All 3 Fantastic Four Movies in Order

The Fantastic Four were created in 1961 and for years they were the centerpiece of Marvel Comics. The four consisted of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Ben Grimm (The Thing), and Johnny Storm (The Human Torch). They pioneered cosmic adventures in the Marvel Universe which is why they were adapted into cartoons. However, their powers were deemed too complex and difficult to adapt to live action.

Thankfully, several Fantastic Four movies have been released over the years.  But the truth is that they haven’t been critical darlings and were not received well by most comic book fans. In this article, we will take a look at all the Fantastic Four movies and see if there is a specific way in which you should watch them.

How many Fantastic Four movies are there?

The Fantastic Four is one of Marvel’s most popular comic book teams ever since their inception into the comic world. This group of superheroes has repeatedly seen the big screen but their movie adaptations are yet to be successful. Currently, three official Fantastic Four movies have been released. One was released in 2005, another in 2007, and the last in 2015. Having said that, let’s take a look at the release order of the Fantastic Four movies.

Fantastic Four movies in order by release date

With only three movies released, Fantastic Four watch order is pretty straightforward and uncomplicated and follows the release date order.

1. Fantastic Four (2005)
2. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
3. Fantastic Four (2015)

Fantastic Four (2005) is the first major Fantastic Four film released on the big screen. It is basically the team’s origin story. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) is a sequel to the 2005 film released by 20^th Century Fox. The movie features Silver Surfer and Galactus. Fantastic Four (2015) is a retelling of the Fantastic Four story.

Are there Fantastic Four movies that have fallen through?

Plans for the release of two Fantastic Four movies fell through and we never got a chance to see them on the big screen. We’ll have a look at them here.

1. Fantastic Four, 1994

In 1986, Constantin Film acquired movie rights to the Fantastic Four from Marvel Comics. In 1992, they hired Roger Corman to produce a low-budget film. In 1994, the adaptation that was titled Fantastic Four had its trailer released in theatres. The cast and directors went on a promotional tour but the film was never officially released.

The reason it was never released officially is that it was accused of being an ashcan, which means the studio produced it as a way to retain rights to the characters and it was never intended for public viewing. The film was so bad Marvel bought it so that it wouldn’t ever be shown. Even though it was never released officially, the film has cropped up on bootleg tapes and DVDs. It also usually appears on YouTube. The measly budget and the special effects of the early 90s couldn’t properly do the Fantastic Four justice.

Some special effects, like Mr. Fantastic’s stretching and the look of The Thing, are goofy, to say the least. What’s more, the fight sequences were poorly choreographed. The dialogue sequences are also lackluster. All these aspects give the film a campy feel. 

2. Fantastic Four 2, 2017

Fox had its eye on making a sequel to Fantastic Four 2015 and even went as far as to schedule its release date for June 9, 2017. However, due to the 2015 film’s failure, plans for the sequel never materialized. The pipe dream was finally laid to rest after Disney began its acquisition of 21^st Century Fox. The rights to the movie have since reverted to Marvel Studios. 

Will there be more Fantastic Four movies?

The Fantastic Four have a Marvel reboot that’s in the works which only makes sense thanks to the popularity of the team who is beloved all around the world. The reboot was originally announced in 2019 at San Diego Comic-Con together with movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder which have already been released.

It’s clear that Marvel is taking their sweet time to make sure they get the Fantastic Four exactly right. The Fantastic Four have had a troubled cinematic history, ranging from several rights-holding disputes and hurried disastrous film shoots. So it’s only right that Marvel is taking their time to not only hopefully nail the Fantastic Four, but also set them up for a story moving forward.

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