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Now We Know Why Marvel Wanted Fantastic 4 Before MCU Mutants
Marvel has finally explained exactly why it wanted Fantastic Four to release before the full introduction of the MCU's mutants with X-Men, and it connects to their entire Multiverse Saga plan. When Disney completed its takeover of Fox back in 2019, the rights to many Marvel characters came with it, the biggest of which were the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Both were teased at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, albeit briefly and without concrete details, but more progress has subsequently been made with the Fantastic Four movie, which had Jon Watts tapped to direct and was tentatively given a 2023 release.
Those plans have changed: Watts will no longer direct, and the MCU's Fantastic Four movie's release date is now in 2024 (November 8, 2024 to be precise). At the same time, the first mutant is officially in the MCU thanks to Ms. Marvel, which confirmed Kamala Khan is a mutant in this universe. However, there is noticably still no movement on mutants beyond that, with no announcements on them or the X-Men at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, despite a slew of announcements for Phases 4-6, including Fantastic Four and two new Avengers movies.
That itself explains why Marvel wanted Fantastic Four before mutants and the X-Men, though. The Fantastic Four movie's release date makes it key to the Multiverse Saga, as it will be the beginning of Phase 6; that suggests it will be crucial to setting up the events of Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, and there's a clear link between all of those movies: Kang the Conqueror. The MCU's Fantastic Four movie can better explain Kang and the multiverse, because it has such a direct connection to him: Kang is Nathaniel Richards, a descendant of another Nathaniel Richards, the latter of which just so happens to be Reed Richard's father. That, combined with theories of the Fantastic Four entering the MCU via the multiverse, mean it could go a long way to laying groundwork for the two Avengers movies.
How Fantastic Four Can Set Up Kang For Avengers 5
With Marvel confirming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, then it becomes clear where the Multiverse Saga is headed, leading to epic-crossovers requiring Earth's Mightiest Heroes fighting for not only this universe, but the whole multiverse. Should the Fantastic Four be brought into the MCU via the multiverse - which is possible, since various other characters have travelled between it. Ms. Marvel even set up the Negative Zone, a parallel universe that, in Marvel Comics, was discovered by Reed Richards, which could be part of the team's MCU origin. Likewise, Reed's father in the comics is a time traveller who ends up in another dimension, which is how Kang ends up as his descendant. Although it gets a little convoluted, these are very much concepts the Fantastic Four movie could use to flesh out Kang's own story, and setting up Marvel's First Family's role in defeating him.
Of the two upcoming Avengers movies, it's Secret Wars that could give the Fantastic Four a more prominent role - since that's further away, it would make sense, allowing time to introduce them, then have Avengers 5 with either a smaller role or questions of their whereabouts, and fully integrating them in Avengers 6. There are two main versions of Secret Wars in the comics, and Marvel could draw on elements of both them while creating their own new story, but the Fantastic Four are involved in them both, be it fighting on Battleworld or Reed's more personal battle against Doctor Doom. Quite how much is adapted and changed remains to be seen, but the Fantastic Four have a strong presence in Secret Wars and personal ties to Kang that makes introducing them before the X-Men more pertinent for Marvel.
