If Marvel's Fantastic Four Renaissance Wants to Land, We Need a Villain to Return ASAP

The Fantastic Four is currently going through something of a renaissance in both Marvel Comics and the MCU. Obviously, a big part of that is the upcoming release of the MCU film Fantastic Four: First Steps, but a similar resurgence in fans’ collective interest in the Fantastic Four and its members can be found in Marvel Comics’ new Ultimate Universe. In fact, if Marvel’s Fantastic Four renaissance really wants to land, these two separate aspects of it need to combine with the live-action return of one villain: the Maker.

The Maker is a villain who has been terrorizing the Marvel Universe for many years, appearing prominently in storylines including Venom Vol. 4 (leading up to the King in Black) and Secret Wars, just to name a few. However, he’s been around a lot longer than he’s been a villain, as the Maker is actually Reed Richards of the original Ultimate Universe of Earth-1610. That version of Reed Richards was a hero for years within the Ultimate Universe continuity, leading the Fantastic Four against villains of all sorts - he even defeated Thanos single-handedly!

Truly, Earth-1610’s Reed Richards fell from grace, but the opposite is true of his popularity. The Ultimate Universe’s Reed went from being a pale copy of the original fans have loved for decades, and became one of the most fascinating villains in Marvel Comics canon - especially right now. Indeed, the Maker recently created an all-new Ultimate Universe by traveling to a completely different reality (Earth-6160) and reshaping it to his liking. The Maker has effectively become this universe’s god, setting the stage for an ongoing story that fans can’t get enough of.

So, why is the Maker so important to solidifying the Fantastic Four’s renaissance? Well, he’s the other side of the proverbial coin. What’s better than a good hero? A good villain. And with the Maker, the members of the Fantastic Four become the most interesting characters in Marvel’s entire catalog - something that can really be hammered-home in the MCU.

The Time is Now to Bring The Maker Into the MCU

The Ultimate Universe has Made The Maker More Popular than Ever

The Maker smiling while running away from the Avengers.

Fans are clearly excited about the Fantastic Four because of Fantastic Four: First Steps, but at the same time, they’re more excited about the Maker than they’ve ever been before. Sure, the idea of the Maker has always been cool: a corrupt Reed Richards who became a full-on villain. But in practice, the Maker has never really had a chance to shine.

Now, however, the Maker is living up to his god-tier potential in the biggest way. He’s truly ‘making’ a new universe in his image, acting as the catalyst for one of the coolest multi-book stories Marvel Comics has delivered in some time. In other words, the Maker has reached a peak in his popularity at the same time that Fantastic Four is getting its own MCU film. Therefore, it would make sense for the MCU to introduce the Maker in the realm of live-action, effectively combining the excitement for the Fantastic Four generated by the films and the comics.

That being said, there is a bit of a problem that must be addressed. The Maker is only cool because he’s a version of Reed Richards that fans spent a bit of time with. It would be cheap to introduce the Maker without first allowing him to be Mr. Fantastic. This process could take years in the MCU just as it did in the comics, which would mean that the MCU would miss this window of capitalizing on the Maker’s popularity alongside the Fantastic Four. At least, it would, if Marvel didn’t already have the perfect solution.

The MCU Has the Perfect Solution to Its ‘Maker Problem’: Miles Teller

Miles Teller Played Reed Richards in 2015’s Fantastic Four, & Can Return as The Maker

Miles Teller with Marvel Comics' The Maker next to him in a split image.

To introduce the Maker, the MCU first needs an established Reed Richards that fans know and recognize. Rather than creating an entirely new Fantastic Four team to tell that story, the MCU has the option of simply recasting an actor who already played Reed Richards in the past, and who would be perfect to play the role of the Maker - and that actor is Miles Teller. This is a pretty popular fan-cast, and that’s because it makes the most sense. It solves the problem of his origin story while allowing the MCU to introduce the Maker right away.

Miles Teller reprising the role of Reed Richards as the Maker is absolutely how the MCU should handle introducing the character. But, no matter how Marvel Studios does it, it’s clear that it needs to bring the Maker into the MCU soon. The villain has never been more popular in Marvel Comics than he is right now, and the buzz surrounding the Fantastic Four because of Fantastic Four: First Steps is huge. In other words, if Marvel’s Fantastic Four renaissance wants to land, the Maker needs to ‘return’ ASAP.