Are the Fantastic Four really all that fantastic? With their new movie out now at cinemas, here’s how they stack up against the other top superhero gangs…
Pedro Pascal has just slipped into his spandex as the star of the latest superhero blockbuster. He’s playing Mr Fantastic in the Fantastic Four: First Steps, out now at the cinema.
He’s part of a four-strong team along with Invisible Woman, The Thing and Human Torch, played by Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn respectively, as they tackle Ralph Ineson’s Galactus in the hit Marvel film.
But how do the Fantastic Four actually compare to other gangs of caped crusaders? Time for a look at the facts…
The Fantastic Four
- Their new film might be tipped for success, but this Marvel foursome has a dismal box office record. Every other attempt at a movie has flopped – from a 1994 effort that was never released, to a 2005 version with Ioan Gruffudd that was critically panned. A 2015 film, starring Miles Teller, lost producers an estimated $80-100million.
- They’ve actually had dozens of members over the years, including Wolverine, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider. At one point The Thing was replaced by She-Hulk.
The Avengers
- Unlike their Marvel stablemates, The Avengers are cinema gold. They’ve given us the highest-grossing superhero film of all time – 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which made a whopping $2.8billion.
- And they’ve done it all without the help of the US Department of Defence. The Pentagon cut ties with the Avengers films in 2012 when officials decided they were just too confusing. Spokesman Phil Strub said: “We couldn’t reconcile the unreality of this international organization and our place in it.”
The X-Men
- They’re a tortured gang of outcasts assembled by Professor X to defend humanity from evil. Or at least, they are now. When creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came up with them in 1963, they were going to be called “The Merry Mutants.” Luckly Marvel’s then-publisher vetoed the idea.
- Due to rights issues, they weren’t allowed to appear in the same films as The Avengers until 2019, when Disney bought 20 th Century Fox.
The Justice League
- DC’s flagship super squad includes solo megastars Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Created in 1960, their first enemy was Starro, a giant alien starfish – but they still inspired Stan Lee to come up with the Fantastic Four.
- And like the Fantastic Four, they haven’t had much luck at the cinema. A 2007 project was canned when director George Miller quit. And Zack Snyder had to step down from directing their 2017 film after the tragic death of his daughter.
Guardians of the Galaxy
- These alien misfits first popped up in Marvel Super-Heroes in 1969, but it took them another 21 years to get their own comic book. It ran for just 62 issues, then was cancelled in 1995.
- Tree creature Groot, played by Vin Diesel, became the breakout star of the gang’s 2014 movie. But he wasn’t always such a gentle giant. In the comic books, he was an alien invader bent on capturing humans for experiments.
Birds of Prey
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- Launched by DC in 1996, this all-female team are happy to break the unwritten rule that heroes don’t kill. Martial arts expert Huntress regularly bumps off her enemies with a crossbow.
- They were joined by former baddie Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, for their 2020 movie. Transforming her into the chaotic character took two and a half hours a day.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
