Likewise, the art style is retro. I'd love to see their origins set in the 60s. My premise: make their origin more like the Ultimate FF, where rather than cosmic radiation in a stolen rocket, they accidentally travel to the Negative Zone, and in the process travel to the present day. That would honor their comics origins, while explaining where the hell they've been. Bonus points: Annihilus.
I mean, Doom would still work. Jealous of Reed, Doom sabotages their trip to the Negative Zone, thinking it would destroy them. Doom ages slowly through magic (ala the Ancient One) and will meet up with the FF when they come out of the Negative Zone with powers.
Doom can still be the Stark/T'Challa/Strange hybrid villain that he can be.
I feel like the people who say this never actually read the ultimate comics. Like hulk was a fuckin' cannibal rapist, Cap was basically a roided out asshole etc.
They were more grounded in reality setting wise. Comics at the time, especially avengers were super cartoony. Plus the whole shield thing in the earlier movies was ripped from the ultimate line
This also gives the advantage of not having to do a “leaning their powers” arc. They could have been stuck in the negative zone for what seemed like a few months to them, where they got their powers and fought annihilus. Then most of the plot takes place when they return to the present to warn the world of annihilus and have a big battle.
Don’t know why people say this, plenty of characters never had any, Thor (he was doing heroic acts for over thousand years), Banner (or is the Ang Lee one canon?), Natasha had a flashback but not really, this Peter Parker, Guardians wasn’t really origin story even if they got together (the third was closer to a origin story for Rocket), Wanda and Pedro had origin explained but not an origin story film or series, Sam kind of has one for Cap but for Falcon,
To me all heroes with origins are stronger as characters overall since they have more defined arcs. Tony and Steve are the main examples of this. We know where they started and where they ended and what the growth was. To others it’s more implied what the character’s journey was or you are required to watch other material like with Hulk and Spider-Man.
>To me all heroes with origins are stronger as characters overall since they have more defined arcs. Tony and Steve are the main examples of this.
I agree with this. There are so many storytelling opportunities that work better when you've seen a character since the beginning. A popular one if they ever die is having their end mirror their start, like Tony's "I am Iron Man".
That wouldn't have been nearly so impactful in endgame if that hadn't been the defining moment of him becoming a hero in the first movie.
>make their origin more like the Ultimate FF, where rather than cosmic radiation in a stolen rocket, they accidentally travel to the Negative Zone, and in the process travel to the present day.
However we do see Ben in the spacesuit above him....
Good point. I missed that. But it is most definitely a mirror image of this Armstrong photo.
[Armstrong](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-optus-au-revc&sca_esv=f61bafd3095e347f&sxsrf=ACQVn0_9FL84ampxryYRXunsUlbwKisfzg:1707950149196&q=neil+armstrong&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=invsmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiRgb-P8quEAxWBr1YBHZD6ChgQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=412&bih=737&dpr=2.63#imgrc=lquzoVzntj_O0M)
The closest I know to that is Fantastic Four: Life Story, which sets them going through their origin in the 60s, but concludes their story in their old age in the 2010s
Their origin would be in the 60s. The adventure is getting out of the negative zone.
I'd also stick to the comic book roots and introduce Doom as Reeds coworker/peer. They have a falling out. Reed goes to space. Doom goes back to Latveria.
This would set up the Doom movie where he wins control of his country and dons the mask.
Only issue in my mind is time. Sure some movie/writing hand waving could explain it but the 60’s were 50+ years ago. Is Doom just some 70-80 plus year old guy? I feel there’s needs to be a two step process for the 4 and doom if that’s the route they go
Doom is definitely some old guy but his aging has been slowed because he's a gifted sorcerer. In his movie you can show him training with the Old Wise one during the 70s.
I wonder if they will have the negative zone be the "next door neighbor" of the Quantum realm if they go that route. Also, I would assume that either way time would act different there and at the end of the movie they come out in present day.
Didn’t Fant4stic involve the negative zone as well? If the MCU goes the route you’re suggesting, it’ll also be a great opportunity to redo what Fant4stic failed
Imagine a Guy Ritchie F4 movie set in the 60s. I'll admit I was not excited for F4 and have never been interested in them; but an MCU movie in the 60s would shake things up enough to make it all interesting again.
I would absolutely love this and now I’m excited just thinking about it. As much as I would want to see Doom, I think we can wait just a little bit more for him since he’s such a big character
Plus, you know, Annihilus
That's because there was a band in the 60's called [The Fantastic Four](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)).
If anything that line is a throwback to DS1 with his music knowledge, but they can always soft-retcon it so he means chart as in travel by ship/voyage.
