Everything We Know About The X-Men & Fantastic Four In The MCU
Is a Fantastic Four movie already in the works?
Earlier this week, Disney's $71.3 billion buyout of 21st Century Fox was finally completed, with the former company absorbing the latter's vast range of film and TV content offerings, including Avatar, Alien, and yes, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
This is great news for us fans, as it now means that Disney can freely integrate those superhero teams into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige a bunch of exciting new toys to play with. X-Men vs. Avengers? A good Fantastic Four movie? Both are now one giant step closer to becoming a reality.
On the downside, it's still very early days. Since the merger has only just completed, it's going to be a few years before we see the likes of Mystique and Rogue rubbing shoulders with Doctor Strange and Black Panther, and we don't know exactly how these new characters will fit into the MCU. But rest assured, those days are inbound.
So, let's sift through the repercussions of the Disney-Fox merger, focusing on the details we know about the X-Men and the Fantastic Four's bright MCU future.
8. Disney Boss Wants Them To Join The MCU
It's never been explicitly confirmed that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four will be joining the MCU, but this has been the natural assumption since the merger was first announced. And further still, this is something that the man at the pinnacle of the Disney power pyramid - CEO Bob Iger - has said he wants to happen.
While discussing the Disney-Fox deal on an investor call in late 2017, Iger acknowledged Disney's intent to bring all of Fox's Marvel characters under the same MCU banner (via Deadline):
"We’re also looking forward to expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to include X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool".
With important figures like Kevin Feige - and Avengers: Endgame directors the Russo Brothers - discussing this idea in various interviews over the past year, it seems like a given that Wolverine, Mr. Fantastic and co. will be joining the Avengers' universe at some point.
The only character who doesn't seem to fit within the current MCU is Deadpool, given his R-rating and fourth-wall-breaking antics. So when it comes time to actually hash out the creative decisions to integrate Fox's characters into the MCU, Marvel may decide it's best to keep him separate.
The Fantastic Four and the X-Men, on the other hand, are shoe-ins.