Ben Mendelsohn did not mince his words when he said that Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four “suck” for not having enough substantial backstory as compared to other characters. Moreover, the actor chimed in that the X-Men mutants are far better than the First Family.
Mendelsohn portrayed Talos in Captain Marvel (2019) and the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023). The Australian star has a pretty strong opinion when it comes to comic book characters, and it seems he prefers heroes and villains with a meaty and depressing background.
Ben Mendelsohn Utterly Despises Fantastic Four And Claims That They “Suck”
In his recent interview with TheWrap, Rogue One actor Ben Mendelsohn was asked which person, real or fictional, he would like to be for a day if he had the shapeshifting powers of a Skrull. He responded:
“Doctor Doom. Victor von Doom is the greatest single character in the entire MCU.”
His answer turned into a lengthy explanation of why Doctor Doom is the best villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which also led to his criticism of the Fantastic Four:
“He’s the first character to ever have a substantive backstory that we could understand, and that gives context both in the old traditional Cold War minor state kind of idea, and also as someone who really got disfigured, got his family taken from him, and then takes all that, takes his skill, has the wounds, and has to wear the mask, and continues on to do what he does. The Fantastic Four suck, right? They suck.”
Mendelsohn explained why the Fantastic Four is not as great as Doctor Doom, dismissing them as a team and expressing his despise for the characters even further:
“They’re sort of like Marvel’s first attempt to make a group, and they suck, right? That’s why the X-Men rule and Fantastic Four suck.”
The Big Steal star still credited the squad for bringing Doctor Doom and the Skrulls into the narrative, yet still conveyed his disgust over the First Family:
“However, the Fantastic Four birthed the Skrulls, and they birthed Doctor Doom, so while they suck, they also gave rise to the greatest two villain groups and single villain ever. Now, you can keep anyone else, give me Doctor Doom against anyone because Victor suffers, and you will now suffer, that’s why it’s a no-brainer.”
He ended the interview with a jab at Chris Evans’ Fantastic Four character, Human Torch, and said: “Give me the success from that lame-ass group of like ‘Flame on!’”
Can MCU Save The Fantastic Four Franchise?
The previous iterations of the Fantastic Four films have faced a lot of criticism in the past. The 2005 movie, alongside its 2007 sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, was fairly received by fans, and yet none of these lived up to the standard of modern comic book adaptations. The 2015 reboot was even more catastrophic that it nearly dispatched the entire franchise.
Now, as MCU ushers a new dawn for the Fantastic Four films, it would also be their biggest challenge for Phase 6. Like Mendelsohn, many fans believe the storylines are dull and the characters “suck.” Perhaps a comic book-accurate depiction of Victor von Doom and the First Family would revive the fame of the Fantastic Four.
Fantastic Four movies are available on Disney+.
Source: TheWrap
