How did the Fantastic Four get their powers?

All eyes may be on Deadpool & Wolverine right now, but it seems like only a matter of time before The Fantastic Four will be bossing the Marvel Cinematic Universe zeitgeist in far fuller force than it already is.

Even without any available plot details, the tease of a possible 1960s setting suggests that the MCU is cooking with gas. Toss in a cast stacked beyond the atmosphere (including the recently announced Ralph Ineson, who will be standing against the Four and the rest of Earth as Galactus), and it becomes apparent why the hype collider is powering up the way it is.

There is, however, one interesting nuance to this team that not many other heroes have had to contend with thus far. Despite the Four’s massive legacy in the comic book realm (they were the first superhero team to ever come out of Marvel Comics), their wider pop culture exposure has been markedly limited compared to some of their peers. Thus, while the origin stories of Spider-Man and Batman can be rhymed off by most without missing a beat, the in-canon tale of how the Four came to be may be a bit trickier.

How did the Fantastic Four get their powers?

Simply put, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing all got their powers while aboard a spacecraft designed for interstellar travel. As they flew through space during an unauthorized test flight, they were exposed to an intense amount of cosmic radiation. The event sent their ship crashing back down to Earth, and also caused them to each develop their own unique superpowers.

In other words, the Fantastic Four got their powers through the unconquerable animus of comic book science, and regardless of whether or not we see that origin story in the MCU, we’re in for a whole lot of said comic book science when The Fantastic Four once again take a bow in cinemas on July 25, 2025.