Marvel Can’t Rely On Great Casting Anymore
The internet is abuzz following the casting of next year’s Fantastic Four which has been nearly universally praised as perfect casting. However, with so many problems confronting the MCU, having a great cast isn’t enough to guarantee success. It’s a great first start, but there’s a lot on the line for Fantastic Four and it needs more than a great cast if it’s going to be everything the MCU needs it to be.
Sink Or Swim Time!
For many fans, Fantastic Four is a make-or-break moment for the MCU, partially because it’s such a beloved and important set of characters. The release of Fantastic Four #1 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee is generally considered the start of Marvel’s Silver Age and established the tone, themes, and core ideas that define Marvel comics to this day. Often called Marvel’s first family, The Fantastic Four are in many ways the heart and soul of Marvel’s comics universe making it pivotal that Marvel’s casting isn’t the only part of the movie it nails.
Pedro Saved Grogu, But He Can’t Save Everything
One of the MCU’s biggest problems is the so-called “Marvel fatigue” that many fans are experiencing, a problem that Marvel’s casting chops aren’t enough to overcome. No matter how charming Pedro Pascal is in Fantastic Four if the movie has the same tone and style as every other Marvel it’s not going to bring people who are burned out on the Marvel formula back into the fold. The unique family dynamics and 1960s sci-fi basis of Fantastic Four could elevate the movie and make it stand out, but that has to come from the writing and directing, not the cast
Casting Can’t Save Bad VFX
Another problem that Marvel casting can’t overcome on its own is their hit-or-miss special effects. The MCU has increasingly come under fire for its special effects with moments like the fight at the end of Black Panther and the CGI in She-Hulk being seen as subpar for such a profitable mega-franchise compared to lower-budget movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once. With characters like Mister Fantastic and The Human Torch on the team, Fantastic Four will need strong visuals throughout the film or risk pulling audiences out of the movie at key moments.
We’ve Seen Incredible Casts In Bad Marvel Movies
It’s also obvious that great casting isn’t enough to save an MCU movie from drawing criticism, which is obvious because some of the most badly reviewed Marvel movies had great casting. One of the most notable examples of this is The Eternals, which has a phenomenal cast including beloved actors like Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gemma Chan but is still very divisive among MCU fans due to its pacing and inability to integrate into the larger universe. Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania demonstrates that even with an already established property with a beloved cast, a movie needs to overcome the MCU’s worst tendencies to find success.
Great Cast, Now Make Something Great
Marvel’s casting for The Fantastic Four is perfect, and it’s a great first step towards the movie finding success and bringing the MCU into the next age. However, to earn the audience’s trust back, The Fantastic Four has to find ways to overcome the feeling that it’s just another Marvel movie. It needs to address the deeper problems that have plagued the franchise and find ways to set itself apart, but if it does it could be exactly what the MCU needs.
