‘Fantastic Four’ casting rumors lead to a brutal ‘Spider-Man’ joke that hasn’t stopped stinging even a decade later

Even though Fantastic Four is more than two years away, nothing is stopping speculations and rumors about its cast from flying about. But while unconfirmed reports of Mila Kunis as The Thing only raised some eyebrows — which were soothed by an Emmy nominee dousing the flames as the perfect choice instead — a new rumor about a potential casting didn’t just leave many disappointed but also had one making fun of one endlessly traumatic ‘Spider-Man’ moment in response. 

So far, Marvel has been pretty tight-lipped on confirming whether it has even started looking for its Sue Storm, Reed Richards, The Thing, and Human Torch. But rumor is that the studio had its eyes set on rectifying Sony’s mistake of letting Emma Stone exit the shared Marvel universe by bringing her in as Sue Storm in Fantastic Four. Reportedly, the deal went so far as to reach negotiations, but the same “fell through due to pay.”

Amid the general disappointment and meager elation at the MCU failing to secure Stone, a joke emerged, playing on the words the said report used to convey the rumor. If you haven’t already guessed it, here it is:

I know it has been nine years since Peter Parker failed to save Gwen, the love of his life, in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but it will always be too soon to crack a joke about it and traumatize the fandom all over again. I mean, Andrew Garfield’s Spidey confessing how his life fell apart after Gwen’s death and almost reliving the exact moment all over again when he desperately jumped to save MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home was enough to reduce my heart to pieces again. Heck, Marvel is already doing its damnedest to give us grief; we don’t need to revisit the past to add to it.

Fantastic Four is expected to hit theaters on Feb. 14, 2025.