What I would have done first is not spend so much time on building the device.

We could still start with Reed as a kid, same basic stuff, show how he and Ben connect, show Reed's first demonstration of the device. Opening credits or title.

Jump forward to show Reed and Ben as they showcase their experiment to the government for funding. The project is approved and they're placed under their head of research, which is Susan and Johnny's father. Ben is an engineer. Same as Johnny. This is what could kick off a bit of rivalry between Johnny and Ben.

The project would be funded by the American Government and the nation of Latveria to help discover a means, by teleportation to combat a set of underground terrorist cells called the Moloids led by a former nuclear engineer and exlporer who was now calling him self the Mole man that have been attacking government bases and stealing technology, including Latverian ones. The Monarch of the nation Victor Von Destin, destin I read is romanian for doom (I'm sorry I just couldn't reconcile someone walking around with the last name "doom" in english), asks to oversee the project as well, being a scientist like Reed himself. What the American government doesn't know is that Victor plans to steal the tech for his own use, believing the applications to have more promise than mere teleportation after failed attempts at trying to accomplish the same feat himself and discovering an energy power source far beyond what anyone has ever seen.

Montage through the building of the device. Susan and Reed connect. Susan is the assigned biologist. Reed is the physicist. And Johnny and Ben are the two engineers on the project.

When they successfully use the device, Victor allows his men into the first demonstration to sabotage it and steal the tech, but this causes a tear between the N-zone and earth which disrupts the mission of the four and causes a severe accident. Their containment suits rip open and the four to be exposed to the cosmic energy in the N-zone. The four manage to escape, but an explosion of cosmic energy causes all the tech to be destroyed, horribly scarring Victor. Ben gets the worst of the cosmic energy due to him throwing himself on top of Reed to protect him. Which makes Reed feel responsible.

This would all be within the first 30-40 minutes.

The next twenty would be about them discovering their abilities. While Victor, severely damaged has his scientists build a cybernetic suit for him to help his body, as he's so badly hurt he can't walk. He tells them to use remnants of the N-zone energy they found as a power source.

The four discover the government wants to use them. They refuse, but are practically forced to do it as a secret task force under the duress that they either do that or be lab rats. The public discovers who they are via found footage released to the press and they become famous. Victor discovers this and becomes enraged that they gained powers, while he's become deformed and forced to live in his cybernetic suit. He discovers that his suit, being powered by the remnants of the N-zone energy, can give off energy allowing for inhuman abilities, what he says the less educated would call magic. He tries to use that to create abilities for himself but cannot. He then vows to steal the the four's abilities for himself and use them to amass more power and domination over the world.

When the Mole man attacks another one of his bases, Victor catches him and makes a deal with him: If he attacks another American government base as a way to lure the four to him, he'll give him all the tech he needs for what he knows he's stealing it for: As a means to continue his exploration to prove his hollow earth theory.

That's what happens. Mole man escapes. Victor proclaims himself Doctor Doom, and, using the N-zone, which he uses the rebuilt device to tear a hole open into, powers his suit to supreme enhancement. This could swallow up the entire planet. They tell him this, but Doom is too arrogant to listen. He believes he can control the N-zone and all it's power.

They defeat Doom. He's locked up or something. They quit the government, saying that there's nothing that the government can do to them now with the fact they've saved the world and they've become known to the world. They call themselves the Fantastic Four in front of the press while being asked several questions and being mobbed by them. The End.

Maybe a post credits scene involving Mole man discovering the hollow earth.

What do you think? Please tell me.

What are your ideas as well?

I'm not sure I'd use Doom as first movie villain. Allow him to be more devious and behind the scenes (the man behind the man). He could get his scars and powers etc. from the accident that created the team, but allow him to be the intellectual heavy weight that he is.

One concept I would include is the borderline anti-social behavior from Reed Richards (like in the Ultimate comics and other sources). Ben and Sue are able to help him connect with others and moderate his impulses, but he has a cold calculating streak as well (not so different from Victor). Revealed in that he isn't sure he wants to cure Ben, despite the lip service he gives. Ben's too "interesting of a subject" to let go.

I like the semi-horror movie angle of during their "mutation process".

I'd play up that part of their story and give them PTSD from the event (especially Ben and Johnny maybe).

(side note: when I was 7 I remember watching the fantastic four cartoon for the first time. It was pretty interesting, but I got scared and turned off after the origin story. It was a cheap 60s cartoon, and this was during the 90s, but Ben's transformation into the thing was gradual and pretty detailed.)

This will be controversial, but I like Johnny being the "little brother" of the team, instead of a rebellious adult. Johnny could be an in-universe youtuber (and successful blogger) prior to the accident. They allow him at the experiment to get publicity (and funding) through his channel. To be controversial I might actually keep Johnny and Sue biological siblings AND have the race distinction. Otherwise, I'd probably keep them white.

I might do something different and have the first villains be the U-Foes rather than the Mole man or Doom. That way we would have a decent action scene.

Superskrull shoulda been the enemy

#superskrull2016

#makefantasticfourgreatagain

@rpgesus: I totally agree, i reckon super skrull would've been a great first villain, we've never seen him on screen before. I think that when they traveled to the other dimension, reed, sue, johnny, and Ben, they encounter these tiny creatures while exploring. soon they realize that these creatures are hostile and they start attacking, ripping open they're protective suit and exposing them to radiation. The four manage to make it back but not without a few wounds. Because they had then been already affected before they teleported back, i think it would be pretty cool that when the creatures attacked them they took some of their blood or something which gives develops these creatures (over time), into more intelligent beings that also happen to have the same abilities as the fantastic four. so when the four come back to the dimension (don't have to call it negative zone if you don't want to) they see a difference in the dimension, it's more evolved, sort of like the official concept art of the dimension. maybe someone can elaborate on that for me, i think its pretty cool.

Also have victor be maybe like the palpatine of this franchise, he isn't really in the for front for the first 2 movies, but hes just manipulating (lets say super skrull in the first movie and mole man in the second) the antagonists to do what he wants without taking any accountability and then the third movie bring him in as the main antagonist and reveal he has been the one behind everything all along. also Victor has a lot of powers but i think maybe don't give him anything and focus on his most powerful feature, his intelligence. i think a doctor doom that only needs his mind to best enemies as smart and physically opposing as the fantastic four would make for a much more threatening and intriguing character. but my thoughts.