In 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, a secondary villain was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue first appeared in his Johannesburg base, where Ultron headed to obtain vibranium. His appearance was brief, but he had an interesting chat with the Maximoff twins and ultimately lost an arm to Ultron before disappearing.
He re-emerged in 2018’s Black Panther, again as a secondary antagonist (Erik Killmonger being the main villain), but in a much more prominent role. He had replaced his arm with a vibranium prosthetic that housed electronic and sonic technology that could be utilized offensively as a blast cannon.
Ultimately, Killmonger killed him by shooting him in the head as part of his plan to get to Wakanda and claim its throne. Or did he? This original theory believes Andy Serkis will return to the MCU as his comic book persona, Klaw, in 2025’s Fantastic Four movie.
But how is that possible? Deaths don’t come with much more finality than taking a bullet to the forehead. There is, however, a way Klaue could have survived in Black Panther that’s consistent with his comic book counterpart.
How Is This Theory Possible?
In Marvel’s comic books, Ulysses Klaw (that’s how his name is spelled in the comics) creates a vibranium device that can turn him into a being composed of solidified sound, which makes him effectively immortal. Given that the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character possessed a sonic vibranium device, there’s every chance he could already have used it on himself to allow him to become a living soundwave in the event of his death. In a nutshell, Ulysses Klaue’s sonic vibranium prosthetic may have had a built-in failsafe that rendered him immortal.
Moreover, although he’s made two appearances in the MCU, it still feels like Andy Serkis was desperately wasted in the franchise. Bringing him back would appease those fans who believed he should have been given a more prominent role instead of being a background villain to Ultron and Erik Killmonger in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, respectively.
Serkis is a talented motion capture actor. He’s given iconic motion capture performances in movies and franchises like The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Planet of the Apes, The Adventures of Tintin, and Star Wars. Having him play a comic book-accurate version of Klaw would allow him to use his motion capture talent in the MCU, bringing out the best in him.
Should Serkis return as the solidified sound villain Klaw, the upcoming Fantastic Four movie would be a great place to start.
Why Might Klaw Appear In 2025’s Fantastic Four?
It hasn’t happened in them all, but most MCU movies – especially origin stories or a particular character’s opening installment in the franchise – see the eponymous characters facing off against a villain who is their antithesis – effectively a character of a similar nature with opposing moral alignment. 2008’s Iron Man had Iron Monger, 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger had Red Skull, 2015’s Ant-Man had Yellowjacket, and 2016’s Doctor Strange had Kaecilius, for example.
If that happens in the MCU’s Fantastic Four film, the villains could be the Frightful Four. The Frightful Four are the antithesis of the Fantastic Four and have had many members, including Hydro-Man, Electro, Titania, Thundra, Medusa, Wizard, and Sandman. Regarding this theory, Klaw has also been a prominent team member.
Should Klaw return, the one way he’s likely to come into conflict with the Fantastic Four is if Reed Richards looks to acquire vibranium for his technology. It could bring Klaw to New York, where he teams up with three other villains to form a team directly opposing Marvel’s First Family.
Having the Frightful Four as the Fantastic Four’s first opponents in the MCU would be a superb way to differentiate the movie from previous Fantastic Four films, as they’ve never faced off against an evil group before (it was Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus in the 2005-2007 franchise, and Doctor Doom in the 2015 movie).
Black Panther producer Nate Moore may have told ComicBook.com that Klaue is gone for good, but fans should never believe anything they hear. Plenty of statements made by people involved in MCU movies have proven false.
