The reviews are in, and fans and critics alike are charmed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This MCU reboot of this repeatedly failed superhero family franchise has wowed audiences with its enchanting retro-futuristic aesthetic, truly massive Big Bad, a thought-provoking trolley problem, and plenty of star power, courtesy of Joseph Quinn, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Pedro Pascal. But you know what it’s missing? A thirst-trap moment that would have been a wickedly smart re-interpretation of early-days MCU spectacle.
Remember back when part of the MCU’s standard iconography was a random thirst trap moment, usually involving its titular male hero brandishing his muscles, bare-chested?
Does Pedro Pascal die in this? We’ll tell you!
Iron Man did it in his MCU kick-off while repairing his arc reactor. Captain America showcased his supersoldier serum transformation, chiefly through his freshly plumped pecs. Thor paired no shirt with black denim when he fish-out-of-watered in his eponymous intro film. The Hulk showed off Mark Ruffalo’s manly chest hair in Avengers: Age of Ultron (and its green and beefy CGI recreation over and over). Ant-Man displayed washboard abs while cleaning some slyly placed scratches. It was a thing… that abruptly went away as the sequels stacked up and the movies grew more stern. (I distinctly remember the collective disappointment when, in Captain America: Civil War, Cap tried to stop a helicopter takeoff with his bare hands, jarringly shirt-on.)
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
