Marvel's first family, the Fantastic Four, has had many ups and downs over the decades. This has led to many redesigns due to the multitude of comic book incarnations as well as adaptations into movies, TV shows, and video games.
The one character whose appearances and suits seem to reflect what the rest of the Fantastic Four wear is usually Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic. If Reed looks great, then usually the team looks great as a whole; however, if Reed happens to have decided on a poor design choice, unfortunate results usually come afterward.
10 Fantastic: Ultimate Reed Richards
With a younger Reed Richards created for a more modern reboot in the comics, it made sense to also update the iconic Fantastic Four suits with it. This leads to a costume that balances familiarity with freshness as it sports multiple shades of blue along with black accents. This design also works really well with the rest of the team.
Combine the suit with the glasses and spiky hairstyle, it's a look that was a perfect attempt at a modern version of the character in the newly established Ultimate universe at the time. The only minor complaint is that the actual number insignia is a little bland.
9 Terrible: Fantastic Four The Animated Series (1994)
The design of Reed and the rest of the team can be best described with one word that also describes the animated series as a whole: Bland. The series suffered from the same problems that came from the later Marvel shows from the '90s such as Iron Man: They felt cheap and forced, never reaching the same level as X-Men or Spider-Man.
Reed's design for the show was mediocre, just a blue bodysuit, white collars, and gloves, bulky and ugly large symbols. It does nothing to really stand out and Reed himself is the atypical design from the comics at the time.
8 Fantastic: Ioan Gruffudd's Reed Richards
The two Fantastic Four movies created by Tim Story were panned by critics and viewers alike. That said, if there were two saving graces of the movies, they were the performances of the characters (ignoring Doctor Doom) and their designs, especially a nearly perfect portrayal of Reed Richards by Ioan Gruffudd.
The suit itself sported a dark but eye-pleasing shade of blue, while the insignias were unique. The in-movie explanation that the uniforms kept their bodies at ideal temperatures was a nice touch. Gruffudd himself looked identical to what fans would expect from a modern-day version of the classic Reed.
7 Terrible: The Maker
In a twist of fate, Marvel decided to transform Reed Richards into a villain known as The Maker in the Ultimate universe. After many years of physical, psychological, and emotional trauma, Reed Richards descended into madness and became one of the darker villains, similar to Superman from the Injustice universe.
Design-wise, The Maker looks like an average villain with a suit that resembles something the Nova Corps would wear mixed with a RoboCop-styled helmet. Overall, it looks less like the next iconic villain Marvel was intending and more of a rejected Imperfect from Marvel Nemesis: Rise Of The Imperfects.
6 Fantastic: Future Foundation/Future Four
This suit's design is not much different from the atypical look fans are used to when it comes to the Fantastic Four. Nevertheless, the simple palette change from blue and black to white and black made for a suit that fans loved when it debuted in the comics.
The white costume looks great, the black accents help the suit pop, and both symbols for the Future Foundation and the Future Four versions of the suit are visually pleasing. It is a perfect example of a change that doesn't need a gigantic overhaul to be perfectly effective.
5 Terrible: Miles Teller's Reed Richards
Another immensely talented actor wasted on what is considered one of the worst blockbuster films ever made, Fantastic 4 from 2015. Miles Teller really tried his hardest with such a terrible production but alas, even he could not save the movie.
Teller's suit is just a complete mess since, in the movie, it's made from scrap Reed used to create an outfit that works with his elastic abilities. Unfortunately, the all-black color scheme combined with the movie's already dull look led to this disappointing design.
4 Fantastic: Modern Reed Richards
The most recent version of the character became a fan-favorite seemingly overnight. The now-older Reed is sporting a mighty fine beard/mustache combi that even Captain America from Infinity War would be jealous of.
The beard is a great touch but the new suit is also updated with a simple change that goes a long way. Instead of a blue suit with black accents, Reed and the rest of the team wear black suits with vibrant blue accents. The suit also has small details that make it appealing to the eyes. This was a great comeback look for Reed Richards.
3 Terrible: Hickman's Reed Richards
What's the first description that usually comes to mind when it comes to Mister Fantastic? A scrawny genius with long stretchy limbs. Well, Jonathan Hickman's run on Fantastic Four seemed to forget that description and decided to turn Reed, as well as the rest of the team, into Olympian bodybuilders.
Reed looks like he was injected with a super-soldier serum before being belted with cosmic radiation. The designs for the costumes tried way too hard to make Richards look "cool" and "edgy" by having suits that resemble skin-tight athletic shirts and pants.
2 Fantastic: Earth's Greatest Heroes
The criminally short-lived animated series brought about a completely new look for Marvel's first family and it was perfect for all of them, including Reed. The color scheme puts a much heavier focus on the white once again but also adds blue and orange into the mix, making it one of the most distinctive designs for the character.
The beautiful animation really compliments the suits that were designed by Sue Storm in this version. Reed looks great, with a very familiar look that has the potential to be brought back, even in live-action form. Perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe should use this show as inspiration.
1 Terrible: Alex Hyde-White's Version
While this movie made by Roger Corman was never officially released, that still doesn't excuse the fact that as a whole, Alex Hyde-White's Mister Fantastic costume looks like a rushed Halloween costume. The same goes for the whole team.
The suit looks like pajamas that someone put paper symbols with the number four on them, painted the collars, put on white sashes, and decided that was going to be the costume for the movie. Absolutely horrible with grey streaks in the hair that resemble someone just putting white paint through the actor's hair.