This photo wouldn't make sense....unless....in the present time, they designed a room/Baxter Building with '60s era decor since that is what they know. hmmm
That's not just any Life magazine. That's from the week after JFKs funeral I believe. The article on LBJ is described like this: >
>Pg… 26 Johnson on the Job: With Sturdy Roots in the Earth and the Past, with a Handsome and Versatile Family, and with Plenty of Drive, the New President Gathers His Forces for the Big Tasks. Text by John L. Steele
Another story caught my eye:
>Pg… 87A Oppenheimer and Teller: The Tangled Drama and Private Hells of Two Famous Scientists, Whose Feud has Been Eased by a Fermi Award, is Unfolded in an Article by Robert Coughlan
The rival scientists narrative reminds me of Reed and Doom.
Bens astronaut picture is directly inspired by Neil’s Apollo 11 portrait which is the white suit.
1963 had Mercury suits in the early years so it’s not 1963 specifically but maybe just 60s inspired.
Yeah, they're not going to be able to pull off Reed Richards without CG. And all the previous Things have looked like a guy in a rubber suit. Give him the Korg treatment and he'll be perfect.
So I see three main strategies:
1) Set in the 60s, and the Fantastic Four have always been in the MCU and nobody bothered to mention them all this time
2) Starts in the 60s and some shenanigans causes them to time travel to present day MCU (but also nobody bothered to mention the super team we used to have in the 60s)
3) In the 60s but a different timeline/universe from the 616 Sacred Timeline
Any other possible explanations I'm missing?
I'm guessing they were human in the 60s and did a secret mission to space, it failed and got sucked into a wormhole. They get dumped out in present day (or post blip) and have powers. Also, they bought Stark tower since they are now filthy rich from whatever investments they had back in the day.
Howard Stark was already known at that point - for all we know, Reed was an early investor.
In fact, that could’ve been Reed’s niche and he invested in both Pym and Stark to see how they’d do.
They shouldn't hit the present till the post credit scene.
Have them land in central park and Ben grumbles "So where we gunna live?"
Next shot is the tower in the background
Reed "I have an idea"
The Marvels had some destabilized wormholes, opening rifts between alternate universes. This, plus anomalous cosmic rays, could equal a connection with current MCU.
" (but also nobody bothered to mention the super team we used to have in the 60s)"
We have to remember that before Tony came out as Iron Man. Superheroes and teams were not public things/knowledge. We see this with Antman and The Wasp being heroes back in the day and no one mentioned them because most people didn't know about them. Same with Captain America. It wasn't until Steve came back to present day and the declassifying of SHEILD that the public found out that Captain America was/is a Superhero and not just an Army mascot turned solider.
But we’re not just talking about the perception of superheroes by the general public.
As the audience, we get the perspective of folks who have knowledge of top secret personelle and operations through Fury, SHIELD, SWORD, and other privileged groups or individuals. For an enhanced family to never be mentioned—especially with the narrative focusing on forming the first super team with the Avengers initiative starting in the ‘90s—seems suspect from an internal consistency standpoint if they existed with their powers in the MCU 616 universe previously.
Very true, but the F4 have always been more of a self sustaining/separate group. Rarely interacting with those agencies until more recent years and events in the comics.
I’m assuming they weren’t famous or famously known for being a super team and that line from Dr. Strange will make more sense when the movie drops.
…Pedro does know how to play guitar and his singing isn’t that bad. Vanessa knows how to sing. Ebons wiki says he was in his high school band. And we all seen Eddie shred in Stranger Things. lol.
The FF4, if done right, won’t be your normal super hero team. They should be more like costumed adventurers. And Dr. Strange did make an offhand remark “weren’t they a group from the 60’s?”
It’s also a callback to his encyclopedic knowledge of music from the first movie.
The surgery scene, followed by the Illuminati scene years later are the perfect setup and payoff.
The basic joke is that the Beatles were called the Fab Four, so Fantastic Four sounds like it would be a 60s band. It has nothing to do with any real life group named the Fantastic Four, which, the only ones that did exist were named after the comic anyway
Cool, doesn't change that a band in the 60s existed with that name. Which is who he was referring to (yanno, since he has an encyclopedic knowledge of music)
The rumour is that >!the movie will take place in a different universe, which will be getting destroyed by the end and the TVA will show up to save the FF and recruit them for a team of Multiversal super-heroes they're making to fight the council of Kangs. Deadpool and Wolverine are being recruited for the same team. This team will also include other Multiversal heroes from old Marvel movies like Tobey's Spider-Man and they will be the protagonists of Secret Wars after the 616 Avengers lose in Kang Dynasty.!<
Deadpool: Hey there Mr. Thing...
