10 Fascinating Facts About Black Panther (2018)

5. It Was Nearly A Fantastic Four Threequel

In the days before the MCU, back when Marvel was still farming out its properties to other studios to make films out of the comics, Black Panther was very nearly introduced in a sequel to a not-so-beloved film.

The Fantastic Four films of the early 2000s weren't great but they also weren't the pit of despair that some corners of the internet would have you believe. Hell, hindsight being twenty-twenty, they're both infinitely better than the 2015 attempt. And it turns out that had things gone just a bit differently, director Tim Story would have completed his trilogy of films with an appearance by none other than T'Challa himself, with the character being introduced in a Fantastic Four story, just as he was in the comics.

As Story said at the time;

"I’ve got to tell you, to get the Fantastic Four and turn it into a franchise, the first thing I thought was, ‘Will I get the Silver Surfer’? Or someone like Black Panther, who was introduced in their book, get Djimon Hounsou and go do it?’ But there are so many other great villains and stories – I feel like I hit the jackpot."

While Story did get to do a second film introducing the Silver Surfer, he wasn't ever able to do his proposed threequel starring Black Panther, for better or worse.