
Screenshot: Marvel / Kotaku
Novelty popcorn buckets have become an almost essential piece of movie marketing in the last year. We can probably thank the Dune: Part Two bucket for this, made to look like one of its grody sandworms but, well, becoming famous for other reasons, as its virality is what got every movie exec looking for the next big hit. I’ve got two of them sitting on my shelf from the multiple times I went to see Sonic the Hedgehog 3, so I’ve fed into the machine a few times and can’t judge. The practice of making absurd, sometimes impractical popcorn buckets has become so common that fans are now creating early mock-ups so good that the official ones may pale in comparison. That’s what one fan did for Fantastic Four: First Steps. Marvel hasn’t announced what the official buckets will look like when the movie launches on July 25, but it will probably not compare to these imagined versions by artist BossLogic.

Image: BossLogic
The mock-ups include one distinct bucket for each member of the Fantastic Four. The one for the stretchy scientist Mr. Fantastic doubles as both popcorn bucket and drink holder. His arm is stretched and coiled around the bucket itself, and then his hand at the end holds your Icee. What a gentleman.

Image: BossLogic
The Invisible Woman popcorn bucket is more straightforward, but manages to capture her invisible essence. For the most part it’s a standard popcorn bucket with a blue finish that resembles the group’s costumes. However, the lower section is clear and fades into the blue, emulating Sue’s power to disappear without a trace. If your power is to not be seen, it’s probably hard to capture that in a tangible thing people could buy at a movie theater, without just making a clear bucket, so I commend BossLogic for figuring this one out.

Image: BossLogic
The popcorn bucket for The Human Torch is cheeky, but so is the fire-wielding hero. The bucket is a beat-up fire extinguisher cabinet, implying it’s seen a lot of use over the years. The glass cover opens and inside you’ll find some popcorn for your movie. Hunger is an emergency worth breaking the glass.

Image: BossLogic
The final popcorn bucket mock-up for The Thing looks like it might be better suited for giving small portions. It just doesn’t have the deep bowl required for a large popcorn at the movie theater. Despite this, the design is still pretty good. The bucket is made to look like The Thing’s rocky hand holding his trademark fedora, which holds the popcorn inside. It’s a cute idea, but the theater better offer free refills—that’s not enough popcorn for a 90-minute movie.
Fantastic Four: First Steps is coming to theaters on July 25, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next movie, Captain America: Brave New World is out now and is apparently not great. It surely can’t be worse than the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, though?