The Fantastic Four's upcoming introduction into the MCU raises some big questions about Marvel's First Family. The Fantastic Four have been long-awaited by Marvel audiences, but were finally revealed to be making their way to the MCU at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 and given a 2024 release date during Marvel's panel at Comic-Con 2022. While no information has currently been revealed about the cast or story for the upcoming film, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has now revealed some new information about Fantastic Four.

Marvel Studios finally acquired the film rights to the Fantastic Four in 2019, causing a huge amount of excitement for the potential for the team to show up in the MCU alongside already-established characters. Patient viewers were gifted their first tease of the team during Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with the cameo appearance of John Krasinski as Reed Richards, the leader of the superhero quartet. While this created a huge amount of anticipation for the introduction of Marvel's First Family in the 616-universe of the MCU, it also proved that the Fantastic Four are already functioning in at least one other reality in the multiverse.

Related: It's Too Late - The MCU Has Already Ruined Mister Fantastic

In an interview, Feige revealed that the upcoming Fantastic Four project at Marvel Studios will not be an origin story for the team since viewers are probably already familiar with the backstory thanks to Marvel Comics as well as previous film adaptations over at Fox. This apparently suggests that the Fantastic Four will be getting the Spider-Man treatment in the MCU, with Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming introducing Peter Parker months after the manifestation of his powers. While introducing the Fantastic Four into the MCU as an established team makes sense, it raises some serious questions about where they have been hiding up until now. As such, this unexplained absence could present a major problem for the film's narrative.

Where Have The Fantastic Four Been All This Time?

Marvel Studios Fantastic Four Origin Comics

Rumors have been circulating about the appearance of the Fantastic Four in the MCU since the sale of Avengers Tower during Spider-Man: Homecoming, with many believing the new inhabitants of the building being the Fantastic Four and the tower becoming the Baxter Building. However, this was never confirmed by Marvel, and scenes featuring the tower since have avoided showing the building in its entirety. It could be the case that Reed Richards actually did purchase the tower from Tony Stark and has been conducting experiments in the background of the MCU this whole time.

The MCU's upcoming Fantastic Four project doesn't yet have a director attached, but it was revealed that Peyton Reed, director of the MCU's Ant-Man series, once pitched an idea for a film featuring the team in a 1960's setting. This could perhaps serve the origins of the team in the MCU. It's known from Avengers: Endgame that time travel in the MCU is actually pretty simple, and since Reed Richards is widely viewed as the smartest man alive, it stands to reason that he could work out the nuances of time travel and transport his team to the present day. This means that the MCU's upcoming project wouldn't need to be an origin story, but could instead show the Fantastic Four adjusting to their new lives in the present day.

This is obviously just speculation as no details have been confirmed about the narrative for the MCU's Fantastic Four. With Feige's new revelation that the team will be thrust into the MCU without an origin story, there are many questions arising that will need to be answered in upcoming projects. However the Fantastic Four are brought to the MCU, Marvel will surely make their first official appearance hugely impactful for the franchise.

Next: The MCU's Fantastic Four Already Follows A Perfect MCU Reboot Trend

Key Release Dates