Are Mr Fantastic's powers are too goofy/uncanny to ever be properly adapted in the MCU?

We all know that one of the Fantastic Four: First Steps main point of discussion is that they were quite restrained in showing Reed's powers, especially with how creative he always was with them. The most we've seen him stretch is when we he was pulled to his limit (and what a disappointing limit) by Galactus

What i noticed is that each time this point is raised, the response to it across social media is always along the line "Reed Richards'a powers can never be properly adapted because they might look too goofy so they might scare off audiences" or that "his main power is his mind anyways, they don't have to make him stretchy"

For me, it's honestly an odd excuse, but it's so widespread that it makes me think that i might be missing a nuance, so I'm here to ask you guys what's your pov on this?

Commentaires

bratty_skullduggery22025-11-06 22:23

"Oh no! The silly stretchy man in my superhero movie looks too silly when he gets stretchy"

- How some mfs think your average Joe will react watching Reed actually use his powers

ChileTeaFinnaGag2025-11-06 22:26

My problem with the scene of Galactus stretching Reed is that I've seen people straight-up inventing factoids from thin air about Reed just to justify the scene. Like how Reed feels pain when he gets stretched involuntarily or how his limit is only that of a few meteres. Things that are literally untrue in the comics

It's fine if you liked that scene, I did. You don't have to do character revisionism just to justify its existence

Super-Visor2025-11-06 22:39

It was a cool idea too, just needed to be done more. Had Galactus forced him to stretch the length of both arms fully extended, I think it would have looked better.

Comfortable_Breads2025-11-06 22:28

No. They looked great in F4 and they prob want to save the budget and cooler stuff for doomsday and the many years of reed to come.

Odd_Werewolf77532025-11-06 22:29

[deleted]

AlgerianTrash2025-11-06 22:32

Why can't we have both? Reed's powers have always been a physical manifestation of his intellect with the creative way he uses them.

It can expose his intellect and problem-solving in ways talking fast in his lab can't

VacantThoughts2025-11-06 22:36

I think we pretty obviously will in the next Avengers movies and Fantastic Four sequel, first movie is still just at that point where everyone but Reed has accepted the accident and their powers but he still can't believe he made the mistake and would prefer to cure them but also realizes he can't because of their new status as protectors, so he really doesn't make full use of his powers because in his mind he will still probably be able to find a way to get rid of them.

AlgerianTrash2025-11-06 22:31

I especially hate the "they don't have too show his powers because his brain is his main power anyway" cop out becuase you're basically asking for Reed to be flattened into a one-dimensional "smart guy" archetype, and therefore shouldn't have his own action scenes

I feel like no matter how fleshed-out they make Reed in the comics, a lot of people will just see him as walking IQ number to powerscale who shouldn't have other defining traits

ChileTeaFinnaGag2025-11-06 22:35

The thing that makes this excuse really lame is the fact that this is a supehero movie after all. It's only natural for people to see their superhero have superpowers. For Reed, his intellect is an asset, while his stretchiness is his superpower

It would be weird to have the FF go like "i can flame on and fly" "i can turn invisible" "I have superstrength" and then there's Reed being "I'm really good at math"

N8CCRG2025-11-06 23:15

I hate it because he actually uses his powers a lot in the movie, and so it's weird for people to try to claim he doesn't

AlgerianTrash2025-11-06 23:17

When? All he does is reach for stuff, climb stuff for 30 seconds then get pulled to his limit

N8CCRG2025-11-06 23:23

Yes, he reaches for stuff many times throughout the movie. He also uses his powers in battle in the flashback montage a bunch, and multiple times throughout the chase through space too, and climbing and jumping and falling and reaching multiple times through the battle with Galactus. Now that it's on D+ watch it again and keep an eye out for it.

Ranos1312025-11-06 22:34

You know that there are three other Fantastic 4 movies that made it to the big screen, right? And that two of them showed off his stretching powers to a much more extreme degree?

Sure we aren’t likely to see him stretching his eyeballs or other things that could be considered grotesque but his powers have already been adapted fairly well. Mostly they seem to have wanted to focus more on his mental abilities in the MCU than his physical whereas the previous movies focused more on his physical abilities.

ChileTeaFinnaGag2025-11-06 22:36

You might be shocked to know that there are people who want to see his powers properly adapted IN the MCU. Shocking, right?

Ranos1312025-11-06 22:54

You might be shocked to know that Mr Fantastic is going to return in the MCU and we might get to see more of his physical capabilities. Shocking, right?

AlgerianTrash2025-11-06 22:46

Wait, i don't get it. So just becuase previous non-MCU movies properly adapted one of Reed's most iconic aspects, that means that the MCU doesn't have to do it?

Ranos1312025-11-06 22:55

I don’t say that at all. I said it had already been done so they wanted to do something different in this movie. Since Mr Fantastic is returning next year, maybe we’ll get to see more of his physical aspects.

Remote_Nature_81662025-11-06 22:43

Can there be a day where nobody criticizes his stretching? Y’all just like to make excuses to rant.

kennyofthegulch2025-11-06 22:45

They were literally just adapted...like...this year.

WTF even is this post?

VehicleOld31242025-11-06 22:55

Read the description if you want to have your question answered...

kennyofthegulch2025-11-06 22:56

So you just didn't pay attention to the movie, gotcha.

VehicleOld31242025-11-06 22:59

You're just being a smartass...

kennyofthegulch2025-11-06 22:59

No, I'm pointing out that the movie did an excellent job representing his abilities.

VehicleOld31242025-11-06 23:02

It's cool that you think that. But my point is that a lot of people don't, which is why there has been a debate on this topic. You didn't have to be an ass

kennyofthegulch2025-11-06 23:04

You haven't presented views of a lot of people. You are ASSUMING a lot of people feel that way. You're presenting your own opinion and projecting it onto others.

VehicleOld31242025-11-06 23:13

Yawn

gurren_chaser2025-11-06 22:47

it's one thing to make a CGI effect of an extremely long sleeve on an arm or a leg, it's another to make a CGI Pedro Pascal in the shape of a parachute or something. maybe someday but skin and flesh are still a little wonky especially when they are contorted into unnatural shapes.

MrMotivation62025-11-06 22:47

His main “power” is being the smartest person in the room. It’ll be fine

BatmanForever232025-11-06 22:50

No, his main power is being really stretchy. His brain is just him being really smart, it's not cinematic though.

Aglet_Green2025-11-06 23:06

No, and I can answer your question in one word: Luffy. Live-action One Piece is proof that we will accept a rubber man as the hero of a movie or show, and we'll be okay with seeing him do things besides stretching, such as Gum-Gum Rocket or turning his belly into that of Bouncing Boy.

By the way, in THE MCU, we've seen Krasinki's Reed do some pretty wacky stuff in M.o.M., so that also negates your question.

N8CCRG2025-11-06 23:13

We've had campy F4, we have campy DC, I'm enjoying the campless F4 in the MCU right now. He's stretchy, and uses his stretchiness a lot, but he doesn't turn into a boat or a balloon or anything like that.

BigMomFriendEnergy2025-11-06 23:39

Yes. The entire Fantastic Four is a little too corny to work and that's why you get reboot after reboot that does fine and never sets the world on fire and the fact that Marvel and comics purists keep trying with this one is kind of a pity. I don't know why the F4 doesn't work this way when Spider-Man, also kind of a corny character, works hardcore, but this has been the case my entire adult life.