We’ve discussed on numerous occasions why the heroes known as the Fantastic Four needed to be updated, and how Twentieth Century Fox’s film franchise reboot is its own thing – a “contemporary re-imagining” of the property as described in its own official synopsis. The casting and tone of the trailers alone are proof of this, and judging by the latest official marketing assets, Fantastic Four may have a few other notable differences from the comics as well.

The Fantastic Four teasers have showcased brief glimpses of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm taking advantage of a scientific breakthrough to journey into another dimension, a concept lifted directly from the Ultimate Marvel Comics version of the FF. We see them get their seemingly traditional powers and throw on practically designed containment suits. There are hints from the cast that more traditional superhero costumes may be worn at some point by the characters in the film, since this is a superhero origin story after all, but not everything is as it seems.

On the official Fantastic Four movie website, the four heroes of the film have been given little biographies, each also coming with additional voice-over diary entry from Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) who describes their personality and how he plans to work with them. Pay attention to the description of Reed Richards:

Reed Richards

REED RICHARDS IS A SCIENTIFIC PRODIGY WHO HAS BEEN QUIETLY EXPLORING THE UNIVERSE’S DEEPEST MYSTERIES IN HIS GARAGE, AFTER SCHOOL. AFTER BEING TRANSFORMED BY ONE OF HIS EXPERIMENTS, HE CAN WARP THE SPACE AROUND HIM, AND APPEAR TO STRETCH HIS BODY INTO IMPOSSIBLE FORMS AND TO INCREDIBLE LENGTHS.

Dr. Franklin Storm’s report:

“Reed Richards, a scientific prodigy. Unfortunately his home life was not condusive to intellectual growth. I’ve seen it before, an ambitious mind in a hostile environment, groundbreaking ideas mistaken for delusions. He has yet to reach his full potential. With help I have faith he will get there.”

Susan Storm

SUE IS BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL, INDEPENDENT AND SARCASTIC. THE POWER TO BECOME INVISIBLE AND TO GENERATE HER OWN FORCE-FIELDS CAN MAKE HER HARDER TO REACH THAN EVER—BUT THAT WON’T STOP SOME OF HER TEAMMATES, ESPECIALLY REED, FROM TRYING.

Dr. Franklin Storm’s report:

“Sue Storm, independent and prefers to work alone which is no surprise. She wasn’t always the easiest child but she is her own person. Her mind is unique, operating at a different tempo, visualizing things the rest of us can’t see. If only she would let us in, the possibilities are endless.”

Johnny Storm

A TROUBLEMAKER AND A THRILL-SEEKER, JOHNNY IS THE ROCK STAR OF THE TEAM. HIS POWERS ALLOW HIM TO SHOOT FIREBALLS, FLY AT BREAKNECK SPEEDS, AND REALLY LIGHT IT UP.

Dr. Franklin Storm’s report:

“Johnny Storm, extremely bright and good-natured but unfocused with unbridled energy. His acts of defiance compensate for feelings of insecurity and at times his rebelliousness is a distraction. I need to help him see the value of his contributions. And also, teach him how to be a team player.”

Ben Grimm
A RARE BREED OF BRAWN AND HEART, BEN IS WARM, EVEN SENSITIVE, DESPITE HIS ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE UPBRINGING. HE IS ROCK-SOLID—IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. A LOYAL AND PROTECTIVE FRIEND, HIS STONE BODY GIVES HIM EPIC STRENGTH AND MAKES HIM VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE.

Dr. Franklin Storm’s report:

“Ben, uncooperative, disinterested and far from a team player. Ben’s abrasiveness stems from a callous upbringing and though he is despondent there is hope. As he is fiercely protective of his friends, perhaps I can break through to him by earning his loyalty, but this will be no easy task.”

For more, and to hear the dialogue from Dr. Storm himself and see little microscopic visuals of how the cells of each character have adapted with their powers (Johnny Storm with extreme temperatures and Sue Storm with electric currents, etc.), head to the official site here.

The major call out here is the description and analysis of Reed Richards’s abilities. His experiment, which we assume is the method of interdimensional travel, gave him not the traditional powers of flexibility and stretchy skin due to physical changes in his body, but the power to “warp the space around him.” This idea may open Reed up to a new power set in the films, something perhaps never seen any version of the character from the comics. If anything, the idea of altering reality around him in a sense is certainly more deserving of the codename “Mr. Fantastic” and its a more fitting power to match Reed’s personality. After all, we already have a physically-inspired power set from Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing.



Looking at the cell structure of Reed Richards on the site, the analysis indicates that “micro black hole energy” is his source of power.

We suspect there are lots of surprises to come in this version of the Fantastic Four, not for the sake of twists, but for the reasons producer Simon Kinberg and director Josh Trank discussed while promoting the movie’s first trailer. They’re trying to savor the experience for viewers seeing it theatrically. It’s a sci-fi adventure that really focuses on the science fiction element and the character drama – hence the casting of proven dramatic actors who each embody the personalities of their respective onscreen characters

Josh Trank directs Fantastic four from a screenplay by Jeremy Slater and Simon Kinberg and himself. It’s produced by Matthew Vaughn, Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker, Robert Kulzar, Gregory Goodman and stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell.

Fantastic Four opens August 7, 2015, Deadpool on February 12, 2016, X-Men: Apocalypse on May 27, 2016, Gambit is coming October 7, 2016, The Wolverine 3 (not the official title) on March 3, 2017, Fantastic Four 2 on June 9, 2017, and some as-yet unspecified X-Men film on July 13th, 2018.