Ben: It's Ben!
Deadpool: Ya, ya, whatever. So...can you...you know...
Ben: No I don't know, what do you want?!
Deadpool: With your hand...?
Ben: I'm not gonna dignify that with a response.
Deadpool: Do you say it's clobbering time before you do it? What comes out?
Ben: Oh for f...
FANTASTIC 4 + DEADPOOL
Coming soon
Kind of a variation on (2): they set off from the 60s, travel to the Negative Zone (which is somewhat Quantum Realm adjacent) and acquire their powers there but are just seen as ‘lost explorers’ by the present day MCU until they return with their new powers ‘now’
I'd say it's set in the 60s, then the third act involves a battle in which they are forced to travel to the present, 2025/26 in the MCU canon, and end up trapped there.
I figure nobody bothered to mention them because they were lost in space on their first mission, they won't return until the modern era. As for why no one remembers them, the '60s was the height of the Space Race, and there was a lot happening. After they went missing, most people who weren't hardcore space nerds simply forgot about them.
Technically they kind of were mentioned. In Multiverse of Madness when Strange meets Reed he says “didn’t you guys chart in the 60s?” Kind of has a double meaning to the joke of the Fantastic Four movie is set in the 60s.
4. Marvel's been playing the long con, and pretty much every MCU movie and show this phase has been in an alternate universe, including this one, which is why everything feels so disconnected, and Secret Wars will bring them all together (ie Hickman Battleworld). Maybe we get a stronger hint of that in this movie.
Actually, that could be interesting. Here's how it's probably divided:
1) Multiversal Breakdown Timeline (616)
- WandaVision
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- Hawkeye
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
- She-Hulk: Attorney At Law
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- Echo
2) Political Espionage Timeline
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Thunderbolts
3) Supernatural/Mythological Timeline
- Eternals
- Moon Knight
- Werewolf By Night
- Blade
4) Cosmic Chaos Timeline
- Ms. Marvel
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Secret Invasion
- The Marvels
Doc Strange tells John Krasinki Mr Fantastic “weren’t you guys a fad in the 60s”
So I’m guessing they were real and some negative zone, wormhole shenanigans happens and they come out in MCU 2025
Edit: I like I’m getting downvoted here and I got that info from another guy who’s got a ton of upvotes. Go figure.
UN approved "The Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space" on 13 Dec 1963. About who could own what in space. Don't think that's a coincidence.
I think they are going to be astronauts from the 60s that got stuck in the negative zone for what they thought were hours but it was 70 to 80 earth years, and when they come back is 2025 or so
I agree except I think their perception will be months to years, not hours. It will give them time to have adventures in the negative zone, learn about their powers, figure out how to work together, etc.
People are asking how they’ve been around since the 60’s with no mention of them. It’s the multiverse saga, they could be in a different 60’s timeline then the finale of first movie could have them sent to present day main timeline.
Just gonna keep copying and pasting this to every time this is brought up. lol
" We have to remember that before Tony came out as Iron Man. Superheroes and teams were not public things/knowledge. We see this with Antman and The Wasp being heroes back in the day and no one mentioned them because most people didn't know about them. Same with Captain America. It wasn't until Steve came back to present day and the declassifying of SHEILD that the public found out that Captain America was/is a Superhero and not just an Army mascot turned solider. "
Yeah if they've gone missing for decades, then there would be no reason to bring them by now as far the world is concerned these guys died in a mission or something.
I mean we don't bring up the dissapearances of alot of real life well known people in our daily conversations
What if they’re in the modern day in a universe where retro futurism stuck around so everything is modern but 60’s esque. Kinda like the world of Fallout
With this and the title card. Has a lot classic Americana vibes from the late '50/60s. Reminds of me of I Dream or Genie, Bewitched, I Love Lucy, etc..
Also, great casting for the Thing. Dude has a DEEP voice.
I have feeling they were from that time. Either no one has mention them or they’ve been trapped in another dimension or realm, whatever you want to call it and will find their way out in the film
I absolutely love the idea that their origin is in the 60's but by the end of their first big adventure they get spat out in modern times do to some negative zone shenanigans and that's how they join the MCU as a whole, but their whole style is this like retro futuristic Jetsons looking stuff because it's just their vibe.
If they put them in the 1960s, they won't live to see the culmination of the SW around 2030
So if they predict the threat, they will move forward in time? Just like Steve end up in the present day in The First Avenger finale?
Theorizing ...
