Because the interesting parts come well after they have their powers. We’ve seen their origin story too many times. Wow, I’m stretching! I can be fire! I can be invisible, but maybe I should get naked for that! Boo hoo, I’m a lonely rock monster.
But that’s why I have hope for the MCU. Their characters work better in contrast. Their relationships predate their powers, and their family bond is stronger than their sense of duty to be heroes. They aren’t the Avengers or the X-Men, and that’s why they are interesting.
There’s also the inherent uncanny valley of their powers. Portraying them each on film is extremely difficult. Thing needs to look like an actual rock monster, not a guy in a rubber suit, and he’s the easy one. The Human Torch is literally just on fire. The tough part is animating flames around him that seem real but don’t burn the building down and still be able to see the cocky smirk on his face. Sue is simply invisible, as in not there at all. Quick, make her carry something across the room or interact with the props so we know she’s still in the movie!
Then there’s Mister Fantastic. I truly don’t believe he can be realistically portrayed in live action, because his powers break the internally consistent fictional laws of physics. He’s not just stretching, he’s violating gravity, action and reaction, and the conservation of mass. And the more they try to explain it, the less sense it makes. That’s why every movie has gone out of their way to avoid actually showing him stretch.
And that would be fine with me. Reed’s contributions can be his intelligence. We don’t need to see him wrap his torso around the bad guy to hold them down, or catch a falling civilian in his belly button like a one-man fire brigade. We know he can, and we know showing it will raise uncomfortable questions about personal space.
Because the interesting parts come well after they have their powers. We’ve seen their origin story too many times. Wow, I’m stretching! I can be fire! I can be invisible, but maybe I should get naked for that! Boo hoo, I’m a lonely rock monster.
But that’s why I have hope for the MCU. Their characters work better in contrast. Their relationships predate their powers, and their family bond is stronger than their sense of duty to be heroes. They aren’t the Avengers or the X-Men, and that’s why they are interesting.
There’s also the inherent uncanny valley of their powers. Portraying them each on film is extremely difficult. Thing needs to look like an actual rock monster, not a guy in a rubber suit, and he’s the easy one. The Human Torch is literally just on fire. The tough part is animating flames around him that seem real but don’t burn the building down and still be able to see the cocky smirk on his face. Sue is simply invisible, as in not there at all. Quick, make her carry something across the room or interact with the props so we know she’s still in the movie!
Then there’s Mister Fantastic. I truly don’t believe he can be realistically portrayed in live action, because his powers break the internally consistent fictional laws of physics. He’s not just stretching, he’s violating gravity, action and reaction, and the conservation of mass. And the more they try to explain it, the less sense it makes. That’s why every movie has gone out of their way to avoid actually showing him stretch.
And that would be fine with me. Reed’s contributions can be his intelligence. We don’t need to see him wrap his torso around the bad guy to hold them down, or catch a falling civilian in his belly button like a one-man fire brigade. We know he can, and we know showing it will raise uncomfortable questions about personal space.
mmm… warm nestled belly button.