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In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), Doctor Strange meets Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four on Earth-838:

Doctor Strange: "Fantastic Four." Didn't you guys chart in the '60s?

Doctor Strange is asking if the Fantastic Four had any popular songs or albums that were ranked on the music charts in the 1960s.

Why did Doctor Strange believe the Fantastic Four were related to popular music in the 1960s?

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    @Valorum en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)
    – OrangeDog
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 10:54
  • 35
    Probably a reference to the Fab Four, aka the Beatles.
    – Klaus Æ. Mogensen
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 15:12
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    Back in the 1960's, many issues of "The Fantastic Four" had side jokes and remarks comparing them to the Fab Four/ Beatles.
    – Blaze
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 20:31
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    The character is a serious music buff, established in the first movie. It's very on character to say something snide and alluding to music.
    – user15742
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 20:38
  • 2
    Fab Five Freddy told him everything was fly, which only confused matters further.
    – Paul D. Waite
    Commented Oct 8, 2023 at 0:26

2 Answers 2

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Doctor Strange is shown to have a passion for music trivia as we see way back before he joins the Masters of the Mystic Arts. In Doctor Strange, whilst performing surgery he is also doing a music "trivia quiz" with the nurses to impress with his knowledge.

Doctor Strange: Feels So Good, Chuck Mangione, 1977. Seriously, Billy, you said this one would be hard.

Billy: Hah! It’s 1978.

Doctor Strange: No, Billy, while Feels So Good may have charted in 1978, the album was released in December, 1977.

Billy: No, no. Wikipedia says the...

Doctor Strange: Check again.

Billy: When did you…?

Doctor that is helping Stephen: Where do you store all this useless information?

Doctor Strange: Useless? The man charted a top ten hit with a Flugelhorn. Status, Billy?

Doctor Strange

With that established, whilst it could be argued he is referring to 'The Fab Four' (aka The Beatles) it is more likely this is a call back to his music trivia knowledge. In that case he is most likely referring to a band from the 60s who were indeed named 'The Fantastic Four'.

The Fantastic Four did indeed chart in the 60s several times, so it is likely this is what he is referring to here.

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  • Is there also a reference here to the fantastic four being outside the MCU? It would make it more likely to reach for the 1960s music reference is you've never heard of the Fantastic Four super hero team.
    – Jontia
    Commented Oct 7, 2023 at 17:03
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    @Jontia: I suspect it's more of a "MCU-exclusive" thing, rather than in the Marvel Comics themselves, if only because the Fantastic Four (The Superhero team comic book) debuted in 1961, and the The Fantastic Four (The band) debuted in 1965. It's more than likely a reference to the idea that the Fantastic Four (The Marvel team) didn't appear to exist in the main MCU timeline.
    – Alexander The 1st
    Commented Oct 8, 2023 at 7:44
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    @AlexanderThe1st that what I meant.
    – Jontia
    Commented Oct 8, 2023 at 9:08
  • The Fantastic Four shouldn't be confused (as it happened to me) with Die Fantastischen Vier (same name just in German) which debuted in 1986...
    – Arsenal
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 9:40
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Doctor Strange was making a joke here, and saying that "The Fantastic Four" sounds more like the name of a pop band than a superhero group. No doubt the name reminded him not just of the Fab Four but also the Four Tops and the Four Freshmen.

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    Can you back this up with evidence, or are you just speculating here?
    – LogicDictates
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 19:23
  • 14
    Have you read the existing answer from TheLethalCarrot? I mentions the Beatles, but points out there actually was a group called "The Fantastic Four" that charted in the 60s. If you want to convince people that answer is wrong, you're going to need to make a stronger case than that.
    – Peter Cordes
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 19:47
  • In the real world, The FF comics started in 1961, and the singing group in 1965. The FF didn't exist then in the MCU. (OR DID THEY?) But I think we can agree that "The Fantastic Four" is a reasonable name for a 60's band, whether or not it existed in the MCU and Strange knew of it. But: John Krasinski's Reed Richards doesn't look like someone who was alive in the 60's, let alone part of a Motown group. That's why I don't think Strange is confusing Reed's superhero group with the singing group, but rather saying that Reed's group's name sounds like a 60's band.
    – Mike
    Commented Oct 12, 2023 at 17:45

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