Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm throwing darts (and accidentally burning the dart board) while talking about how they feel about the end of the world.

However, for all the movie’s failings, that John Ottman theme for the Fantastic Four films is pretty epic though!

Verdict: Flop

SDCC 2024: Marvel Studios puts on a Drone Show

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It’s become a tradition for a fireworks display the first night of San Diego Comic-Con and things have come a long way since we first went. Marvel Studios put on a show, a drone show, above Petco Field. The display celebrating the opening weekend of Deadpool & Wolverine as well as a tease of what we can expect Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con and Hall H. Can you say Fantastic Four?

Enjoy the show courtesy of Parks and Cons and stay until the end scene…

Pack your lunch in these Spider-Man and Galactus Lunch Boxes… with Thermos!

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Go a little retro with these two Previews exclusive Tin Titans lunch boxes. Each comes with a classic beverage/soup container!

The Spider-Man lunch box features classic Todd McFarlane art to Spider-Man #300 on one side and Spider-Man #301 on the other. The interiors of the issues are on the side.

The Galactus lunch box features Jack Kirby‘s artwork from The Origin of Galactus. Silver Surfer is on the beverage/soup container with panels from the classic Fantastic Four story The Coming of Galactus.

Pre-order the Spider-Man and Galactus lunch boxes today!

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Those Two Geeks Episode 131: Forty Five Minute Mashup

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Alex and Joe babble on about more Marvel Legends, movie news and video games.

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @jcb_smark if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Those Two Geeks Episode 130: Unplanned Toy Chat

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Alex and Joe babble on about more Marvel Legends. Galactus, mainly, but also other stuff in general.

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @jcb_smark if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Those Two Geeks Episode 129: Spontaneous Chats about Spider-Man and Toys

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Alex and Joe babble on about the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer, and then talk about the latest Marvel Legends news and reveals.

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @jcb_smark if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Those Two Geeks Episode 128: Suicide Squad and What If…?

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Alex and Joe babble on about What If..? episode one, The Suicide Squad and the status of the Marvel Legends Galactus Haslab backing.

As always, Alex and Joe can be found on Twitter respectively @karcossa and @jcb_smark if you feel the need to tell them they’re wrong individually, or @those2geeks if you want to yell at them together on twitter, or by email at ItsThose2Geeks@gmail.com.

Galactus is Coming to Marvel Legends through Hasbro’s Haslab

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MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES HASLAB GALACTUS Figure

(HASBRO/ Approx. Retail Price: $399.99)

The MARVEL LEGENDS SERIES HASLAB GALACTUS is the largest MARVEL LEGENDS figure to date. Standing at 32-inches tall, this figure’s frame is comprised of over 300 individual pieces, features LED lights in the head and chest areas, has over 70 points of articulation, and 3 swappable face-plate accessories for alternate expressions. Requires 4x AAA batteries, not included. Available for purchase on Hasbro Pulse from July 16, 2021 – August 30, 2021 @ 11:59pm ET. Purchases can be made through HasbroPulse.com in the U.S. & Canada, UK.HasbroPulse.com in the UK, as well as select participating retailers internationally. Check your local retailer for more information. 

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