It’s been a long time coming, but the Fantastic Four are finally back in the spotlight. Between the team making their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps this July, the One World Under Doom event shaking up the mainline comic universe as Ryan North continues his acclaimed run on the property, and NetEase’s hero shooter Marvel Rivals making the F4 the focus of Eternal Night Falls (the first post-launch season), 2025 is shaping up to be the year that Marvel’s First Family reclaims their position as one of the Marvel universe’s core pillars.
However, it is a crime in and of itself that they were never. The Fantastic Four lost a lot of their appeal in the 2010s due to the cancellation of their comic book series from 2015 to 2018, Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot becoming one of the worst-received comic book films ever, and the removal of supporting cast members from video games and cartoons. For example, Doctor Doom, a series mainstay, did not appear in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. All of that is expected to change in 2025, as the Fantastic Four’s appearance in modern media is a much-needed adjustment. Let us examine how we arrived and why 2025 is the Fantastic Four’s year.
