The Fantastic Four is reportedly looking to cast two villains for its feature film, which brings up a host of characters that could make an appearance in the film, along with Galactus. The Fantastic Four have had a lot of villains that could contribute towards the narrative development of the MCU, culminating in whatever is required in Avengers: Secret Wars.
One character in particular that has been in the running to appear in the Fantastic Four film is Molecule Man, who not only has a history with the Fantastic Four but was also an integral part of the 2015 Secret Wars storyline, where Doctor Doom becomes the ruler of Battlworld, which is a patchwork different timelines on a single planet.
Molecule Man’s introduction could streamline Avengers: Secret Wars
In Secret Wars 2015, Doctor Strange found himself being God Emperor Doom’s enforcer, going from timeline to timeline arresting Molecule Men, whose deaths were causing entire universes to collapse. Molecule Man was also an instrument of Doctor Doom’s plans of dealing with the Beyonders, whose powers he drained using the former’s abilities. He then went on to keep the villain trapped in his castle as he ruled over Battleworld.
Molecule Man is by far one of the strongest characters Marvel has, being a reality warper with his ability to control all matter at a molecular level. The character was first introduced in Fantastic Four issue 20, making him one of the oldest antagonists of Marvel’s first family.
The Fantastic Four film might just cast a host of characters to tease the future of the IP, while also aiming to bring them together for Avengers: Secret Wars. The film is expected to have at least some of it be set in the ’60s, which does not leave a lot of opportunities to introduce heavy hitters or characters that could alter the paradigm, given that they either need to be inconsequential for the timeline or have to be a part of another dimension altogether.
Molecule Man would be the perfect replacement for Kang
With the introduction of the Fantastic Four and X-Men into the MCU, the catalog of villains that can now be used has been blown wide open. With the tide increasingly going against Kang, and fans clamoring to have him replaced in the wake of Jonathan Majors’ exit from the franchise, there are a host of characters that are being pitched as replacements for the character.
The Fantastic Four will have at least one foot in the 60s, and introducing them with the main antagonist of the next few phases might be the perfect way to integrate the characters into the MCU, while also tying them with the set canon of the Avengers. Further, this also allows Marvel to use the same blueprint to fully integrate the mutants into the MCU, which is sure to be the agenda for the next few phases as well.
If Molecule Man is indeed introduced in the Fantastic Four movie, it would make sense to make him the main antagonist for the coming phases, given his nigh omnipotence and ability to manipulate reality, the character would be a perfect slot in for the Beyonder, bringing the MCU back on the straight and narrow.
