Well, I admit this doesn't sound promising. If you were the director/ screenwriter, and you wanted the film to succeed, what story would you tell? Would you use a specific story arc from the comics or would you blend a few of them together to build a movie?
Mo,
As resident
Fantastic Four historian in these parts, I've chatted about this before, and even posted elsewhere my synopsis for a trilogy! I'll try to get it to co-operate and come over here:
First, let me say that this is in an alternate universe where the studio that holds the rights actually respects the source material, and will do it proper justice!
Doing the Fantastic Four #48--#50 "Galactus Trilogy" correctly would be a priority, and thinking crazy-outside-the-box, you could follow up using elements of John Byrne's "Trial of Reed Richards", where Mr. Fantastic is in trouble with the rest of the universe for sparing Galactus when he could have let him die, Reed having deduced that the Devourer of Worlds is part of the natural order of the universe. That could be fun, but as Fox has already ruined this...oh, and Doom stealing the Surfer's powers from FF #57--#60 is gone, too...thanks, Mr. Story!
Two Dr. Doom stories I would like to see would require too much set-up to do properly as an introduction. In FF #84--#87, he holds the FF captive in Latveria (in an homage to "The Prisoner"), an arc that showed him at his most regal, and in FF #236, we open with a non-powered Richards clan leading normal lives in a town called Liddleville that has a sinister secret!
Doing a Fantastic Four/Black Panther/Klaw (FF #52--#53, #56) film would be amazing, but the Panther's rights belong to Marvel Studios (thank goodness for small favors I guess!), as does, I believe, the Sub-Mariner and the Inhumans, leaving out tons of great early stories.
To the question at hand...
SPOILER ALERT FOR FANTASTIC FOUR #31 & #32: Do not read any further if you are planning to read these issues, or are in re-reading mode now!
Mo, as to which arc to go with, here's my "cinematic" answer, trying to think about making a film to introduce the characters, present them an external conflict, and also sow the seeds for two sequels. Here goes: in the original Fantastic Four #1, the first half of the book is taken up with their origin, and the second with battling the Mole Man. I would take a similar track, with the group's first space flight a private research mission that goes awry, but have this only take up the first half-hour or so. During that time, we'd see glimpses of news stories about strange goings on regarding seismic activities (and perhaps tie that into their mission?), to tease our second half. After a bit of the FF "settling in" with their powers and some "getting to know you" stuff (which includes a bit about the Storm siblings' parents and their "demise", and Sue's consternation over a news report of a prison break) , we head into an expanded plot of FF #31, where the Mole Man was sinking entire city blocks, in our film looking for some scientific MacGuffin to keep his under-earth empire running. The Four go to stop him, but in the pitched battle, Sue is gravely injured, and back top-side, Reed is told by the doctor that there was only one surgeon to ever successfully perform the operation needed to save her life.
"Who is it?" cries Reed, "Bring him here, no matter the cost!"
"Sorry, Dr. Richards, but he stopped practicing years ago, and then disappeared; I don't know where he is" sadly answers the doctor.
"WE HAVE TO FIND HIM!"
"It's useless; he had been in prison, but recently escaped. He's not likely to give himself up for the life of another."
A shadowy figure enters the room saying "Don't be too sure about that, Doctor."
Shocked, the attending physician exclaims "DR. FRANKLIN STORM!!
Johnny cries out "DAD! Sue told me you were dead!"
" I wanted you to think that son, I'd caused enough sorrow to your poor mother, I didn't want to hurt my children also."
"There's no time to waste--we'll prepare her for surgery!!"
After a successful surgery, the police arrive to return Dr. Storm to prison. He asks:
"My daughter will be conscious soon, could I...see her once more...before I go?"
Reed assures the detective that he'll assume responsibilty, and the group heads in to visit Sue, and we...FADE TO BLACK. (These bits are straight from Stan!!)
(Post credits, we see a shadowy figure sitting on a throne looking at a monitor that is replaying the news stories of the FF's triumph, as well as the heroic/tragic story of Dr. Storm. A low, small laugh can be heard as we... CUT)
Our second film would be Doctor Doom's classic origin, flashing back to when he, Reed and Ben were in college, and then expanding out into Doom attempting to expand his iron grip over Latveria to the rest of the world, perhaps through the use of more human-looking Doombots that could allow for some righteous "clobberin' " without having to be overly concerned about the violence. As his plan fails, Doctor Doom is captured by the Fantastic Four...but it isn't the genuine article, but a robotic duplicate, who gives a warning about his impending return!
