This listing accommodates main spoilers for The Incredible 4: First Steps.The Incredible 4: First Steps has opened in theaters, efficiently introducing the long-lasting heroes into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not solely does the movie pit Marvel’s first household in opposition to The Silver Surfer and Galactus, nevertheless it additionally drops the viewers right into a world the place the Incredible 4 have encountered a lot of their previous foes. Mole Man has a quick function within the movie, whereas numerous different traditional Incredible 4 villains like The Puppet Grasp, Diablo, and The Pink Ghost are name-dropped. With rumors circulating that The Incredible 4 may obtain a sequel in 2028, and their debut movie already establishing that they’ve efficiently defeated their previous villains, this leaves some questions on who the group may face off in opposition to in a follow-up.
The obvious reply is Physician Doom, the Incredible 4’s archenemy. But with Robert Downey Jr. already set to play Physician Doom in each Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, it appears like it will be redundant to function him as the first villain for a Incredible 4 sequel after two team-up motion pictures. The Incredible 4 have loads of villains exterior of Physician Doom that might make for compelling foes. Despite the fact that it’s nonetheless far too early to guess what form a sequel to The Incredible 4: First Steps will take, provided that Avengers: Secret Wars may reset the whole lot, there are six villains that might construct upon each the movie’s theme of household and check the heroes in new, difficult methods.
These are the 6 villains that are not Physician Doom that ought to be thought of for The Incredible 4: First Steps sequel.
6
The Frightful 4
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
First Look: Incredible 4 #36 (March 1965)
Each superhero group wants a darkish mirror counterpart. The Justice League has the Legion of Doom, The Avengers have the Masters of Evil, and The Incredible 4 have the Frightful 4. Whereas the roster for the group has modified through the years (with the Final Comics universe model being the Marvel Zombies Incredible 4), the one aspect that has remained constant is that they’re a group of villains who work collectively to cease The Incredible 4.
With The Incredible 4: First Steps name-dropping numerous Incredible 4 villains like The Puppet Grasp, The Wizard, Diablo, The Mad Thinker, and the deleted Pink Ghost, it will really feel like treading outdated floor to make any of these characters a main menace for a sequel. Nevertheless, if these characters mixed forces to take down The Incredible 4, it will not solely justify utilizing them but additionally current the prospect to discover villains creating their very own warped, twisted household dynamic to battle the Incredible 4.
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5
Hyperstorm
Created by Paul Ryan and Tom DeFalco
First Look: Incredible 4 #406 (November 1995)
Hyperstorm is the grandson of Reed Richards and Susan Storm from the Days of Future Previous timeline, with him being the son of Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers (Cyclops and Jean Gray’s daughter). He’s royalty to each the Incredible 4 and X-Males lineages. Within the comics, he’s a villain who conquers timelines, like his potential descendant, Nathaniel Richards/Kang the Conqueror. Even when the MCU post-Avengers: Secret Wars will tone down the multiverse, the Incredible 4 franchise makes probably the most sense to function multiverse parts, given their nature as scientists and explorers.
Given how a lot of The Incredible 4: First Steps is centered round household, and particularly the beginning of Franklin Richards, it feels just like the sequel’s pure route is to dig deeper into the household dynamic and have their subsequent menace come from one in every of their very own, a possible darkish model of what their household may turn out to be. How do the Incredible 4 battle a hypothetical member of their household? Do they cease him, or can they save him? Are some members of the family past saving? These are the kinds of questions that make a sequel worthwhile.
4
Kang the Conqueror (Sue Storm)
Created by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Carmine Di Giandomenico
First Look: Final Comics Wolverine #4 (Could 2013)
Marvel Studios seemingly has little interest in touching Kang the Conqueror ever once more, but when they did, they’ve a workaround that does not contain Jonathan Majors. Within the Final Comics, it’s revealed that the Final model of Kang the Conqueror is definitely an alternate model of Sue Storm/The Invisible Lady. The Incredible 4: First Steps sequel may see the Incredible 4 encountering Kang the Conqueror, one thing the group has performed many instances within the comics, with the twist being that this model is an alternate model of The Invisible Lady.
It permits Marvel Studios to not solely repurpose and salvage a number of the Kang the Conqueror plotlines left hanging after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki, but additionally may tie in with a plotline from Deadpool & Wolverine. A pleasant little bit of stunt casting can be to have this evil model of Sue Storm be performed by Jessica Alba, and reveal that after her brother, The Human Torch (Chris Evans), died within the Void, she turned a villain. It not solely ties numerous MCU plotlines collectively but additionally permits the MCU to adapt the long-lasting Malice storyline from the comics in a brand new and altered approach. If Jessica Alba did not wish to return, nothing prevents Vanessa Kirby from additionally taking part in the half. Her function in The Incredible 4: First Steps was a standout, and we are saying give her much more to do.
