As I journey through these shows I expect the animation style to change, but this series in particular seems to be leaning more towards Japanese anime style instead of classic American animation. I used to watch anime growing up so I don’t think the style will bother me, but it will be interesting to watch. I don’t have high hopes for this show, however, because the last Fantastic Four show I watched was an absolute trainwreck. This show only has one season, 26 episodes, and aired in 2006.
The intro to the show was fairly simple and short, just introducing the Four and a brief display of how they got their powers. The animation of the show, while different, was actually really good quality and I enjoyed watching the visuals. Thankfully none of the characters looked too peculiar and Doom’s design in this show was actually one of my favorites. They did zoom in a lot of Reed’s eyes for dramatic effect though which I found somewhat amusing.
Reed Richards, or Mr. Fantastic, seemed true to character with his intense and unbreakable focus on his work. He always has gadgets ready to go to save the world, is always working on a new project, or isn’t sleeping because there’s something he’s nerding out about. All of his friends were other well-known brilliant men who were equally excited about what should be concerning discoveries. He doesn’t really change much as the show progresses though, which was somewhat disappointing because character development is one of the things that makes a show great.
Susan Storm, or Invisible Woman, had a fairly strong personality in this show. She sticks to her guns and is the firm voice of reason for the team. I didn’t notice any obvious fondness for Reed though and it leaves me wondering if they were even really a couple in this show. Not that her entire character is defined by her relationship with him, but I felt that there would have been a lot more room for interesting moments and character development for both of them if they were a couple.
Johnny Storm, or Human Torch, was one of my favorite characters in this show because he was funny, chaotic, and screamed like a girl. He served as a comic relief and as the most relatable character. I don’t think too much character development would have worked for him because I don’t believe Johnny Storm would change much until he settles down. That would not have been written well in only one season.
Ben Grimm, or The Thing, was much more tolerable in this show compared to the previous one. He was already somewhat with Alicia when the show started as she was featured on occasion. However, there wasn’t much to him aside from his pranks on Johnny and his rage in fights.
I did have to skip two episodes with that Impossible creature because it is the one character in Marvel I truly cannot stand and never want to see in anything, ever. The episodes had decent pacing and didn’t leave any obvious plot holes as the episodes continued. However, the episodes were all stand alone and not much was connected aside from a few minor plot points. This doesn’t allow for the characters or the show to develop much, which should have been feasible with 26 episodes.
I have to say my favorite character was probably Doctor Doom. He was a really well done villain in this show who, despite being egotistical, was entertaining to watch and clever with his plans. Out of the Four, Johnny was probably my favorite because of his chaoticness and sense of humor. Other Marvel characters featured in this show, in order of appearance, were Ronan the Accuser, Doctor Doom, Alicia, The Hulk, Skrull, Mole Man, Puppet Master, Namor, Impossible, Super Skrull, Flat Man, Squirrel Girl, She-Hulk, Iron Man, Annihilus, The Trapster, Klaw, The Wizard, The Dragon, Attuma, Diablo, and The Grandmaster.
A quick note: I’m going through all of these shows in order on Disney+, but I will be skipping Ironman Armored Adventures because I hate that style of animation, and skipping The Superhero Squad Show because it’s weird chibi Avengers and I don’t wanna watch that.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to keep up with future posts, be sure to subscribe below and follow my official Twitter or Instagram for updates!
This week’s post is sponsored by Podcasting Until Ragnarok, a podcast I created that was inspired by this blog. Be sure to go check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts and subscribe!
Connecting Fanfic: A Generic Origin Story: Doctor Victor Von Doom and OC Rune Von Doom; 3rd person; November 4, 2021. “After kidnapping the residents of the Baxter Building, Victor Von Doom finds himself developing a softness for one of them who convinces him to allow her to stick around. However insufferable she may be.”
Writing Until Ragnarok 