"STILL NOT A BAD DAY'S WORK, STRETCH; STOPPIN' AN INVASION OF ROBOT DOO-HICKEYS AND PUTTING THE KIBOSH ON OL' TIN BRITCHES' SCHEME!" rumbles The Thing.
"Ben's right, Reed; let's head home to the Baxter Building; we have a lot to be grateful for here, but we're going to have to prepare ourselves." says Sue wearily.
"You're right, darling; but let's take a moment to reflect on how grateful I am for all of you" as Reed embraces Sue and pats Ben on the shoulder.
"Oh, I am so outta here if this is gonna get sappy!" and the Torch rockets out of sight!
The remaining three walk chuckling down Fifth Avenue through cheering crowds towards home as we...FADE TO BLACK. (Post credits of the actual Doom!)
Moving to our third film, here's where I might have to digress from continuity, as I'm not sure who owns the rights to the Skrulls. If it is our mythic Fox Studios, we could insert a bit in the first film about an initial contact with this race, and that being the reason for the flight, with a later scene showing their dismay at something Reed did that disrupts their plan to cause havoc via broadcast cosmic energy or some-such. If not, we can make Doctor Doom the instigator of the actions in our movie.
In Fantastic Four #32, we learn the tragic story of Dr. Storm; how after his wife Mary died in a car accident, Franklin, awash with sorrow for having been at the wheel (and unable to save her as a doctor: "I've saved so many...but now my own wife...my own wife...") turns to drink and gambling, and in an argument over a debt accidently killed someone, resulting in his imprisonment.
In the original, a Skrull seeking vengeance against the Richards shows up in his cell, transforms himself into Dr. Storm and beams him back to the Skrull homeworld. On visiting day, with Sue and Johnny telling him that they're working toward his parole, "Dr. Storm" makes some wild statements about it not being necessary, and how that in his time in prison he had made himself invincible, and proceeds to punch his way out of prison in a hail of gunfire. (If I can't use the Skrulls, Doom could be the catalyst for an actual change within the real Franklin Storm--that could work, right?) He adopts the identity of the Invincible Man (possessor of super-strength and a force-field power) who battles the FF throughout the film, as they struggle amongst themselves over the fact that they are facing a family member. (If Doom is the cause, they would join forces to confront our heroes!)
In the original, Reed discovers that the Invincible Man is powered by Skrull technology, and when he shuts that down, it initiates the return of Dr. Storm from space. (Similarly, if it's Doom, the de-powering could restore Dr. Storm's "goodness"!)
As his mind clears, Dr. Storm cries out "NO! GO BACK!! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He rolls over as an explosion rips the quiet of the scene.
Reed explains that the Skrulls (or Doom, now escaping in the confusion?) have made a living booby-trap of him, hoping for a last-minute revenge on the Fantastic Four...
"...but he rolled over, facing the floor, so that he would take the full force rather than us. We owe him our lives."
As the group gathers around the dying man, he speaks to his children:
"Don't cry Sue...or you Johnny; don't feel sorry for me. I was foolish, I let a tragedy of life defeat me years ago...I didn't have the courage to carry on as I should have...for you! But now, somehow I found my courage...so perhaps...I've made up for the years I've wasted...that's why you must not cry...at last I've regained my pride. Think kindly of me, my children. Always remember ...I loved you...never forget how proud you made me...with your honor...your valor...your selfless love...my life had been lonely...all these years...but now I'll be lonely no more. Do you hear, I'll be lonely no more...for I'm going to join... my beloved... Mary..."
"DAD!!"
"He's gone, sis, he's gone"
The police show up, looking for explanations on the battles and demanding Dr. Storm's arrest; Reed counters this with:
"Captain, that is the late Dr. Franklin Storm...one of the finest, bravest men I've ever had the honor of knowing."
"How did it happen, Richards?"
"I'll give you a full account later, but for now, let us say he died...a hero!" (FADE TO BLACK...and there won't be a dry eye in the house!!)(This is all Stan's, too!)
We dissolve in on a memorial park, centered by a statue of Dr. Storm (by Alicia Masters, of course!) with the Richards clan gathered for the dedication, with Sue making a speech about heroism, and more importantly, the heroism of "family". After the ceremony, we cut to various scenes of the group interacting with civilians (Johnny juggling fireballs, Alicia and Ben with some artsy folk, Sue and Reed with a group of children--and a discussion about their own future parenting plans! ) before we pan up to a shot of the Baxter Building and iris in on the "4" symbol--THE END
What do you think?