Whether it’s the early 2000s or Josh Trank’s 2015 reboot, the live-action adaptation of Marvel’s first family, Fantastic Four, has always left fans disappointed. Despite boasting a prolific cast as Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan, the 2015 reboot was highly criticized for its approach towards the story and the depiction of the characters, earning it a spot among the worst superhero films of all time.
And one of the things that both adaptations have struggled with is a proper portrayal of the supervillains in the Marvel universe, Doctor Doom, receiving criticism for the same. However, amidst the numerous flaws, fans are now revisiting one aspect of the film managed to get right.
Revisiting Doctor Doom in the 2015 Fantastic Four Reboot
Portrayed by Toby Kebbell in Josh Trank’s 2015 film Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom missed out on multiple aspects regarding the character from its appearance to origin, much like previous adaptations of the character.
Similar to the previous adaptations, the film neglects significant elements of Victor Von Doom’s backstory, such as his Romani heritage, the loss of his parents, and his motivations for seeking revenge. Instead, the reboot portrays him as striving to protect Planet Zero from human interference, believing it sustains his life.
Despite this, fans have found some redeeming qualities in the villain’s depiction in the reboot, particularly in capturing his intellect, ambition, and ruthless demeanor along with depicting the extent of his powers. The 2015 film features him going to great lengths to save Planet Zero and destroy Earth.
The character design, however, took a turn for the worse, depicting Doom with a severely burned body that reforms in a meta-like manner. This version of Doom is unable to move his mouth, prompting him to use psychic abilities to communicate with others.
And the studio once again lost the opportunity to bring what could have been a compelling villain on screen. Almost a decade after its release and ahead of Marvel’s upcoming adaptation, fans are now reflecting on some of the positive aspects of the portrayal.
Fans Reflect on Toby Kebbell’s Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four Reboot
While it might not be the best, fans are noting that it has been what they can prefer as the most accurate adaptation of the character, while acknowledging the poor character design in the film.
Don't hate me but I feel like this would've actually been a cool scene if it wasn't in a Fantastic Four movie pic.twitter.com/9JREqs3nz2
— Simmon (@simmon_c3) May 11, 2024
This is both most accurate Dr doom also worse character design ever
— EvilTommy (@iMBuku) May 11, 2024
Accurate in power mega inaccurate in everything else
— Almighty Push (@Khalchris_) May 12, 2024
If Doom just looked like he’s supposed to this would’ve been sooo fire
— 222Faced𓅓 (@itsbbant) May 11, 2024
The scene was dope af, just bad design.
Could have been cool with some minor changes.
— Rev Jragon (@site_anti) May 12, 2024
Best scene in the whole movie really. The only positive that this has riding was his power.
— brandon_squire (@brandonsquire5) May 11, 2024
Many also argued that if the character’s appearance was more accurate to comics, Toby Kebbell’s Doom in the 2015 reboot would have been so much better. “All they had to do was not add the green glow on every part of him and have him find a cloak,” another fan noted.
With Marvel Studios finally developing a new Fantastic Four movie, starring Pedro Pascal, fans are expecting to see a more accurate and much better adaptation of not only Marvel’s first family but also their primary antagonist, Victor Von Doom. However, the supervillain’s appearance in the movie remains uncertain.
Fantastic Four (2015) is available to stream on Max.
Marvel’s Fantastic Four is set to release on July 25, 2025.
