Cody

After years of being out of Marvel’s grasp, the Fantastic Four has finally, officially and fully, joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Fantastic Four: First Steps – and to celebrate, we have decided to look back at the other Fantastic Four movies that have been made (not counting Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Deadpool & Wolverine, which did feature Reed Richards and Johnny Storm cameos, but weren’t “Fantastic Four movies”) to put together a list of Fantastic Four Movies Ranked. Here we go, from worst to best:

5. FANTASTIC FOUR (2015)

• Director: Josh Trank
• Writers: Jeremy Slater, Simon Kinberg, Josh Trank
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Main Cast: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell
• Villain: Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom
• Notable Elements: Quantum Gate, Planet Zero, body horror influence, Ultimate Fantastic Four inspiration
• Strengths: First half origin setup, character introductions, grounded sci-fi tone early on
• Weaknesses: Tonal inconsistency, rushed second half, poor depiction of Doctor Doom, overlong origin story
• Tone: Dark, dour, sci-fi, body horror
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Verdict: Unwatchable second half undermines a passable setup

The ‘94 film is the one executives tried to bury, but the making of the 2015 Fantastic Four was such a horrible mess, maybe Fox should have just scrapped it and used it for a $120 million tax write-off, Warner Bros. style. The differing opinions behind the scenes are apparent in the finished movie, where the more traditional comic book movie sensibilities of screenwriter Jeremy Slater and writer/producer Simon Kinberg come through in the first half, while director Josh Trank’s wrong-headed attempt to turn the F4 concept into something darker (he mentioned the David Cronenberg films Scanners and The Fly as sources of inspiration) is more apparent in the second half.

The first half kind of works, with young genius Reed Richards (Miles Teller) being recruited straight out of a high school science fair to work on something called the Quantum Gate for Professor Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) of the Baxter Foundation. As Reed works alongside scientist Sue Storm (Kate Mara), troublemaking engineer Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), and moody genius Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) in an effort to crack interdimensional travel, it makes for a serviceable updated version of the origin story, influenced by the Ultimate comics. Although why Trank and the producers felt it was necessary to waste 50 minutes of a 100 minute movie on another retelling of the origin story is beyond me. It’s when Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Doom, accompanied by Reed’s childhood friend Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), use the Quantum Gate to travel to a world called Planet Zero and the characters gain powers that everything falls apart.

The second half of Fant4stic is dark and dour, with a dash of body horror being followed by a stretch of time spent with a bunch of unhappy people and a scheming Tim Blake Nelson (as a government scientist), until we get a climactic sequence involving a horrendous version of Dr. Doom: Victor, fused with his space suit, blasting people with telekinetic powers.

Those last 50 minutes are (aside from 7 merciful minutes of end credits) awful, verging on unwatchable. Trank has said that he made a “fantastic” version of this movie that was then brought down by studio tampering, but it’s difficult to imagine that some of these ideas ever could have been part of something good.

4. FANTASTIC FOUR (2005)

• Director: Tim Story
• Writers: Mark Frost, Michael France
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Main Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon
• Villain: Victor Von Doom / Doctor Doom
• Notable Elements: Cosmic cloud origin, bridge accident sequence, practical Thing suit
• Strengths: Strong Ben Grimm portrayal, emotional character moments, solid practical effects
• Weaknesses: Lack of scale, minimal action, underwhelming villain execution, slow middle section
• Tone: Light, comedic
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Verdict: Decent but underwhelming and lacking ambition

Marvel executive Avi Arad was able to get a big-budget Fantastic Four movie set up at a major studio (Fox) pretty quickly after getting the ‘94 movie scrapped, but then it took nearly ten years to get the project pushed through development hell. It ended up being directed by Tim Story, with Mark Frost and Michael France taking credit for the screenplay… and the finished film feels oddly small, despite the large budget. There’s really not a whole lot going on in this movie.

The lead characters (Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards, Jessica Alba as Susan Storm, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, and the late Julian McMahon as Victor von Doom) have made it into space within the first 10 minutes and the cosmic cloud that alters their DNA has hit their space station by the 15 minute mark. You might think the movie is getting the origin story out of the way early on so it can get to some big action and adventure, but that’s not the way it goes. The next hour of the film simply consists of Reed, Susan, Johnny, and Ben dealing with the powers the cloud has given them while Doom gradually reveals himself to be the villain of the film. He has also been affected by the cosmic cloud, developing a metal-like covering on his skin and the ability to produce electricity. Because, for some reason, the bigger budgeted takes on Fantastic Four were very resistant to the idea that he could just be a disfigured man who decides to wear a suit of armor.

