James Gunn Is Setting Up DC's Fantastic Four With Superman: Legacy Casting
James Gunn's "Superman: Legacy" recently revealed some surprise additions to the film, with DC Comics heroes Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) joining the growing cast. The two characters join Superman (David Corenswet), Lois Lane (Rachael Brosnahan), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) in the upcoming film, with more recognizable faces, such as Lex Luthor, potentially in the running to be added later.
While there's justified excitement about the rebooted take on Superman also introducing multiple Justice League-related heroes, Gunn's new universe might be setting up an entirely different superteam altogether. The inclusion of Metamorpho and Mister Terrific in "Superman: Legacy" could be the first steps in eventually forming The Terrifics, a comic book team that debuted in 2018 and took direct inspiration from Marvel's Fantastic Four. If DC eventually reveals the characters Plastic Man and Phantom Girl will be a part of the DCU, a film based on The Terrifics will appear to have a real shot at being made — which would be somewhat hilarious if it was announced before Marvel could cast its own actual Fantastic Four.
Who are The Terrifics?
The Terrifics debuted in "The Terrifics" #1 (by Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Marcelo Maiolo, and Tom Napolitano), a throwback series featuring the self-titled team forming and navigating a then-new area of the multiverse. The team consisted of Mr. Terrific, Phantom Girl, Plastic Man, and Metamorpho, a foursome who was accidentally brought together following an incident involving villain Simon Stagg using Metamorpho's powers to access the Dark Multiverse, opening a portal, and landing in the dark reality.
Mister Terrific was the quartet's de facto leader. Michael Holt is one of the most brilliant heroes in the entire DC Universe and the inventor of the T-Spheres, levitating globes that perform a multitude of tasks at their creator's request. He's been a member of both the Justice Society of America and the Justice League, where his technological acumen has been put to good use. The original version of the character debuted in the 1940s, with Holt debuting and taking over the mantle in the 1990s.
Plastic Man, aka Eel O'Brien, is perhaps the team's most recognizable hero. He came to DC Comics in the mid-1960s, decades after the debuting in Quality Comics' "Police Comics" #1. The stretchy hero's control over his body allows him to transform into any shape or size he can imagine.
Metamorpho first appeared in 1965, when Rex Mason found himself able to transform his body into every element known to man, be it solid, liquid or gas. He's been a fan-favorite member of the Justice League and Batman's Outsiders since his debut.
Phantom Girl was the only new character on the original Terrifics roster. Linnya Wazzo is from the planet Bgzt and has similar phasing powers to her 31st-century Legion of Super-Heroes descendant, who will eventually go by the same codename.
Are The Terrifics DC's Fantastic Four?
So are The Terrifics directly based on the Fantastic Four? Not exactly. Did the superteam inspire them? Absolutely. While DC Comics has never outright stated as much, The Terrifics are a deliberately obvious pastiche of Marvel's Fantastic Four, sharing multiple similarities with the classic superteam.
Like the Fantastic Four, The Terrifics are a team led by one of the most intelligent people in the world in Mister Terrific, though it's Plastic Man who has similar stretching powers to the FF's leader. Like the Fantastic Four, Metamorpho and Plastic Man acquired their powers through tragic accidents, while Phantom Girl and Michael Holt both had tragic histories before they became heroes. Metamorpho, like Ben Grimm/the Thing, can't change back into his human form, with his elemental-based body making him a monster-like creature. The team also ends up working as an unlikely family, using plenty of humor to navigate incredibly tough cosmic situations and circumstances.
The team's adventures also appear to be inspired by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's earliest work on "Fantastic Four." Much like their Marvel-ous counterparts, The Terrifics travel across space and time and are consistently confronted by the stranger sides of the world beyond on their own. The timing of The Terrifics' debut also came at a time when Marvel Comics hadn't published a Fantastic Four comic in years, with the team being sidelined due to the film rights of the characters not being owned by Marvel Studios at the time. It may sound like a coincidence, but the marketing made it clear this was DC trading in on the void left by the Fantastic Four's absence.
The Terrifics would work well in the DC Universe
The Terrifics are one of DC's oddest superteams, and their inclusion in a future film may seem like a bizarre choice, but James Gunn has made a career of taking obscure characters, like most of the heroes in "Guardians of the Galaxy," and giving them new relevance in live-action. The Terrifics would give Gunn's overhauled DCU a team with real potential to explore sides of the DC Universe viewers haven't seen before. The storytelling potential is limitless with the team, which lends itself exceptionally well to sci-fi stories — not unlike the MCU's previously mentioned Guardians.
While viewers will have to wait and see whether Plastic Man and Phantom Girl eventually find a way into Gunn's DCU, Mister Terrific and Metamorpho appearing in "Superman: Legacy" is a solid indication The Terrifics might form at some point. With Marvel still not revealing the cast of the Fantastic Four or details about the project, DC could beat them to a punch by casting the pastiche team before the more iconic team that inspired them is announced. It will be fascinating to see what happens down the line and whether The Terrifics will end up playing a role post-"Superman: Legacy," and as longtime DC fans will attest, it would be an unexpected delight to see The Terrifics in live-action.