Superhero fatigue is real, and it is here. Ever since Avengers: Endgame, fans have felt the Marvel Cinematic Universe losing its charm, except for a few projects here and there, including Spider-Man: No Way Home and Loki. However, thanks to films like Fantastic Four and Deadpool 3, the superhero genre is still alive and kicking!
Recently, the main cast of Fantastic Four was revealed with Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby playing Mr. and Mrs. Richards. And now, there has been yet another update regarding the 2025 film which states that an MCU veteran, Eric Pearson, will be returning to polish off the final script of Fantastic Four and make it ready for the next step. However, his involvement in the script has fans raising their eyebrows, quite unjustly if we may add.
Eric Pearson’s Involvement with Fantastic Four Disappoints Fans
According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, screenwriter Eric Pearson has joined the writing crew of Fantastic Four to polish and finalize the script for the upcoming film. Pearson has previously worked on many Marvel Studios’ films, including Thor: Ragnarok and Black Widow. The writer has also done uncredited rewrites for Ant-Man (2015) and more.
Clearly, Pearson has the expertise needed to make Fantastic Four MCU’s next big thing. However, for some reason, fans of the superhero universe are not too thrilled to have the screenwriter add his finishing touches to Matt Shakman’s film revolving around Marvel’s First Family.
Check out their reactions to the news below:
Sigh. This doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
— speakingfreephd (@speakingfreephd) February 21, 2024
Am I being unfair if I say this disappointed me? Ragnarok and Black Widow were enjoyable and entertaining movies, but their stories weren't my favorite.
— 𝐌𝐞𝐰 (@Mewmyst) February 21, 2024
OH WE LOST
— harv (@harvv) February 21, 2024
Wow, way to kill the hype. I don’t think we are getting a good F4
— ∂αιℓуσ∂∂ѕ (@DailyoddsX_Ng) February 21, 2024
That’s how you kill a movie without even starting pic.twitter.com/mWGG18KELx
— 𝘎𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 (@ProdigyMonarch) February 21, 2024
Pearson has been working with Marvel Studios for a long time now, and he seems to know what works for a movie and what doesn’t. The major reason behind fans’ disinterest in having Pearson finalize the script for Fantastic Four might be because of his work on Black Widow, a film that wasn’t as appealing to the fans as other MCU projects. Still, Black Widow was enjoyable for most, at least as a one-time watch.
The Reaction to Eric Pearson’s Role Might be Unjustified
Keeping facts in line, the hate Pearson is receiving for being a part of Fantastic Four’s script is pretty unfair. Let’s not forget that the screenwriter was responsible for working on some of the MCU’s best and most loved films of all time, including Thor: Ragnarok.
Now, Ragnarok sure has its share of fans who were disappointed in the film, but we cannot deny that it was one hell of an entertaining watch. Pearson has also done uncredited rewrites for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, a film that boasts a score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Of course, we cannot leave out Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame when talking about some of Pearson’s greatest works in the MCU. These two movies were so well-received by both fans and critics that to this date, it has been difficult for the Studios to reach the bar it itself set with the films. Both Infinity War and Endgame are proudly sitting in the top-ten list of the Highest Grossing Films of all time, in the sixth and second spot, respectively.
The screenwriter also wrote Godzilla vs. Kong and a few episodes of Agent Carter. Since Pearson had a hand in making all of these projects what they are, his involvement in Fantastic Four should be met with high hopes and excitement for the upcoming film.
Fantastic Four will hit the theatres on July 25, 2025.