The best thing about the movie is the way it handles Ben Grimm, with Chiklis continuing to play the character inside the Thing costume and prosthetics. He is, understandably, disturbed by his new appearance – and so is his fiancée Debbie (Laurie Holden), who dumps him when he comes back into her life. Going to a bar to drown his sorrows, Ben crosses paths with a blind woman named Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington), and the interactions between them are actually pretty sweet.

Aside from a sequence where the heroes use their powers to deal with (and inadvertently cause) a series of mishaps on a bridge, there’s nothing particularly exciting to be found during the middle stretch of the film. There’s just some talking, experimenting, Johnny showboating, and Ben trying to find his way in the world. Victor kills somebody in a quick moment, but he doesn’t fully emerge as the villain until late in the 105 minute running time. Just in time for the Fantastic Four to come together and defeat him in a few minutes. Yep, this movie has Dr. Doom, one of the most popular and powerful villains in Marvel Comics history, and he’s punked out by the Fantastic Four in the course of just one short fight scene.

Avi Arad got the big budget Fantastic Four movie that he wanted to put out into the world, but it certainly didn’t take full advantage of the concept, nor did it do all of the characters justice. It’s not terrible, but it feels a bit lazy and half-hearted.

3. FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007)

• Director: Tim Story
• Writers: Mark Frost, Don Payne, John Turman
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• Main Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis
• Villains: Silver Surfer (herald), Galactus, Doctor Doom
• Notable Elements: Power-swapping gimmick, Silver Surfer effects, cosmic threat
• Strengths: Increased action, faster pacing, entertaining set pieces, improved energy
• Weaknesses: Over-the-top comedy, poor Galactus depiction, inconsistent tone
• Tone: Light, comedic, cosmic
• Runtime: 92 minutes
• Verdict: More fun than its predecessor, but flawed by its handling of Galactus

Satisfied with the box office of the 2005 Fantastic Four, Fox hired director Tim Story to return to the helm for a sequel, working from a screenplay crafted by Mark Frost, Don Payne, and John Turman, with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Chris Evans reprising the roles of Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm. The result was another film that still feels smaller and less impactful than it should have, despite having a larger budget to work with.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer does have bigger and more plentiful action sequences than its predecessor, which makes it an enjoyable ride for a good stretch of the shockingly short 92 minute running time. With the origin story out of the way and the Fantastic Four established as a superhero team, Story was able to bring more excitement into this one, while also increasing the comedy element. The first movie hadn’t been very serious, but Rise of the Silver Surfer boosts the comedy element even higher. There are some really goofy moments in this one, and some comedic moments derived from the fact that, after an encounter with the Silver Surfer, Johnny starts accidentally swapping powers with other members of the Fantastic Four. So we get Johnny turning invisible while Susan bursts into flame, or Johnny taking on Ben’s stone-like Thing appearance while Ben gains his ability to create and control fire.

Brought to the screen through the physical performance of Doug Jones and the voice of Laurence Fishburne, the Silver Surfer is the herald of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds – and if you were disappointed by the way Doom was handled the first time around, you’ll be appalled to see how the planet-eating Galactus is presented in this one. Doom (Julian McMahon) even returns and drops himself into the middle of the Silver Surfer situation, coming off slightly better in this movie than he did in the first one, but it doesn’t count for a lot when the movie is making such a spectacular waste of Galactus.

It’s in the final third when things get really disappointing and off-putting, as it’s revealed that this movie’s version of Galactus is just a large, cosmic cloud. Not a cosmic entity with a human-like form who can change size, as Galactus is in the comic books. Just a cloud! And, even with Dr. Doom also in the picture and causing trouble, this Galactus turns out to be a fairly simple threat to thwart.

In the end, I would still say that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is somewhat more entertaining the first movie, largely because there’s more action, but its treatment of Galactus is unforgivable.

2. THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1994)

• Director: Oley Sassone
• Writers: Craig J. Nevius, Kevin Rock
• Studio: Independent / New Horizons
• Main Cast: Alex Hyde-White, Rebecca Staab, Jay Underwood, Michael Bailey Smith
• Villains: Doctor Doom, The Jeweler
• Notable Elements: Ultra-low budget production, unreleased status, practical effects
• Strengths: Surprisingly faithful adaptation, strong Doctor Doom portrayal, earnest performances
• Weaknesses: Cheesy tone, weak effects, awkward subplots
• Tone: Campy, earnest, low-budget
• Runtime: 90 minutes
• Verdict: Impressively close to getting it right despite limitations

The 1994 version of The Fantastic Four has a story behind it that’s more interesting than anything that happens on screen. Producer Bernd Eichinger acquired the property’s film rights from Marvel in the mid-1980s, but couldn’t get any of the major studios to put up the 40 to 45 million dollar budget required to make a proper Fantastic Four movie. So he turned to legendary B-movie maker Roger Corman, who gave him a budget of $1 million and a production schedule of around three weeks. Filming started just three days before Eichinger would have lost the rights at the end of ‘92. Marketing began in ‘93, and when Marvel executive Avi Arad heard that a Fantastic Four movie had been tossed together quickly and cheaply, he was concerned that it would harm the brand. So he paid Eichinger and Corman off to make sure they would never release it. But bootlegs quickly started circulating, and The Fantastic Four might be the most widely available “unreleased” movie to ever exist. And against all odds, given the low budget and short production schedule, it’s actually not that bad. It’s not great, but it’s surprisingly good, despite being incredibly cheesy at times.

Director Oley Sassone and the cast and crew did the best they could under the circumstances, with screenwriters Craig J. Nevius and Kevin Rock telling an origin story that involves a limited amount of expensive displays of power (but did require a lot of screen time for The Thing, who looks pretty good, considering the budget). The effects don’t fall apart until Johnny goes full Human Torch in the climactic sequence.

Alex Hyde-White makes for a fine Reed Richards, with Michael Bailey Smith and Carl Ciarfalio doing solid work as Ben Grimm. Rebecca Staab’s Susan Storm is too milquetoast and Jay Underwood’s Johnny a bit too over-the-top annoying at times (which is pretty much to be expected), but they get the job done. There are some awkward plot elements, the “romance” between Ben and sculptor Alicia Masters (Kat Green) comes off in a ridiculous way, and the tone of the scenes involving the villain The Jeweler (Ian Trigger) – a stand-in for Mole Man – can be cringe-inducing… but Joseph Culp’s Victor Von Doom / Dr. Doom is a great presentation of the character. He’s played almost perfectly and even has disposable “Doombot” lackeys.

Given how short some of the big budget versions of Fantastic Four have fallen, it’s impressive to see just how close this low budget movie came to getting it right. Somehow, the unreleased cheapie reigned as the best Fantastic Four movie for thirty years.

1. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (2025)

• Director: Matt Shakman
• Writers: Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Kat Wood
• Studio: Marvel Studios
• Main Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
• Villains: Galactus, Silver Surfer (Shalla-Bal)
• Notable Elements: Earth-828 setting, no origin retelling, strong family focus, comic-accurate Galactus
• Strengths: Emotional depth, strong casting, faithful tone, compelling story
• Weaknesses: Slightly slow opening, could use more action, shorter runtime limits scope
• Tone: Epic, emotional, cosmic
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Verdict: The best live-action Fantastic Four adaptation to date

For nearly twenty years, fans have been wondering, what would Marvel Studios do with the Fantastic Four if they had the chance to bring them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Since Disney acquired Fox, the company that had the Fantastic Four film rights, we finally have the answer – and while Marvel chose to keep their version separate from the “Sacred Timeline” for now, setting the film on Earth 828 rather than the MCU’s primary universe 616 (or 199999, if you really want to go down the rabbit hole), what they delivered is exactly what we always hoped and needed it to be: the best live-action Fantastic Four movie. It may not be perfect, but it certainly feels right.

It took the team of Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, and Kat Wood to crack the story and script, with WandaVision director Matt Shakman bringing it all to the screen with heart and style. There were some unexpected choices made during the casting phase, but they worked out, with Pedro Pascal proving to be an interesting Reed Richards, a heroic man who’s dedicated to saving lives, but also troubled by the way his overthinking mind works; Joseph Quinn making for a fun Johnny Storm who’s smarter and less irritating than previous iterations, and always ready to stand up for his family; Ebon Moss-Bachrach making for a great, endearing mo-cap version of Ben Grimm; and Vanessa Kirby giving us the perfect Sue Storm.

We’ve seen plenty of the origin story before, so The Fantastic Four: First Steps picks up four years into the team’s superhero career, with clips from a TV presentation giving us information on their history and adventures – which includes battles with Mole Man (Paul Walter Houser), the monstrous Giganto, and Red Ghost and his super apes. They have been so successful at the hero gig, their Earth exists in a state of peace, with other referenced villains posing no current threat. But then Silver Surfer (Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal rather than Norrin Radd) shows up as the herald of Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, and things on Earth 828 get pretty scary.

