Watching Iron Man rise from relative obscurity and become a household name thanks to his 2008 film was an exciting moment for fans that obsess over Marvel's comic continuity. Sure, the debut of the Marvel cinematic universe was enjoyable for every certified Marvel zombie, but for the loyalist that value accuracy above all else, Iron Man was a massive triumph. Prior to 2008, Tony Stark and his alter ego took a back seat to characters like the Hulk and Spider-Man in our world. However, in the mainline continuity of Marvel's "616 universe," Iron Man is one of the universe's top dogs. Through a genius bit of scheduling, casting, and marketing, the MCU was able to have Iron Man's real-world prominence match his stature in the comic books.
Nowadays, the Fantastic Four are in a similar position to Iron Man before 2008. In the 616, the FF is one of the Marvel universe's most celebrated and important teams. In our reality, the FF is seen as a middling embarrassment of a franchise that can't seem to find its footing. Die-hard Fantastic Four fans, like myself, hope the MCU can replicate the magic of Iron Man and help position the FF among the MCU's A-list characters.
According to Comic Book Resources, Marvel is allegedly looking to cast a Dakota Johnson type as Sue Storm. The report strengthens previous rumors that Marvel hopes to build the entire FF around Sue Storm. Hopefully, the rumors end up being true because not only is Sue the most powerful character in the FF, but there's a strong argument that she's the series's protagonist– and I'd have to agree with that assertion.
New rumors about The Fantastic Four's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut suggest the comics film giant plans to use Madame Web's Dakota Johnson as the blueprint for Sue Storm.
Insider Jeff Sneider recently discussed the topic of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie on The Hot Mic podcast. According to him, they are looking to cast someone with the same look as Dakota Johnson for the part of Sue Storm, otherwise known as The Invisible Woman. "We're looking at that 30-35 age range, and, from what I understand, Dakota Johnson is the prototype." The movie is set to release on Feb 14, 2025, with this alleged information providing a small insight into what the iconic character will look like.
While Sneider claims that Johnson is the look Marvel is going for, it isn't clear if she's being considered to take on the role herself, as she is already involved in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. The Fifty Shades of Grey actor will appear in Madame Web as the titular character, a clairvoyant psychic who uses her powers to see into the Spider-Verse. Actors like Adam Scottand a mystery character from Emma Roberts join her.
