With the Fantastic Four coming to the MCU, it may be time to add them to the parks as well! And there's only one place perfect for the Fantastic Four!
The MCU without the Fantastic Four never felt right. After all, the Fantastic Four began the entire Marvel Universe when it debuted in 1961. The issue was always Fox holding the rights with a couple of mid-2000s movies and a horrible 2015 film.
The new movie is intriguing as it’s set in the 1960s with the first trailer showcasing a wonderful retro feel. It’s inevitable that Disney will push this in merchandising and the likelihood of a theme park tie-in of some sort.
In terms of what that could be, there’s really only one place for the Fantastic Four to appear at a Disney park: Tomorrowland.
Why the Fantastic Four is perfect for Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland has been a tricky place for Disney. The issue is always that the future has a way of becoming dated pretty fast. We saw it with the original 1960s-70s aesthetics that looked striking and futuristic in that time but by the 1990s was tired.
Disney has shifted it with Tomorrowland now a retro 1950s feel and does entertain guests. It was possible the 2015 movie Tomorrowland could have led to a change but the movie’s box office failure put the kibosh on that fast. Yet that ‘60s vibe had its appeal and the new Fantastic Four movie pushes it nicely.
That would make the Fantastic Four a perfect way to remake Tomorrowland like that film’s aesthetic. It could be trickier in Florida as there’s that whole issue of Universal Studios owning theme park rights to some Marvel characters. That includes Cafe 4 and the Doctor Doom Freefall ride.
Those rights may hamper putting the Fantastic Four into Walt Disney World but they could be used in California and the international theme parks. That would be not just a good tie-in for the movies but also a way to give Tomorrowland a fresh sheen.
What could an FF attraction be like?
There are a lot of ways you can go with a Fantastic Four ride. Whether it’s a “sequel” to the movies or just inspired by it, a family of superheroes on cosmic adventures is easy fodder for a theme park ride.
One possibility is a refit of Space Mountain that replicates the rocket flight that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. Some fancier effects and having it made out like the Baxter Building would be cool and replicate that sense of adventure.
Another choice would be replacing Buzz Lightyear’s Ranger Spin with a screen adventure, not unlike the Spider-Man Web Slingers ride. Guests can copy the Fantastic Four from the Thing punching to the Human Torch throwing fireballs to take out aliens or some other threat.
There can also be a more original ride (maybe just build a replica of the Baxter Building) for a fresh adventure. That can be costly but worth it for visitors. Maybe Disney could just do bare bones and have the Fantastic Four appear in some way on the People Mover. They can also use an attraction to finally do something with the Rocket Rods tracks that have been lying unused in Disneyland for two decades.
The international parks could do a lot more with the idea as they have bigger budgets to play with. It might be fun if Tomorrowland itself shifts back to that older look yet still holding a futuristic aura that matches the movie.
This is early, as Disney already has so many projects on its plate that a remake of Tomorrowland is unlikely. But the Fantastic Four have always been about looking to the future and having them give Tomorrowland a shot in the creative arm would be a fantastic idea for Disney.
Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres in theaters July 25.