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As the Fantastic Four prepare to re-enter movie theaters and officially enter the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, now seems like as good a time as any to look back at the storied cinematic history of Marvel’s First Family. And by “storied history,” I mostly mean studios cynically producing movies to hold onto the rights rather than because the filmmakers have any particular passion for the characters.

Such is the case with our subject for today, the infamously unreleased 1994 adaptation simply titled The Fantastic Four. Produced as what’s known in the industry as an “ashcan copy” by schlock masters Roger Corman and Bernd Eichinger, it’s become something of a cult oddity in the 31 years since its planned release, with unofficial copies being frequently distributed at conventions and all over the Internet. Is the actual film worth all the trouble? Well, let’s dig in and find out.

Three decades ago, Marvel tried to bury their most infamous film, and to this day, the 1994 live-action adaptation of The Fantastic Four has yet to be released to the public. Thanks to bootleg versions of the film available online, however, it enjoys a dedicated fan base, who consider it a decent (though low-budget) adaptation of the iconic comic book. Those fans include David Lowery, the director of The Green Knight and A Ghost Story, who holds it in higher regard than the big-budget adaptations that came afterward.

Lowery recently appeared in an episode of the "Kim's Video" series on the Alamo Drafthouse YouTube channel, with the theater chain recreating Kim's Video, the iconic New York City movie rental shop, in the lobby of their Downtown Manhattan theater. The original Kim's closed in 2004, but filmmakers and actors visit the reopened Kim's to discuss movies in the YouTube videos. When Lowery visited Kim's,...

One of the stars of Roger Corman's infamous Fantastic Four is pushing for the film to finally see an official release.

Per ComicBook.com, actor Joseph Culp, who starred as Doctor Doom in 1994's Fantastic Four, published a recent social media post calling for the film's release. "Doom is watching You!" Culp wrote. "Sign our petition to #releasefantasticfour94! Roger Corman's cult classic film of Marvel's The Fantastic Four deserves an official release for fans in all corners of the multiverse." The post included a close-up photo of one corner of the original Doctor Doom mask that Culp wore in the film.

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1994's Fantastic Four is one of the more infamous production stories that Hollywood...

Original Doctor Doom actor Joseph Culp calls for release of 1994 Fantastic Four film, sparking fan interest after decades of mystery. The film, made on a $1 million budget, was never intended for public release, according to co-creator Stan Lee and producer Bernd Eichinger. Marvel Studios founder Avi Arad reportedly acquired rights to 1994 film and ordered its destruction to protect Fantastic Four's reputation.

Joseph Culp, who portrayed Doctor Doom in the unreleased 1994 film The Fantastic Four, has voiced his desire for the film to finally be unveiled to the public, three decades after its intended release.

This plea came in response to a video shared by Twitter user @GodzillaMendoza, which delved into the film's tumultuous history. Culp expressed his appreciation for the video, calling it a "wonderful exposé" and suggesting that the time has come to reveal "the truth about the film" on the 30th anniversary of its original release date,...

Thanks to SneakPeekTV.Com, Sneak Peek producer Roger Corman's 1992 "The Fantastic Four" feature in its entirety, plus a trailer from director Marty Langford's documentary "Doomed ! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's 'The Fantastic Four':

Low-budget film producer Corman reportedly finished the New Horizons feature in 1992 and although filming was completed, the picture was never officially released.

"...in a flashback, 'Reed Richards' (Alex Hyde-White) and 'Victor Von Doom' (Joseph Culp) are college friends who use the opportunity of a passing comet to try an experiment; however, the experiment goes wrong, leaving Victor horribly scarred. 'Sue' and 'Johnny Storm' are two children living with their mother, who has a boarding house where Reed lives. 'Ben Grimm' (Michael Bailey Smith), is a family friend and a college buddy of Reed's.

"Early 1990s: Reed, 'Sue' (Rebecca Staab), 'Johnny' (Jay Underwood), and Ben go up into an experimental spacecraft as...

Sneak Peek a new trailer from director Marty Langford's documentary "Doomed ! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's 'The Fantastic Four', plus take a look at the entire film:

Low-budget film producer Corman reportedly finished the New Horizons feature in 1992, because German producer Bernd Eichinger wanted to retain the rights, and although filming was completed, the picture was never officially released.

"...in a flashback, 'Reed Richards' (Alex Hyde-White) and 'Victor Von Doom' (Joseph Culp) are college friends who use the opportunity of a passing comet to try an experiment; however, the experiment goes wrong, leaving Victor horribly scarred. 'Sue' and 'Johnny Storm' are two children living with their mother, who has a boarding house where Reed lives. 'Ben Grimm' (Michael Bailey Smith), is a family friend and a college buddy of Reed's.

"Early 1990s: Reed, 'Sue' (Rebecca Staab), 'Johnny' (Jay Underwood), and Ben go up into an...