Marvel Studios has actively dabbled in the multiverse for various films and TV shows, keeping audiences nervous about what (or rather, who) might appear in an upcoming Marvel movie. The biggest surprise might have been when Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) encountered the multiversal Illuminati in the sinuous Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The organization consisted of Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Captain Marvel (Lashana Lynch), CHARles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Reed Richards (John Krasinski) of the Fantastic Four. Well, ONE edition of the Fantastic Four. We’ll find some other edition when Matt Shakman’s Fantastic Four: First Steps movie hits theaters in July 2025. But don’t expect this team to be familiar with other superheroes in the MCU.
After Marvel Studios’ eye-catching presentation in Hall H of San Diego Comic Con, where they showed Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, but as Doctor Doom, CinemaBlend spoke with Fantastic Four First Steps director Matt Shakman. During the talk we asked him about the universe of exchange that the team lives, which was mocked in promotional photographs and the panel was shown. We’ve discovered Swapped Lands in a variety of MCU projects. But when we asked Shakman if this Earth had diversifications of other Marvel heroes, he clarified:
The thing is, we’re building a new universe where there are no other heroes. They are (simply) the Fantastic Four.
It’s been tricky to track precisely which hero variants have crossed paths with others as the MCU rolls out its complex timelines. When Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) met Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in the Quantum Realm, he notoriously asked him if he had actually killed him. And then there’s Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), the fourth mercenary with a mouth who smashes walls and decimates all regulations in Marvel’s new hit, Deadpool.
Fans have speculated about how the Fantastic Four, consisting of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joe Quinn, and Eben Moss-Bachrach, would transition from their Earth to the sacred timeline, also known as Earth-616. Given how the characters have traversed the timelines, there have been more than enough explanations for how Marvel’s first family could appear in the MCU. The “why” now becomes a more important question. Is it because Galactus is devouring his planet? Are they coming to the MCU with a warning? Or will the risk of a newly announced Doctor Doom hasten F. F. ‘s arrival?
Now, thanks to Matt Shakman, we know that when the Fantastic Four land on Earth-616, they probably won’t recognize any of the MCU’s heroes as variants of the friends they once had in some other universe.
Sean O’Connell is a journalist and editor-in-chief of CinemaBlend. On the site since 2011, Sean has interviewed a wide variety of directors, actors, and makers and created ReelBlend, which he proudly hosts alongside Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. . And he’s responsible for RELEASING SNYDER’S CUT, the Spider-Man e-book of tales WITH GREAT POWER and an upcoming Bruce Willis e-book.
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