Marvel Wasted One of Their Best Fantastic Four Ideas In Decades

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It’s common for comic books to revisit familiar ideas. The two biggest publishers, Marvel and DC, often reuse storylines and themes – it’s simply easier to build on what’s been done before when creating ongoing adventures for superheroes. True originality is rare in storytelling today, so when genuinely new concepts emerge, they deserve a chance to succeed. Marvel recently had a prime opportunity to do just that with the Fantastic Four, following Jonathan Hickman’s acclaimed run, but the execution fell short.

The storyline ‘One World Under Doom’ featured a villainous doctor seizing control of the world by deceiving Doctor Strange and becoming Sorcerer Supreme. While Doctor Doom gaining immense power isn’t a novel concept, this story introduced a new twist: Mister Fantastic, using his scientific expertise, managed to replicate magical abilities and became the ‘Scientist Supreme’. The issue is, Reed Richards had never demonstrated magical skill before, and this sudden, unexplained power felt out of character and ultimately didn’t have a lasting impact.

The Master of Science, Not Magic

Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic, has always been skeptical of magic. He doesn’t really accept it, even though it’s common in the Marvel Universe. He sees magic not as something truly different from science, but as a field of study that scientists haven’t figured out yet. However, magic and science actually clash with each other. Throughout stories featuring characters like Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch, it’s clear they don’t work together. Magic follows its own set of rules, which are often confusing and don’t fit into any scientific category, frequently ignoring the basic laws of physics and biology.

Reed’s approach to magic – using science to replicate spells – breaks the few fundamental rules that magic usually follows. He didn’t learn or truly understand the magic he was using; he simply copied Doctor Doom’s actions and got the same outcome. This is a scientific achievement, not a magical one, and it makes magic feel less special, as if anyone could do it by following instructions. While there’s some truth to that, real magic also needs personal skill and understanding, which Reed lacks.

Doctor Doom is unique because he’s equally skilled in both magic and science, often combining them in ways others can’t. This made defeating him especially difficult for the Fantastic Four, who relied on scientific reasoning. They had to understand the rules of a situation to win, while Doom would simply use magic. A potentially exciting moment occurred when Reed Richards started learning magic, which could have shifted this dynamic. Unfortunately, this development felt rushed and wasn’t properly explored, leaving it feeling unfulfilled.

Wasting a Great Story For Shock Value

While there are risks to Reed Richards learning magic, the concept of him overcoming his scientific beliefs to understand it is exciting. Unfortunately, this development felt sudden and was quickly dropped. There wasn’t any logical progression – no scenes of him studying Doctor Doom’s magic or seeking guidance from other magic users. He just could do magic, and while initially hyped, it felt confusing rather than impressive because the story didn’t explain how he learned it.

After initially appearing, Reed Richards’ magical abilities were quickly dropped from the storyline and didn’t really matter. The comic clearly states that Doctor Doom destroys Reed’s astral form and prevents him from using the Astral Plane again, and the final issue doesn’t show him using magic at all. While Reed’s spells briefly distracted Doom and helped combine the heroes’ attacks, it ultimately didn’t change the outcome. It’s a shame, because the concept of Mister Fantastic learning magic through a scientific approach could have been a powerful and inspiring idea – showing that anyone can achieve anything with dedication, even if they don’t fully understand it – but that potential wasn’t realized.

Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, briefly explored magic, but it’s probably not a path he’ll revisit often. While the concept has a lot of promise, the storyline hasn’t really taken off, and his new role as a magical expert feels underdeveloped.

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2025-11-22 23:16