After a new trailer hinted at the imminent arrival of the Fantastic Four in the MCU, fans have been pretty stoked about what could unfold. It’s probably safe to assume that the new movie will steer clear of previous FF movie efforts. It may also be a good bet that the movie will draw on some of the classic comic book storylines from Marvel Comics’ first superhero team.

Fans might expect the movie to cover the origin of the team, but thanks to sixty years of comic book history, there are a couple of different versions out there. The movie is also likely to continue the MCU tradition of bringing in classic villains and moments in unexpected ways.

Original Origin

The movie could very well start at the beginning, with Fantastic Four #1 in 1961. This seminal comic book, created by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, introduced the team as a group of scientists who sneak on to an experimental rocketship. They receive their powers when exposed to cosmic radiation.

In this issue, the team battles a series of classic Kirby monsters including, Giganto, Ugu, and the Rock Monster. The Mole Man also appears. All of them are definitely contenders to appear in the MCU, with some speculation already out there on who could play all the characters in the upcoming MCU movie.

Heroes Reborn

In the mid-90s, the popularity of the Fantastic Four had been dwindling for some time. Marvel Comics attempted a Hail Mary pass by rebooting the comic, along with the Avengers, in the Heroes Reborn event. Artist Jim Lee took over the title and updated the origin of the team for this new iteration.

While Heroes Reborn is generally not well regarded by longtime comic book fans, there are elements of it that could factor into the MCU movie. In this version, Ben Grimm fought in the Gulf War as opposed to World War II, and Johnny and Sue Storm are much more integral to the original launch as they are funding it.

Ultimate Fantastic Four

Another attempt at a reboot occurred with the Ultimate Fantastic Four. This team, set in the alternate universe of Earth-1610, was a much younger version of the team, intended to entice readers who might have been dissuaded by decades of continuity.

This alternate take has already served as a partial inspiration for the disastrous 2015 Fantastic Four movie, so it may be avoided by the MCU. But some updates, like making Sue Storm more her own person and a leader on the team, could still play a role in the new movie.

1-2-3-4

While not an origin story, this 2002 mini-series by writer Grant Morrison distills a lot of the classic elements of what made the Fantastic Four great in the first place. It sees The Thing revisit his past on Yancy Street, and Sue Storm confronts a strange Fantastic Four romance in Prince Namor.

The villain at the heart of it is heinous Doctor Doom. Odds are Doom will feature in the movie in some capacity, given that he is generally considered the greatest FF villain and one of the greatest Marvel villains of all time.

Into The Time Stream

Depending on how the MCU chooses to introduce the Fantastic Four, one major comic book run from the late 80s may play a role. Writer and artist Walt Simonson took the team, along with Iron Man and Thor, through the Time Stream in an adventure that could line up with some multiverse aspects of the MCU.

Reed Richards discovers a Time Bubble in Fantastic Four #337, disrupting the entire timestream and goes into the future to find out what it is. If the FF is in any way a product of the multiverse that movies like Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness are due to set up, then this story could be key.

The Negative Zone

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the concept of the Negative Zone, a dimension between all others, has effectively been replaced by the Quantum Realm. Reed Richards discovered the Negative Zone in Fantastic Four #51 back in 1966, and it could play a big role in their future movie adventures.

Given that the Quantum Realm played such a major role in the Ant-Man And The Wasp movies, it’s very possible that the Fantastic Four movie utilizes it in some way. Especially since there are lots of questions about the Quantum Realm to be explored.

The Peril And The Power

Fantastic Four #60 in 1967 gave fans “The Peril And The Power,” one of the best FF stories and a classic Doctor Doom tale. In this story, Doctor Doom has stolen the powers of the Silver Surfer. Though it follows in sequence the arrival of Galactus in the comics, in the movies, it could be the other way around.

The Silver Surfer will inevitably arrive before Galactus in the MCU and it’s possible Doom gains some measure of power or technology from the Herald, which could lead to a domino effect of luring Galactus to Earth in a future movie.

The End Of The Fantastic Four

Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, has been around since the 1940s and has eighty years of comic book history to draw from. Some of the best are from the Fantastic Four, including his first encounter with them in issue #4, “The End Of The Fantastic Four.”

Namor is found by Johnny Storm, living on the street in New York City and without his memory. Namor is sometimes an ally and enemy of the team, who will certainly play a role at some point in the MCU. It seems likely that the Fantastic Four movie will, at the very least, set him up.

Unthinkable

Another major Doctor Doom story that comes late in the run is in issue #500; however, it could provide some inspiration for the movie. Doctor Doom launches a surprise attack against the Fantastic Four and kidnaps the children of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman (Franklin and Valeria Richards).

Doom, one of the most powerful Marvel magicians, casts a spell on the newly born Valeria to make her his spy. In the attack, Doom consigns Franklin Richards to the dimension of Hell, the domain of the powerful Marvel supervillain Mephisto.

The Galactus Trilogy

One of the greatest Fantastic Four comic book stories, and perhaps the greatest of all time, is the Galactus Trilogy. The story that introduced the terrifying cosmic entity and his herald the Silver Surfer spanned issues #48-50 of the original comic book. It is ideally suited for adaptation into a movie.

Though the MCU may want to build toward Galactus and avoid the mistake of minimizing him as 2005’s Fantastic Four: The Rise Of Silver Surfer did, his arrival could certainly be teased. Without a doubt, he will show up in the MCU sooner rather than later.