The Fantastic Four is an iconic team. Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and The Thing are some of the most beloved and powerful characters in the entire Marvel Universe and have been a true powerhouse together for decades. But just because Marvel’s First Family is a good team, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best lineup. As iconic as the original four members of the Fantastic Four are, there are other heroes who would make great additions to the team —including some who have already done it in the past.
Be it just as a temporary addition to the Fantastic Four or filling in when one of the core heroes was away or just by their actions in other corners of the Marvel Universe, these seven heroes have shown that they’d be great members of the Fantastic Four, maybe even better than the core members of the team that fans know and love.
7) Doctor Doom
When it comes to needing a genius on the Fantastic Four, while some might see it as blasphemy the truth is that Doctor Doom would do a fantastic job and might even be better than Reed. Doom is just as brilliant as Reed and while he isn’t necessarily known for being particularly altruistic, he can do anything for the greater good. Doom also has all of the resources of Lateveria at his disposal. What would truly make Doom an interesting member of the Fantastic Four, though, is his dynamic with the other members of the team, and it would certainly be great to see him interact more with Valeria, too.
6) Sunspot
If the Fantastic Four found themselves needing someone to replace the Human Torch, Sunspot would be the perfect choice. Roberto DaCosta has long been one of if not the most underrated mutant in Marvel. Sunspot has become a fan favorite of many and having him in the First Family would be a fun new twist for him. With his unique power set he could throw off many enemies thinking he’s heat-based only for it to turn out for him to be much more power diverse (he can fly, manipulate light, use concussive blasts, and so much more). Honestly, Sunspot is powerful enough that he might even be able to step in for Human Torch and The Thing, making him a real powerhouse player.
5) Venom
I feel like it’s a missed opportunity to not have the Venom Symbiote as a part of the Fantastic Four. Sure you could have Eddie or Flash as the host as a part of the team but honestly if they put Mary Jane’s Venom on the team that would be super fun. Freed from the shackles of Paul Rabin, having her branch out and step in as a replacement would be an interesting turn for the character.
The idea of Venom serving on a team is nothing new. Venom has joined various teams in the past, but it’susually as Eddie or Flash. Having MJ serve as a member of a team, particularly the Fantastic Four, would just feel like a logical next step for this unlikely Venom turn but more than that, it would mean that both Mary Jane and Peter Parker have worked with the team and that’s well, fantastic.
4) Deadpool
The biggest wildcard option of the possible members to join the First Family is Deadpool. I could see him as a weapon for the team to test their experiments on while also just having some great banter with the team. That and he could be a kindred spirit with Johnny and even cause more chaos. He’d probably drive everyone else up the wall but would be possibly the funniest character to join them. Add to it that he’s pretty much indestructible and he’d be an asset in a fight, too.
3) Wolverine (Laura Kinney)
While Wolverine has served on pretty much every super team in Marvel, Laura Kinney is serving as Wolverine these days and she’d be a great member of the Fantastic Four. Laura has proven herself more and more over the years as Wolverine and joining the Fantastic Four would cement that. She could work as a replacement for Johnny or Ben as a heavy hitter while still bringing her own unique qualities to the team. Personality-wise, Laura would also bring a more complex dynamic to the Fantastic Four that could also make for some fascinating stories. We’d be all for it.
2) She-Hulk
One notable replacement on the Fantastic Four was She-Hulk. Joining in place of The Thing after the first Secret Wars, she remained a constant for the team for a number of years. As iconic as The Thing is, She-Hulk has her own charm that just worked. Filling in as the role of the muscle for the team, it launched her a ton of success for her solo outing as well.
In an era where Sue Storm was a stronger force for the team, having two women on the team was a great thing to see for the First Family. She-Hulk added more of a balance to the overall dynamic. The She-Hulk era was one of the teams best and she could have easily stayed on full-time.
1) Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
The best option to join the Fantastic Four is perhaps their most notable replacements: Spider-Man. Taking Johnny’s place while he was “dead”, Peter fit a perfect role when the team needed a wisecracker. As an honor to Johnny’s final wish he took that role and made it his own. While Johnny would later return, Peter could have stayed full-time and we would have been all over it. He was a great addition to the team and honestly it would be great to see him back with the First Family.
Who do you think would be a better member of the Fantastic Four? Let us know your thoughts.