The decision to go with Shalla-Bal as the Surfer was controversial, but it completely works within the film and is beneficial for the Johnny side of the story. (While still leaving room for the Norrin Radd version to exist, somewhere out there in the multiverse.) The movie also makes up for the sins of the other Silver Surfer / Galactus movie, Rise of the Silver Surfer, by giving us a Galactus who looks just like he does in the comics and is creepily played by Ralph Ineson.

The movie gets off to a rather sedate start – that opening montage could have been a bit longer, and John Malkovich’s appearance as Red Ghost shouldn’t have hit the cutting room floor – but once the threat of Galactus has been established, it becomes a wild, intense ride with cool action (some stuff in the climax might bring to mind Ghostbusters and/or Ghostbusters II moments), interesting story elements, and emotional depth that was great to see. Given that the Fantastic Four is known as Marvel’s First Family, that family connection really has to be driven home, and the movie absolutely does that. You feel the love these people have for each other, and you believe that they would be willing to sacrifice themselves for their loved ones.

Sure, they could have included Victor von Doom in their lives in some way. Sure, there could have been a bit more action and they could have had The Thing throw more punches. The movie might even be the rare MCU film that could have benefited from being slightly longer than it is (we reach the start of the end credits in just 104 minutes), but it introduces the Fantastic Four of the MCU in a brilliant way, and it’s going to be very exciting to see what’s next for these characters, who are already confirmed to be sharing the screen with Avengers and X-Men characters in Avengers: Doomsday.

Marvel Studios was given the challenge of making the best Fantastic Four movie yet, and they pulled it off.

Rank	Film	Year	Director	Key Strength	Biggest Weakness	Villain(s)	Verdict
#1	The Fantastic Four: First Steps	2025	Matt Shakman	Emotional depth, strong family dynamic, comic accuracy	Slightly slow start, could use more action	Galactus, Silver Surfer (Shalla-Bal)	Best live-action adaptation to date
#2	The Fantastic Four	1994	Oley Sassone	Surprisingly faithful, strong Doctor Doom	Low budget limitations, cheesy tone	Doctor Doom, The Jeweler	Impressively solid despite constraints
#3	Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer	2007	Tim Story	More action, entertaining pacing	Galactus reduced to a cloud, tonal inconsistency	Silver Surfer, Galactus, Doctor Doom	Fun but flawed
#4	Fantastic Four	2005	Tim Story	Strong Ben Grimm portrayal	Lack of scale, weak villain payoff	Doctor Doom	Decent but underwhelming
#5	Fantastic Four	2015	Josh Trank	Promising first half, grounded setup	Disastrous second half, tonal clash	Doctor Doom	Largely unwatchable

FAQ

What is the best Fantastic Four movie?

The best Fantastic Four movie is The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025). It delivers the strongest balance of character, emotion, and comic book accuracy, while finally capturing the “Marvel’s First Family” dynamic in a meaningful way.

Why is Fantastic Four (2015) considered a failure?

The 2015 film suffers from severe tonal inconsistency, with a grounded sci-fi first half giving way to a rushed, darker second half. Behind-the-scenes conflicts between Josh Trank and the studio are widely believed to have contributed to its disjointed final product.

Is Rise of the Silver Surfer better than the 2005 movie?

Slightly. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) offers more action and a faster pace than the 2005 film, but it’s held back by its controversial depiction of Galactus as a cosmic cloud.

Why was the 1994 Fantastic Four movie never released?

The 1994 film was produced quickly to retain the film rights, but Avi Arad intervened and paid to keep it from being officially released, fearing it would damage the brand. Despite this, it became widely available through bootlegs.

Which Fantastic Four movie is most comic accurate?

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) is the most comic-accurate adaptation, especially in its portrayal of the team’s family dynamic and its depiction of Galactus.

Why is Doctor Doom often mishandled in Fantastic Four movies?

Many adaptations avoid Doom’s classic comic origins and design, instead altering his powers or appearance. This often results in a less compelling version of one of Marvel’s most iconic villains.

Will the Fantastic Four appear in future Marvel movies?

Yes. The team introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) is already confirmed to return in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, including crossover events like Avengers: Doomsday.

Do you need to watch the previous Fantastic Four movies?

No. The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) stands on its own and does not require knowledge of previous versions.