The case of Mole Man as the MCU’s first team-up villain

Marvel’s First Family is headed to the big screen again, with a Fantastic Four reboot currently in the works at Marvel Studios. The film, which will fully integrate the group into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been at the center of an absurd amount of speculation over the years, as we get closer to its 2025 release date. For now, despite the near-constant stream of internet rumors trying to suggest otherwise, every What do we know about this new Fantastic Four is that it will be directed by WandaVisionMatt Shakman, written by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, will realistically help bring Phase 6 of the MCU to a close.

This latest qualification has left fans bubbling with joy over the possibilities, imagining an epic movie that could lay the groundwork for it. The Avengers: Kang Dynasty And the Avengers: Secret Wars in the following years. While that may very well prove to be the case, there is one member of the group’s rogues gallery who deserves a shot on the big screen – Mole Man.

Who is Marvel’s Mole Man?

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961 Fantastic Four #1, Mole Man also known as Harvey Rupert Elder, is a scientist/explorer and social outcast who discovers and sets up shop in Subterranea, an underground realm in the middle of the Earth. He decides to lean on it and calls himself Mole Man. Rule by birth, the creatures that coexist with him in Subterranea, the Mole Man becomes a thorn in the side of the Fantastic Four, technically the first villain they’ve ever encountered.

In the years since, he’s been both an ally and adversary to the Fantastic Four, swinging in and out of villainy, and causing a number of monster attacks around the world. He has also tried to get close to other Marvel heroes, attempting to marry She-Hulk and Squirrel Girl on separate occasions.

Mole man will appear in Fantastic Four?

It’s clear that Marvel Studios wants fans to expect the unexpected with regards to Fantastic Four – Studio head Kevin Feige has already confirmed it won’t be a traditional origin story, and third-party speculation has interpreted it as everything from a ’60s plot to a story set in an alternate universe. Whether or not any of these options are proven, there’s something to be said for the novelty of bringing the Mole Man into orbit of the MCU Fantastic Four (even if only for a brief period, akin to the brief appearance of Mole Man-esque The Undermining at Disney). The Incredibles Movies). With a subset of fans expecting the new Fantastic Four movie to seamlessly weave in the team’s mightiest villains like Doctor Doom and Galactus into one location, all in the run-up to… Secret warsIt would be a huge deviation for the film to focus on a smaller scale story involving the Mole Man instead. The Moloids and the lore of Subterranea could easily be the MCU’s next ambitious location similar to the Quantum Realm, and the conflict Mole Man would generate would be massive, but not so massive that it adds to the excitement of seeing the team up on screen in the MCU.

The result could easily be the mix of heart and weirdness that Marvel has been thriving on during Phase 4, weaving together elements like D-list superheroes and several giant kaiju with ease. It would also definitively set the film apart from Fox’s previous reboot, which faltered (largely) in their attempts to cover the aforementioned Galactuses and Doctor Dooms. In the process, this team will pay homage to the very first and very strange – and perhaps the most criminally underrated – villain.

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Want to see the Mole Man appear in Marvel’s Fantastic Four Reboot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Fantastic Four It is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on February 14, 2025.

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