Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Giant-Size Fantastic Four #1! The Fantastic Four is on its way to officially joining the MCU, which only leaves one major question: who’s going to be the villain? Sure, there are the usual suspects, like Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, and Galactus (all of whom have been done in live-action before), but there’s one villain who just made their Marvel Comics debut that’d fit the bill even better. Plus, there’s already an established connection between this new foe and a previous MCU villain – making their live-action debut that much more perfect.
In a preview for Giant-Size Fantastic Four #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Creees Lee, the Fantastic Four (minus Reed Richards) travel deep beneath the ocean’s surface in search of a missing submersible. When they reach an obvious site of wreckage, the Fantastic Four take a closer look, only to find something – or, more accurately, someone – they were not expecting.
The Atlantean attacker’s name is Imperius Rex, which – as stated in this preview – is a battlecry Namor the Submariner has shouted since his earliest appearances. Only now, it’s revealed Imperious Rex (meaning The Empire King) is an actual person, and that person has turned out to be an immensely powerful foe of the Fantastic Four.
10 Marvel Comics Characters We Want To See Debut In The MCU’s Fantastic Four Movie
Marvel Studios has revealed the main cast for The Fantastic Four, but several other heroes and villains from Marvel Comics could also appear.
Imperius Rex is the Perfect Villain for the MCU’s ‘60s Era Fantastic Four
Namor made his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, making a more powerful forebear a great villain for the Fantastic Four!
Namor proved himself a formidable foe in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and he also proved how powerful each member of his species truly is. Obviously, Namor himself is the strongest, but all of them could hold their own against some of Wakanda’s greatest warriors – warriors who could put members of the Avengers to shame. So, if Imperius Rex is as powerful as he seems in this Fantastic Four preview – not to mention the prestige his name implies – then he could very well be stronger than even Namor.
Giving the Fantastic Four a villain like Imperius Rex in the MCU would be a brilliant move, as it would allow audiences the scope of the villain’s true power before he even appears on the screen. All they’d have to do is remember how powerful Namor was in Wakanda Forever, and then imagine someone even stronger, older, and more experienced – and that’s who the Fantastic Four would be up against.
Imperius Rex Would Fix the Overused Villain Problem Facing the MCU’s Fantastic Four
Little is known about the MCU’s Fantastic Four project aside from the casting and the presumed time period in which the film takes place. However, there are rumored reports of other casting decisions being made behind the scenes, including Doctor Doom and Silver Surfer casting rumors that have been circulating the internet. While these characters should be introduced in the MCU, a Fantastic Four movie might not be the best time to do it, seeing as though both Doctor Doom and Silver Surfer have been used in live-action Fantastic Four films before (with Doctor Doom receiving two separate depictions alone).
Not only would Imperius Rex avoid the problem of overusing live-action Fantastic Four villains, but he would also avoid overusing Namor himself. Namor was just the main villain of Wakanda Forever, and while he is a long-time Fantastic Four antagonist, it seems too soon to make him the villain of another MCU project. Therefore, from the terrifying reputation of his power level that fans will understand right away, to the problem of overusing villains he’d help avoid, Imperius Rex seems like the perfect villain for the MCU’s Fantastic Four – and so soon after his official Marvel Comics debut.
Giant-Size Fantastic Four #1 by Marvel Comics is available now.
Giant-Size Fantastic Four #1 (2024) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
