You may think the most important Marvel Comics series to the development of their universe is Avengers, or Spider-Man. Maybe X-Men. But nope, it’s actually Fantastic Four. Maybe their previous “outside of comic books” media incarnations didn’t set the world on fire, but many, many elements first introduced in the pages of Fantastic Four have gone on to great importance to the overall MCU. The following characters, all created by the dream team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, are but a few MCU staples who made their debut in the pages of Fantastic Four comics.
Note: Although Dr. Doom, Galactus, and the Silver Surfer are all coming to the MCU soon, in Avengers: Doomsday and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we’re not counting them here because the Fox Fantastic Four movies did get them in live-action first. (Yes, even if those versions left much to be desired.)
The Skrulls/The Super Skrull
One of the earliest important additions to the nascent Marvel Universe came in 1961’s Fantastic Four #2. This issue showcased the first appearance of the alien shapeshifting race called the Skrulls. These green aliens would have huge importance to the Marvel Universe over the next several decades, most famously in the Avengers classic Kree-Skrull War and Secret Invasion in 2009. The MCU Skrulls were a big part of Captain Marvel as well as the Disney+ series Secret Invasion. In fact, that show gave us a version of the FF villain, the Super Skrull. That show was less than great, to say the least. But it’s a perfect example of an FF villain appearing elsewhere first before the FF ever got a shot at them.
The Black Panther and Wakanda
This is probably the most significant Fantastic Four contribution to the overall Marvel pantheon. King T’Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther, was first introduced in Fantastic Four #52 in 1966. Not only did that issue introduce T’Challa, but also the very concept of the advanced hidden African nation of Wakanda, and subsequently, mainstream comics’ first Black superhero. Black Panther would go on to join the Avengers and then get his own series. And the rest is history, as they say. He’s now one of the most famous and iconic superheroes in the world. But not everyone realizes he got his start in the pages of Fantastic Four, not in a story involving Captain America or Iron Man, as we saw with Chadwick Boseman’s MCU version.
Ulysses Klaue/Klaw
Ulysses Klaue, usually referred to as just “Klaw,” first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 in 1966. Described as “the murderous master of sound,” Klaw was the son of a Nazi war criminal who later became a scientist. While doing experiments with sound waves, he transforms himself into a being of solid sound and wears a sonic emitter on his wrist as a prosthetic device. He’s obsessed with stealing Vibranium from Wakanda, and in the comics he’s the one responsible for killing T’Challa’s father, King T’Chaka. A far less comic booky (and also far less red) version of Klaw appears in Avengers: Age of Ultron and later in Black Panther, both played by Andy Serkis. But his comic book origins are traced back to the pages of Fantastic Four.
Agatha Harkness
The witch Agatha Harkness first appeared in 1970’s Fantastic Four #94 as the nanny of Franklin Richards, the young son of Reed and Sue Richards. Appearing as an old crone, this powerful spellcaster was never really a villain, but a mysterious ally to the team. She went on to tutor the Scarlet Witch in true magic in the pages of Avengers. The creators of WandaVision reimagined Agatha as a villain, played to delicious perfection by Kathryn Hahn. Agatha Harkness was so popular that she received her own spin-off series, Agatha All Along. But like so many other MCU favorites, her life began as a supporting character in the Fantastic Four comics.
The Inhumans
The secret society of Inhumans, particularly their royal family, has been a mainstay of Marvel Comics for decades. They’ve only headlined their own series on rare occasions, but Black Bolt, Medusa, Triton, and the rest remain big players in the Marvel Universe overall. The concept of Inhumans is that of a hidden race of superpowered beings, whose powers resulted from alien genetic tampering. The Inhumans made their first appearance in Fantastic Four #45 in 1965.
Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige announced The Inhumans as a movie back in 2014, but plans were ultimately changed to a TV series. The 2017 Inhumans show was low-budget and critically panned, but it was still a major element of FF lore that debuted in live-action without the Fantastic Four themselves present. Anson Mount returned as Inhuman ruler Black Bolt for a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. But we expect a new version of this family to appear someday in the MCU. They are too important not to get another chance. Hopefully, they debut in a potential Fantastic Four sequel.
Kang the Conqueror (Rama-Tut)
A time-traveling villain named Kang the Conqueror was first introduced in the pages of Avengers. And generally, he’s still more of an Avengers villain. However, he really appeared first in Fantastic Four. In 1963’s issue #19, the team traveled back in time to ancient Egypt, where they tangled with the Pharaoh Rama-Tut. That story revealed that Rama-Tut was actually a time traveler from the far future, who had gone back in time to conquer primitive Egypt. But soon after, Marvel revealed that Rama-Tut was Kang the Conqueror going by another name, therefore making him an FF villain first (and a potential descendant of Reed Richards). Kang obviously went on to play a big role in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In the latter film, we even see a version of Rama-Tut.
Ronan the Accuser/The Kree
Along with the Skrulls, the blue-skinned Kree became a prominent alien species in the Marvel Universe. In fact, the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell, was one of the Kree. But another famous Kree wasn’t a hero, but a villain—-Ronan the Accuser. In the Kree Empire, Accusers was the title given to military governors and jurists. Ronan first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 in 1967, and became a thorn in their side for many years. Later, he fought Thor, the Avengers, and many others. Ronan has already appeared in a significant capacity in the MCU, portrayed by Lee Pace in Guardians of the Galaxy and in Captain Marvel. Sadly the character died after an attempted dance-off with Star-Lord, so don’t expect him to meet the MCU Fantastic Four anytime soon.
Uatu the Watcher
The Watchers are a giant (and giant-headed) ancient alien race who have been a Marvel fixture since 1963. They first showed up in Fantastic Four #13. There, we learned that these ancient and cosmic beings were tasked only with observing important galactic events, and never interfering. Uatu, Marvel’s primary Watcher, played a key role in the original Galactus Saga. Later on, he became a constant presence in the Marvel Universe over the next several decades. In the MCU, Uatu was the principal player/narrator in the animated What If…? series, voiced by Jeffrey Wright for three seasons. Thus, another key FF introduction to a character that an MCU series got to before the Fantastic Four themselves ever got a crack at it.
So with so many FF characters already in the MCU, who remains for any potential Fantastic Four sequels? Well, we’ve still got a handful left like Molecule Man, Diablo, and Psycho-Man, to name a few. Perhaps the biggest name is Annihilus, Lord of the Negative Zone, and Mole Man. Mole Man is rumored to make a cameo in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Annihilus is also rumored to be the villain in the Nova series. Hopefully, Marvel’s First Family will get the chance to finally introduce some of their own characters and villains into live-action soon.