Will MCU's Fantastic Four Replace The Guardians Of The Galaxy?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will conclude the stories of the original Guardians, and it might be the Fantastic Four who will replace the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Curiously, if Marvel Studios had the rights to the X-Men and The Fantastic Four from the start, then perhaps Guardians of the Galaxy would have never happened, at least not so early in the MCU. Far less known among the general audiences than the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy were one of the MCU’s biggest surprise successes, and it will not be easy to replace them going forward.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) proved how far the MCU had gone, as even a less popular Marvel superhero team was able to launch a successful franchise within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, two Guardians of the Galaxy films and two crossovers with the Avengers later, the Guardians are heading to their final adventure in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Considering that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars will release after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Guardians are not confirmed to be in the next Avengers movie. In fact, it would be no surprise if most of the Guardians are not in The Kang Dynasty. However, Marvel will introduce a new superhero family right before Avengers 5, the Fantastic Four.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Made Infinity War A Crossover Event

Custom image of Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War

While Avengers: Infinity War was often described as Marvel’s most ambitious crossover, what really made the third Avengers movie a crossover event was the Guardians of the Galaxy. That is because most of the Earth superheroes had already interacted or fought together at some point. For example, while Doctor Strange was still a new superhero, he had already met Thor and had studied all of the Avengers. The Guardians of the Galaxy, however, had never appeared on Earth nor interacted with the Avengers up until that point. Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, despite their Thanos setups, were very self-contained movies compared to other MCU films.

Therefore, by the time the Guardians ran into Thor, audiences had spent years imagining what a Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers crossover would look like. The tone and the aesthetic of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies were very different from other MCU solo adventures, and seeing those two worlds collide on the big screen made Avengers: Infinity War a unique crossover event. The interactions between the Guardians and the Avengers team led by Iron Man on Titan were a highlight of Infinity War, and it made the Marvel universe feel expansive. After Captain America: Civil War, the MCU was running out of potential Avengers crossovers, which is why the Guardians were essential to Infinity War.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Will End The Team As We Know It

Guardians of the galaxy christmas special Gamora

From director James Gunn to the Guardians of the Galaxy cast, Marvel has made clear that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be a closing chapter. More than nine years after the first movie, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy will be wrapped up in what is being described as an emotional farewell to the team audiences have been following since Marvel’s Phase 2. With so many comments on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 being the end of the original Guardians franchise, the possibility of one or more Guardians of the Galaxy dying or retiring in like manner to what Avengers: Endgame did cannot be ruled out.

It is also possible that even the characters who survive Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might have their stories wrapped up, thus reducing the chances of the Guardians appearing in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. That said, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might also begin to set up a new Guardians of the Galaxy team in the MCU, although no plans for a fourth movie in the franchise have been announced. For example, Adam Warlock will be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and a Nova project is reportedly in the works. Still, even if a new Guardians of the Galaxy lineup is to be formed, it would likely only happen after Phase 6.

The Fantastic Four Can Be The “Other Team” In Avengers 5

Reed Richards Fantastic four Hulk Wolverine

With the Guardians of the Galaxy concluding their journey two years before The Kang Dynasty, the next Avengers movie will have to bring something new if it wants to be as big as Infinity War. The Kang Dynasty will be the first Avengers movie in six years, and the first Avengers movie to follow up the game-changing Endgame. A self-contained adventure focused on the Earth Avengers would not live up to the expectations for the first Avengers movie since Endgame, meaning that The Kang Dynasty has to feel like a crossover event for all those years of waiting to be paid off. Without the Guardians of the Galaxy, the easiest way for that to happen is by bringing the Fantastic Four into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

The Fantastic Four can be the “other team” in The Kang Dynasty just like the Guardians of the Galaxy were in Infinity War, a group of superheroes who audiences already know but most of the Avengers do not. Some of Marvel Comics’ most iconic moments were born out of crossovers between characters and teams popular enough to sustain their own solo comic books, and that is something the MCU has successfully incorporated into the franchise so far. The Fantastic Four will only have one movie before The Kang Dynasty whereas the Guardians had two before Infinity War, but still, “Fantastic Four meets the Avengers” could be as exciting as when the Guardians first met Thor.

An Avengers & Fantastic Four Crossover Is Avengers 5’s Most Promising Moment

While the first Avengers movie after Endgame is promising by itself, following up the most ambitious MCU film and the second highest-grossing movie of all time will not be easy. Avengers: Endgame already delivered most of what audiences could hope for in a Marvel movie, and the Battle of Earth in which Captain America leads every Avenger who has ever appeared on-screen was designed to be the peak of what the MCU could deliver. In fact, if it was not for the arrival of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, Marvel probably would never be able to top Avengers: Endgame in terms of scale and excitement. Given how there will not likely be an X-Men movie until at least Phase 7, the Fantastic Four is the MCU’s best chance at surpassing Endgame.

Most of the Infinity Saga happened at a time when Marvel Studios did not have the movie rights to the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, meaning that a Fantastic Four and Avengers crossover was something audiences could only dream of seeing. The first MCU Fantastic Four movie will be an event by itself, especially considering that none of the previous Fantastic Four movies at Fox were able to translate what makes the Fantastic Four so special to the Marvel comics. Almost two decades after the beginning of the MCU, the prospect of seeing the Avengers and the Fantastic Four interacting in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could not be more exciting, even if the Guardians of the Galaxy are absent.

Next: Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Needs To Explore A Forgotten Endgame Subplot