Though reports of Jennifer Lawrence playing the Invisible Woman in the upcoming MCU Fantastic Four movie have been debunked, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating who could play the iconic superhero team in their first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The team, created by comic book legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, sparked new life into the superhero genre and created the Marvel Universe. The previous films for the team weren’t met with the highest praise but the casts were usually pretty strong. The MCU has a lot of great options for their choices of the heroes and villains involved.

Lyja / Sofia Boutella

Given that the alien Skrulls are now part of the MCU, and one of their major storylines, Secret Invasion, is set to become the basis of an upcoming Disney+ series, it’s a decent bet that Lyja could appear in the movie. Lyja is a Skrull who infiltrated the Fantastic Four back in the mid-80s.

Actress Sofia Boutella has played a makeup heavy role in Star Trek Beyond and shined in action movies like Kingsman: The Secret Service. She also has experience playing characters walking the line between good and evil in Atomic Blonde and the 2018 remake of The Mummy.

Namor / Henry Golding

The first MCU Fantastic Four movie could feature any number of their classic villains. Many fans want to see Doctor Doom as the first villain out of the gate, but others wouldn’t mind seeing Namor the Sub-Mariner. Namor is the mutant king of Atlantis and a sometimes friend, sometimes foe of the team.

Actor Henry Golding has played some romantic leads in movies like Crazy Rich Asians and certainly has the appeal to convince fans that Sue Storm would be somewhat torn between him and Reed Richards. He also showcased some toughness in The Gentlemen.

Mole Man / Matt Berry

The Mole Man is one of the Fantastic Four’s most iconic villains, though he is a little silly. If the movie decides to play up the comedic aspect, actor Matt Berry would be great in the role. He brings a lot of humor and especially an elastic, remarkable voice to all of his roles in shows like the television adaptation of What We Do In The Shadows and Toast Of London.

His sense of humor and chameleon-like nature would make him a good fit for the character, even if the MCU plays him more seriously than the comics.

Mary Storm / Gillian Anderson

The comics have traditionally focused on Dr. Franklin Storm, the father of Sue and Johnny when it comes to their upbringing. But the Ultimate Comics line, taking place in an alternate reality, put more emphasis on Mary Storm, their mother. She could be an interesting choice for the movie and for Gillian Anderson.

In the alternate reality of Earth-1610, Mary Storm was more of a villain who allied with Doctor Doom. Anderson plays a lot of varying roles from The X-Files to American Gods, and Mary Storm might be the sort of complex character that Anderson is often drawn to.

Alicia Masters / Nathalie Emmanuel

Alicia Masters is one of the earliest and most important supporting characters in the Fantastic Four mythos, appearing in issue number #8 back in 1962. She is a blind woman and artist who falls in love with Ben Grimm, The Thing.

Her humanity and compassionate nature are qualities that British actress Nathalie Emmanuel has displayed in many of her roles, especially in the role of Deet, the Gelfling heroine of the recently canceled The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance Netflix series.

Human Torch / Sam Claflin

The Human Torch is usually a hot-headed character with movie-star good looks. That sounds like it could be a good part for Sam Claflin, who played Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games series of movies. Finnick was a character who displayed some major growth in the series.

Claflin could bring the same kind of energy to Johnny Storm’s character arc, which usually has him being on the more immature side before growing into his role on the team.

Mr. Fantastic / William Jackson Harper

Enormous speculation surrounds the role of Reed Richards, especially right now as some fans think he might be the engineer on WandaVision. Regardless if he does appear in the series or not until the movie, a great choice would be William Jackson Harper.

Harper played the incredibly intelligent and charming Chidi Anagonye in The Good Place and would be at home in the role of the genius Mr. Fantastic. Harper has some experience with Marvel already. He narrated the audiobook series, Black Panther: Sins of the King.

Invisible Woman / Samara Weaving

Sue Storm in many ways has been the member of the Fantastic Four who has grown the most in the comics. She’s evolved from the girlfriend to an integral part of the team to one of the most powerful female Marvel superheroes. Samara Weaving not only looks the part but has the skill to portray Sue with a lot of different shades.

Weaving stood out in the 2019 movie Ready Or Not, a great recent female-led horror movie where she played comedy and drama with equal aplomb.

The Thing / Michael Chiklis

The Thing is likely to be realized in CGI in the MCU film, and that leaves the question of who will voice him. The original Fantastic Four movie wasn’t successful for a lot of fans, but Michael Chiklis brought a lot of heart and soul to the role.

With J.K. Simmons returning to the role of J. Jonah Jameson in the MCU Spider-Man movies, and other characters like Doctor Octopus and Electro fitting into the MCU somehow, it would be fine for Chiklis to reprise his role as well.

Doctor Doom / Viggo Mortensen

Doctor Doom is certain to factor into the MCU at some point. Doom is one of the most heinous villains in Marvel Comics, and one of the most important. Viggo Mortensen is perhaps best known for his star turn as Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, but he can play serious villains too as he proved in Eastern Promises and A History Of Violence.

Mortensen would be perfect for the cunning, furious, and powerful Victor Von Doom. He always brings a lot of intensity to his roles, and it would certainly show through the mask and cloak Doom wears.