3
Psycho-Man
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
First Look: Incredible 4 Annual #5 (November 1967)
Talking of Malice, why not function Psycho-Man, the villain who turned Sue within the comics within the first place? Psycho-Man hails from town of Sub-Atomica, which the MCU now calls the Quantum Realm. He makes use of his powers to emotionally manipulate and management individuals, typically taking part in off their worst fears and anger. Having Psycho-Man come from the Quantum Realm could be too much like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (which at instances felt like Peyton Reed’s model of a Incredible 4 story with the Ant-Man characters grafted on). But Psycho-Man may hail from one other dimension that the Incredible 4 examine early on, and later discover his strategy to Earth.
With the primary film being a lot concerning the energy of the household, Psycho-Man is the proper villain for the sequel, as he can chip away on the darkish secrets and techniques and resentments that every member could maintain, permitting these emotions to bubble to the floor and check the household unit, and put them on the verge of collapsing. There may be the long-lasting Malice storyline for Sue Storm, but additionally Psycho-Man may resurface a few of Ben Grimm’s anger in direction of Reed for his transformation, after seemingly transferring on from it. After the destiny of the world hung within the stability in First Steps, Psycho-Man challenges their world in a private approach. Sequels are usually darker, and Psycho-Man supplies the proper alternative to push the Incredible 4 to the boundaries of the household.
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2
Annihilus
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
First Look: Incredible 4 Annual #6 (November 1968)
Annihilus and the long-lasting storyline Annihilation are large enough to warrant a crossover movie with numerous Marvel heroes. But the character originated within the Incredible 4 comics, and it will be acceptable for him to be a villain for the group in a sequel. Annihiulus is the ruler of the Adverse Zone, a dimension the Incredible 4 typically go to within the comics. Annihilus can be answerable for the loss of life of Johnny Storm/The Human Torch within the comics, which gave beginning to the Future Basis. Whereas it’s too early to kill off the Human Torch, Annihilus is a villain with deep ties to the Incredible 4.
A Incredible 4 sequel may simply see the Annihilation Wave, a big armada of warships, start their invasion from the Adverse Zone into deep area, forcing the Incredible 4 to become involved within the battle. The Annihilation comedian storyline gave beginning to the fashionable incarnation of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the very group that Marvel Comics appeared to place because the Incredible 4’s substitute throughout that interval within the comics when the group was being downplayed attributable to not having the movie rights. It might be ironic, but additionally acceptable, for Annihilation to function the inspiration for the Incredible 4‘s sequel.
1
The Maker
Created by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert (Final Reed Richards). Jonathan Hickman (The Maker).
First Look of Final Reed Richards: Final Incredible 4 #1 (February 2004). First Look of The Maker: Final Fallout #4 (August 2011)
One of many largest swings for the Final Comics was to rework Reed Richards/Mister Incredible, the chief of the Incredible 4, into one of many comics’ best villains: The Maker. Whereas Final Incredible 4 typically struggled to search out its voice, remodeling Reed Richards into the Maker was a genius transfer that confirmed simply how terrifying his most important 616 counterpart may very well be if he ever misplaced his household. The Maker has been on the heart of many key multiversal occasions in Marvel Comics, together with Secret Wars and the current Final Comics relaunch, Final Invasion. Within the Final Comics, The Maker stuffed the function of traditional, extra evil Physician Doom in lots of tales, and he may do the identical for the MCU in order that the franchise would not repeat itself so shortly.
With the Incredible 4 sequel following Avengers: Secret Wars, and certain the consolidation of the Multiverse, it will be becoming for one of many few survivors to be the evil Reed Richards, whose universe was destroyed. The most effective information can be to have Miles Teller reprise his function from 2015’s Incredible 4. That reboot drew closely from the Final Incredible 4, and it will really feel acceptable for a personality from one of the hated Marvel Comics variations to now be a resentful villain whose universe was destroyed in favor of this new, happier group. That is each a meta-narrative and a thematically wealthy one, because it assessments the heroes to see what they could be like in one other life, had it not been for his or her household. The Maker may recruit his model of the Frightful 4, presumably recruiting Sue Storm, Kang the Conqueror, and others, to battle the group and act as a darkish mirror to the group. In the long run, The Maker is the proper foe for The Incredible 4: First Steps sequel.