12 Marvel Movies You Didn't Know Were Secretly Connected

If things were different, Fox would have beaten Marvel to the first comic book crossover film. Screenwriter Zack Stentz, in an interview with Kevin Smith and Marc Bernardin on Fatman Beyond, disclosed that while working on X-Men: First Class, Fox had him working on a secret movie involving the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and Daredevil. Fox also approached Warren Ellis to commission a separate treatment.

What few details on the project exist most stem from Zack Stentz's script with very little on Warren Ellis's treatment. Leaked sources indicated that Paul Greengrass was lined up to direct. The story would have been very similar to Captain America: Civil War, with the heroes forced to register with the government after the Human Torch went supernova in Manhattan during an attempt to apprehend the Molecule Man.

One of the main clashes was between Wolverine and Mister Fantastic and would have resulted in Reed stretching himself as thin as molecules to sever the mutant's arms. Both Deadpool and Daredevil would have been minor players, and the end of the film would find the heroes resolving their differences with a post-credit scene teasing a Skrull invasion.

It is eerie how close Fox was to beating Marvel to the first big onscreen superhero crossover, from an interconnected universe to hero vs hero films. It is safe to say Fox made a poor decision passing on the project.