The Evolution of the Fantastic Four (Animated)
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After getting blasted by cosmic rays, four astronauts gain fantastic abilities, but just how have the Fantastic Four evolved onscreen? Let’s find out now...animated!
warning: spoilers ahead!In their first cartoon, they wear baby-blue suits with darker boots and gloves, a black belt, tight collar, and a center “4” emblem. Reed Richards, aka. Mister Fantastic, can super stretch. His wife, Sue, turns invisible. Her brother, Johnny Storm, can now “flame on!” And their friend, Ben Grimm, permanently becomes The Thing, a rock monster who wears underwear, has beady eyes, and a large brow – plus, this version has juicy lips. Like most of the cartoons, they take on villains of the week.
The next show’s suits are a bolder blue, with a larger symbol, and longer boots and gloves. The Thing wears a belt, is less stocky, brighter, and his eyes are less beady. Also, Johnny is replaced by Herbie the Robot – making his debut in Marvel.
In “Fred and Barney Meet The Thing”, teenage Benjy Grimm uses magic rings to transform into the very off-model Thing, with reddish skin and dark undies. And – he doesn’t ever meet Fred or Barney…
In the 1994 film, they have oversized garments with white colouring, and a large logo. Johnny’s Human Torch look is a deep red and The Thing has tiny rock-texturing and tight trunks. Although this team-up was never officially released.
A muscular team is seen in the 1994 series with bright blue suits. Johnny’s flame-on look is blood orange, while The Thing is wide and jagged. In season 2, their suits are darkened, the Torch’s colours shift red, The Thing has smoother stones, and sometimes wears a sleeveless uniform. He also shows up in “The Incredible Hulk” series, wearing a bluer outfit. In “Spider-Man: The Animated Series”, this redesigned team upgrades to cyan suits with dark blue sections, off-centre emblems, and matching neck logos. The Human Torch is bright orange, and the taller Thing wears branded pants. This team is called upon to help out a Spider-friend.
In the 2005 film, their suits are a dark blue with black lines, no belts, side-placed emblems, and very important zipped collars (mainly for Jessica Alba's cleavage in certain scenes and promo shots). Johnny’s flames are realistic and The Thing has human proportions, no brow ridge, and wears pants and boots. Fun fact: these suits were made by none other than Doctor Doom. In the sequel, their uniforms are refined, The Thing’s emblem is centered, and Johnny briefly wears a very sponsored suit. Later, he swaps powers with the other heroes, eventually absorbing their abilities to pummel a doomed surfer.
The “World’s Greatest Heroes” rock futuristic suits with white torsos, light blue shoulders and boots, short gloves, and an orange emblem with a matching center line. Johnny’s flame-on look retains his suit details and gives him a fiery updo. The Thing sports a “4” tattoo, while Herbie is reimagined as a supercomputer. Like in the comics, She-Hulk temporarily replaces Ben.
“The Super Hero Squad Show” boasts an extra beefy team with solid blue suits. Herbie returns to a robot body and the Thing is oddly gigantic – a trait many versions carry over.
In “Planet Hulk”, Mister Fantastic makes a brief cameo.
The team don their classic outfits in “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” The Thing goes back to trunks and Herbie drifts by very quickly.
In the “Avengers Assemble” Universe, they wear tactical suits with dark center panels and white accents. Despite being unconnected, The Thing’s design mostly matches the previous show – a look that is somewhat tweaked in various spin-offs. Herbie even appears in a cutaway gag.
In the 2015 reboot, Reed wears a scrappy prototype suit with coils and wires, before upgrading to a streamlined version. Sue wears a dark blue-grey suit with short sleeves, and her hair changes styles between scenes. Johnny has a textured suit with added radiators, and his torch look retains his comic-style bright eyes. The Thing is hideous and totally nude – but thankfully non-anatomical. Although this foursome’s franchise was very doomed...
“Marvel Super Hero Adventures” features their simple classic blue looks, though The Thing’s outfit has swapped colours. In “Spidey and His Amazing Friends”, The Thing wears a sleeveless onesie with ribbed sides, while Herbie joins him for Clobberin’ good times.
Mister Fantastic in “Doctor Strange 2” wears a navy suit with textured black sections. He stretches into battle, but a mean ol’ Witch turns him into “Fantastic” spaghetti.
The Thing makes a blocky LEGO appearance in “Mission Demolition” with an oversized belt logo. Plus, the Invisible Woman kinda appears. “Hey! I’m walking here.”
In “Deadpool & Wolverine”, Captain America, uh – whoops – I mean, Johnny Storm wears cargo pants, boots, a utility belt, and wrapped red gauntlets. His darker suit has more design lines, a center logo, and muscle padding. But his flame is extinguished when blabbermouth Deadpool gets him flayed.
Their official MCU debut, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, features retro light blue suits with subtle vertical lines, white gloves and boots, clipped belts, and turtlenecks. Sue has white on her shoulders, while Johnny’s white runs down his arms, and The Thing wears a full uniform. Plus, he can grow a sweet beard. Flashbacks even show them in their classic comic attire. Additionally, Herbie makes his live-action debut. In this film, Sue and Reed’s super-baby is sought by a planet-eating giant!
So, which version of Marvel’s First Family do you think is the most fantastic? Let us know down below!
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After getting blasted by cosmic rays, four astronauts gain fantastic abilities, but just how have the Fantastic Four evolved onscreen? Let’s find out now...animated!