Since the latest reboot for ‘Fantastic Four‘ came out, fans and critics alike have been trying to figure out why it was so terrible. There are so many thoughts and theories out there currently and blame is being thrown around to director Josh Trank, the movie studio 20th Century Fox, and beyond. But legendary comic book writer and co-creator of Marvel’s First Family Stan Lee recently weighed in with a possible reason.
While speaking to Larry King on the iconic interviewer’s Ora.tv show ‘Larry King Now,’ Lee spoke briefly about the latest incarnation of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. When King asked why the film fantastically flopped, Lee responded in his typical tongue and cheek way:
“It was probably because I didn’t have a cameo in it. They didn’t discuss the story with me. But I haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t really comment on it.”
Even though he meant it in a joking manner, there is a bit of truth there. Those involved with ‘Fantastic Four’ could have easily talked to Lee, Mark Waid, John Byrne, Jonathan Hickman, Matt Fraction, or some other comic writer that spent a considerable amount of time with the characters in order to improve the script as it was being developed. Then again, the problem was more so in the financial department since screenwriter Jeremy Slater had a very different version of the story than the one that ended up in theaters, so who knows if the heavy hitters from the comic book industry could have even salvaged what was left after funding was taken away.
If you were among those who missed the 92-year old Lee’s trademark cameo in ‘Fantastic Four’, the next place you can see him is in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’, which features a very different cameo than anything he’s done before. But until then, check out the rest of the interview with Larry King as Stan “The Man” talks about why we still love comic books, his upcoming multicultural superheroes, and Doctor Doom being his most underappreciated character:
