Bringing the Fantastic Four movie into the MCU without re-telling the team's origin story might seem counter-intuitive, but the studio has already shown why rehashing the beginnings of Marvel's First Family isn't necessary. Kevin Feige recently indicated that the studio wants to give fans something “they’ve never seen before.” With the focus of whatever Marvel comes up with not being on how the Fantastic Four came into being, unique possibilities open up as to how Reed Richards and company will first appear on the big (or small) screen.
The MCU’s Fantastic Four movie is slated to be released on November 8, 2024, at the very beginning of the MCU’s Phase 6. With six movies and six television series being released between now and then, there’s plenty of opportunity for Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and The Thing to start their journeys in the MCU in ways audiences haven’t seen. “We’ve set a very high bar for ourselves,” Feige said.
Marvel, however, has repeatedly shown that it can clear that bar, most significantly with the introduction of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in The Avengers. Other characters such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Phil Coulson also had brief roles in those Phase 1 films before 2012's big finale and before growing into more significant roles in future movies and series.
The Fantastic Four (& Villains) Could Appear In Other MCU Movies & Shows First
The Avengers effect would allow audiences to spend time with each of the Fantastic Four on a smaller scale, potentially in such films as the ensuing Fantastic Four MCU movie, Marvel would then be able to spend less time establishing new characters and more time on a good story.
Marvel might also be inclined to introduce some or all of the Fantastic Four during Phase 5 if a certain theory about Blastaar and Annihilus, whose plans, in the comics, are repeatedly foiled by Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing. If these villains do show up in The Marvels or elsewhere in Phase 5, it makes sense that one or more of the Fantastic Four could show up as well.
A different angle Marvel could take in all this would be to play with different versions of Fantastic Four characters across the expanding multiverse leading up to the big team-up movie. None of the performances in earlier Fantastic Four films were particularly iconic, and casting these roles perfectly is something Marvel undoubtedly wants to do. But, as already shown with Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, Marvel has plenty of time to pay tribute to previous incarnations of the Fantastic Four before introducing the actors who will finally take on those roles. It will be interesting to see where exactly Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing pop up before their first major outing together in the Fantastic Four movie in the MCU.
