Everything We Know so Far About the MCU ‘Fantastic Four’ and ‘X-Men’ Movie Reboots
Aft over a decade of waiting, fans can finally look forward to seeing previously missing iconic superhero teams in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some of the biggest names in the comics, like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, have yet failed to appear onscreen in Marvel’s film franchise. Thankfully, Disney’s recent acquisition of Fox finally opens up the possibility of seeing these beloved heroes alongside MCU characters soon, whether as reprisals of their former versions or newly rebooted heroes. While many details are left to be revealed, especially when the X-Men could show up, fans are finally getting their first bits of info on the Fantastic Four‘s appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fox’s comic book franchises
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comic book movies had never really been important mainstays of cinema. Still, there were definitely some gems among all the comic book movies in the 90s and early 2000s. Fox’s X-Men franchise was a cultural sensation starting with its original release in 2000. The film led to a franchise spanning 12 titles, arguably one of the few extended universes of the same type as the MCU in film history.
The Fantastic Four may not have fared so well in the past couple of decades as intellectual property. Fox released two versions of the titular superhero team, both to rather lukewarm receptions. Despite many fans thinking that the team’s film showings have been lacking, the Fantastic Four is an iconic part of Marvel and arguably comic books’ first family of superheroes.
The Fantastic Four and X-Men in the MCU
Since Disney acquired the rights to Fox properties, fans have been itching to see these characters on screen. Marvel seems reluctant to rush into anything, though, probably aware that damaging beloved characters with hasty introductions could have costly repercussions in the future.
The Fox X-Men film franchise has a lot of history and complexity attached to it through soft reboots and time-travel shenanigans, and fans definitely want to see some of those characters return in the MCU. While Marvel has handled the introduction of these characters somewhat gingerly, they haven’t been entirely averse to poking some meta-fun at fans over their expectations. They have at the very least already incorporated Deadpool into the MCU in some ways, and he is definitely part of the X-Men film continuity.
According to IMDb, as far as The Fantastic Four, Disney announced in 2020 that an upcoming film with the superhero team would be directed by Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts. There are tons of rumors bouncing around about what the team may face and who will be portraying who, but it’s much too early in the production cycle for unconfirmed rumors to hold much weight.
While fans may not know much about what adventures the Fantastic Four will get into in their upcoming debut, CNET pointed out that we may know what villain they’ll end up facing. The outlet says they don’t think the team will likely take the big screen until 2023, but Loki may have already foreshadowed who they’ll face when it introduced Kang the Conqueror.
Infinite possibilities in the MCU
Just as the end of Loki showed, the MCU is an extremely complex machine of infinitely branching possibilities at this point. That show, other titles like WandaVision, and the upcoming Spider-man: No Way Home film seem to show that anything is possible in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As all these multiversal plotlines grow, fans could see how Marvel will introduce iconic heroes like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.
With time travel, alternate realities, and magic taking a more central role in Marvel’s previously more grounded storylines, there are unlimited ways in which new characters could be introduced. This has led many fans to seem to think that their favorite X-Men is coming at any moment, something that Marvel wasn’t afraid to make light of in WandaVision.
People love the X-Men, and people love the Fantastic Four. It’s safe to say that Marvel isn’t going to miss the opportunity that they now have to capitalize on that. Marvel has been pretty good at delivering quality stories over the past decade and a half. This time, fans may have to be patient and trust them to bring their favorite characters at the right time and in the right way.
