In preparation for the Fantastic Four’s return to screens next year in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel Comics has announced that it will further develop the history of the First Family in the MCU, releasing four one-shots each quarter. Dan Slott and Mark Buckingham are set to direct the first one-shot, scheduled for release in March, and will feature a film version of the villainous robot engineer Mad Thinker, who first appeared in 1963’s Fantastic Four #15.
Fantastic Four: First Fours #1 Cover by Phil Noto
Return to the world of Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four: First Steps for the first in a series of one-off specials that will air quarterly throughout 2026, expanding on various characters and moments from the film. On Earth-828, a cosmic accident turns four brave astronauts into champions and protectors of the world. They’re the Fantastic Four, but there’s one person who isn’t happy with things. He is known as a mad thinker, determined to reap his just reward by turning the city of tomorrow against his heroic patrons.
Slott and Buckingham are no strangers to Four, with the former writing the main series from 2018 to 2022, and the latter co-writing the film’s first prequel comic with Matt Fraction. The book also includes a two-page “Fantastic Science” featurette written by current Fantastic Four screenwriter Ryan North, based on the educational show hosted in the film by Reed Richards.
The Mad Thinker was one of the classic Fantastic Four villains mentioned in the movie when Franklin Richards was born and Reed tipped off the police to their whereabouts so the world would be a safer place. Based on his dialogue, the other three one-shots are expected to introduce the MCU’s Diablo, Wizard, and Puppet Master, respectively (though their daughter and Ben Grimm’s longtime lover Alicia Masters was conspicuously absent from the film).
First Foes #1 will be released on March 4th and will feature two covers by Phil Noto and a cover by Kaare Andrews. In the meantime, check out the first trailer for Avengers: Doomsday (released December 18, 2026), currently in theaters alongside Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Variant cover by Phil Noto Variant cover by Kare Andrews
Something like this:
Like loading…
