The Fantastic Four is waiting for the chance to make a big MCU debut, and WandaVision has given them the perfect opening.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for WandaVision Episode 5, “In a very special episode …”, now broadcast Disney +.
With the WandaVision storyline developing rapidly now that viewers have a broader context, the government agency SWORD continues to test its limits when it comes to infiltrating the “hex” bubble held around Westview. Although they have made some progress, it seems that Monica Rambeau knows someone better prepared to deal with the situation. In fact, this contact may be the closest thing to an expert Marvel has, as the identity of the mysterious figure could very well be Reed Richards.
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Best known as Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards and his countrymen have not yet made their MCU debut, but a film is currently underway at Marvel Studios. However, with WandaVision in full swing and Monica building a mysterious contact, the team could make their debut sooner or later.
Since she was kicked out of the spell, Monica has been working hard trying to solve her mysteries and help Wanda through the crisis. Although Monica herself made some developments when she discovered that Wanda rearranged the matter to fit her reality, allowing SWORD to fly on a drone from an era that isolated it from anachronism, she also said she knew an aerospace engineer who would be perfect for the task at hand. While the public was unable to see who she contacted, Reed could be that aerospace engineer.
The Fantastic Four’s origins are firmly rooted in the space race, so much so that they developed their powers while flying an experimental rocket that Reed built to defeat the Soviets. Over time, Reed’s genius only expanded into other fields before it became firmly established that he was the greatest expert in the Marvel universe at all. But at the same time, he would always retain those roots of an astronaut and engineer, which is why he fits so perfectly here.
An invention by Reed would be particularly suitable for the current SWORD crisis, as the development of unstable molecules already connects perfectly to Monica’s discovery. Shooting the clothes retrieved from his trip inside the hexagon and discovering that his Kevlar vest has been refurbished in a chic sitcom style, the material bears a striking resemblance to the almost magical unstable molecules that Reed invented for the Fantastic Four fantasies. Able to ignite flames, extend to any extent and reorganize in whatever form they need, this would be a perfect way to introduce them to the MCU.
Using such unstable molecules may even allow agents to enter the hexagon without fear of Wanda reshaping their matter, and if anyone can find a way to protect individuals from Wanda’s influence, it would be a genius like Reed. As the space race has passed, which means that the Fantastic Four’s origins need to be restarted, four explorers entering a bubble where anything can happen may be the exact situation that Kevin Feige and company need to finally debut Marvel’s First Family.
Written by Jac Schaeffer and directed by Matt Shakman, WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Randall Park as agent Jimmy Woo, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Kathryn Hahn as Agnes. New episodes air on Fridays at Disney +.
