The incredibles movie was inspired by the original fantastic 4. That's why there's so many parallels between these movies.

Fun fact Franklin did have a baby-sitter... Agatha Harkness 😊

The Fantastic Four essentially birthed the Marvel Universe as we know it today. Fantastic Four #1 (1961) marked the beginning of the Marvel Age, when Atlas Comics became Marvel Comics in 1961. The story goes that Marvel publisher Martin Goodman asked Stan Lee to create a team book to compete with DC's successful Justice League of America, which had debuted in 1960. At the time, Lee was considering leaving the comic book industry, but his wife, Joan, encouraged him to write the kind of comic he would want to read. The result was the Fantastic Four, Marvel's First Family.

Unlike traditional superheroes, the Fantastic Four were more of a family than a team. They argued, made mistakes, dealt with personal problems, and didn't hide behind masks or secret identities. This was a radical departure from many superheroes of the era, who were often portrayed as near-perfect, larger-than-life figures. The series was an immediate success. Readers became deeply invested in the characters' relationships and everyday struggles. Though one of the most common requests from fans was for the team to have matching costumes, which they received in Fantastic Four #3 (1962).

The Fantastic Fours success established the template for much of Marvel's early output. Characters and teams such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, the Wasp, the X-Men, and the Avengers all shared the same emphasis on flawed, relatable heroes with personal lives and real-world problems. Spider-Man was also the first mainstream teenage superhero to headline his own series. Prior to his debut, teenage characters in superhero comics were almost always sidekicks to established adult heroes, such as Robin. Spider-Man broke that mold by being the main hero of his own stories, with his age and everyday struggles forming a core part of the character's appeal.

DC soon took notice and began incorporating some of these ideas into its own books. One example was the Teen Titans, who debuted in 1964. Originally consisting of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad, with Wonder Girl joining shortly afterward, the team focused on younger heroes with distinct personalities and interpersonal dynamics. A growing industry trend toward character-driven storytelling that Marvel had helped popularize.

Because the Fantastic Four came first, many of the concepts, characters, and ideas that define Marvel were introduced in their comics. The Fantastic Four books served as the gateway to Marvel's cosmic side, introducing readers to the Kree, Skrulls, the Watchers, the Collector, the Negative Zone, and much of the mythology that would later become central to the wider Marvel Universe. The series also introduced major characters such as Black Panther, who first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (1966) along with Wakanda in the following issues.

The Silver Surfer we see in this film is Shalla-Bal, the wife and long-time love interest of Norrin Radd, who is the Silver Surfer most people know from the comics. Norrin becomes the Silver Surfer when Galactus comes to consume his homeworld of Zenn-La. To save his planet, Norrin agrees to become Galactus's herald and search the cosmos for worlds suitable for consumption. I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see Norrin Radd appear down the line as the main Silver Surfer of the MCU's primary universe, maybe after they reboot everything.

I love the Silver Surfer. He’s very much a philosophical Marvel character, going from place to place and observing worlds, often commenting on events that mirror real life. He was also one of Stan Lee’s favourite characters and was the one to warn Earth about Thanos during the Infinity Gauntlet & Infinity War storyline, which inspired Avengers: Infinity War (2018), where they had Hulk crashing into Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum instead of Silver Surfer. Because they didn’t have the rights to the Fantastic Four at the time.

Galactus origin is really cool. He comes from a prior version of the Marvel Universe. A man named Galan, from the planet Taa II, lived in a universe that was coming to an end, and when it finally died, he was reborn as Galactus in the next universe. The Big Bang happened all over again, and then the Marvel Universe we know and love was born. This applies to the multiverse as well, everything came to an end and was reborn. There are multiverse variants of Galactus as well. Basically, each universe should have its own Galactus. In the Ultimate Universe, Galactus was a swarm of ancient drones created by the Kree, so that was a very different take on the character. But the mainline Galactus is generally regarded as the most powerful and significant version.

And that hooded person at the end is no one other than Doctor Doom. He’s an iconic villain of the Fantastic Four, who later evolved into a major antagonist across the wider Marvel Universe, heavily tied to the Fantastic Four but also operating on a much larger scale. So... Avengers: Doomsday (2026)... interesting title.

They absolutely nailed Galactus loved his design and Ralph Ineson’s  voice was amazing!

The name for that aesthetic is "retrofuturism"! Very common in sci-fi.

23:39 Franklin Richard's powers are "yes"

Galactus can't really just die. He is a universal concept. He doesn't really take any enjoyment out of what he does. He literally has no choice. He is a part of the balance of the universe. Destruction before creation sorta thing. He has died a few times in the comics, and it always results in universal disaster. He is awful, but necessary. That is why he needs to replace himself to be free of the monster he is.

When you mentioned the idea that it would be nice if Franklin just grew up fast and used his power - very funny becauae thats exactly what happens in the comics (temporarily)

16:54 Listening to Ralph Ineson's voice in the cinema was a whole other experience.

5:43 Herbie stands for Humanoid Experimental Robot B-Type Intergrated Electronics.

35:59 in short Franklin's powers are basically.... anything.

He's a mutant like the x-men, and his mutation basically just lets him alter reality. Basically whatever the writers need him to do in that moment, he can do

In the comics Franklin is powerful enough to make Galactus his herald.

Ben’s actor was Skeen in Andor (the guy from the season 1 heist who didn’t trust Cassian and then tried to run off with the money)

For those who don't know as a major example of the kind of Power Franklin has; there was an incident I believe in the late 90s where Onslaught; a fusion of the worst parts of Professor X and Magneto, goes on a rampage and the Avengers and Fantastic four die to stop him, so Franklin creates a whole new world where they are still alive. That's how we got Heroes Reborn.

This version was a lot more comic book accurate than the two previous film versions

Victor von Doom is the ruler of Latveria...

You recognize Mister Fantastic because that actor is Pedro Pascal, who currently also portrays Din Djarin/The Mandalorian in Star Wars.

I love this movie because it comes off as genuine. Watch Age of Ultron and no one speaks like a human being, this movie is filled with human beings

21:47 Sue and Johnny's father was called Franklin, that's why she named the baby.

This movie shot straight up into my Top 5 MCU movies.  I just absolutely adore it.

Congrats on catching up Emme!