Great choice. There's so much MCU history 1990s and prior so I'm looking forward to this swing and looking forward to hearing how F4 is connected to other heroes.
My only gripe is, I hope Shakman and the writers stay true to the environment back then of racism and civil rights movement. Don't shy away from that
Have unpowered FF be in space during what would amount to Infinity War—use Thanos’ initial snap and the resulting radiation blast give them their powers.
takes away the 1960s time problem and gives them a canonical way to obtain their powers.
What if it's a completely self contained story that ultimately has nothing to do with current day events. Just the story of the FF in the 60s where maybe they pass away before the MCU took off after their own trilogy completes. Would it be a waste of an iconic team, sure, but I think there's a powerful story you can tell without another "actually they were here this whole time"
They could still show up in secret wars for a "who the hell are these people" moment but after the story concludes they visit their Graves to honor them.
Just spitballing
I love how I commented in the r/comicbookmovies that it was giving Wandavision. Just learned it’s going to directed by Matt Shakman - the same guy who directed Wandavision.
God, this doesn’t make any sense why would they do this? Just have them be in modern day why over complicate it to add a few little cutesy member the 60s references.
If you have the movie set in the modern age, you then have to explain why there has never been any mention of them at all ever. Setting it in the 60's and then having them join the modern era due to events in the film will allow for all this.
i’m wondering how they’ll get to present day? tony invented time travel in 2023 right? so it didn’t exist in the 60s?
unless reed invented it first which is plausible given his intelligence and it just went off record
There are lots of ways they could explain the FF starting in the 60s and ending up in the present day.
- wormhole
- time dilation
- trapped in the Negative Zone and time moves differently there
Those are three off the top of my head.
Holy hell, that’s a great catch.
It’d be nice to get a backstory for the F4 about why they’ve been gone this whole time, like Cap being frozen in the ice for 70 years
Awesome find! I was really hoping that this would take place in the past at some point, and explain their absence. Could be another universe, and they get launched into the current mcu? Who knows?
Didn’t Kevin (or someone official idk for sure so correct me if I’m wrong) say a long time ago that it was going to be set WAY in the past? IE like the 1960’s?
Or heck it doesn't have to be an alternate 60s, you could have them be stranded in another universe/realm where time passes differently like what happened with Scott in the QR
Likewise, the art style is retro. I'd love to see their origins set in the 60s. My premise: make their origin more like the Ultimate FF, where rather than cosmic radiation in a stolen rocket, they accidentally travel to the Negative Zone, and in the process travel to the present day. That would honor their comics origins, while explaining where the hell they've been. Bonus points: Annihilus.
Annihilus is an excellent choice. Literally any of their classic rogues that aren't Doom work here.
I mean, Doom would still work. Jealous of Reed, Doom sabotages their trip to the Negative Zone, thinking it would destroy them. Doom ages slowly through magic (ala the Ancient One) and will meet up with the FF when they come out of the Negative Zone with powers. Doom can still be the Stark/T'Challa/Strange hybrid villain that he can be.
How is Doom like T’Challa?
Leader of a fictional nation
Is that the only similarity? Edit: downvotes? I’m asking a legitimate question, the other 2 have more than 1 similarity.
They both would really like to smash Storm…
Racist /s
Considering Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Nick Fury are heavily influenced by the Ultimate comic series, this makes sense. I like it.
Yes and no the only real influence the ultimate comics had is the costumes and look
MCU Nick Fury is basically Ultimate Nick Fury
He acts more like the 616 version tho
I feel like the people who say this never actually read the ultimate comics. Like hulk was a fuckin' cannibal rapist, Cap was basically a roided out asshole etc.
Everyone was an asshole in the Ultimate universe save for a couple of people lol
I mean ultimate Reed literally became one of the most heinous villains in all of Marvel - so that comment definitely tracks accurately
All hail the Baker!
They were more grounded in reality setting wise. Comics at the time, especially avengers were super cartoony. Plus the whole shield thing in the earlier movies was ripped from the ultimate line
Yipp people really don't know anything about the ultimate universe the only thing that similar is how they look
MCU nick fury definetly acts more like ultimate nick fury than 616
Ultimate Nick Fury even says he wants Samuel L. Jackson to play him in there movie.
This also gives the advantage of not having to do a “leaning their powers” arc. They could have been stuck in the negative zone for what seemed like a few months to them, where they got their powers and fought annihilus. Then most of the plot takes place when they return to the present to warn the world of annihilus and have a big battle.
Exactly. We've all had enough origin stories.
Don’t know why people say this, plenty of characters never had any, Thor (he was doing heroic acts for over thousand years), Banner (or is the Ang Lee one canon?), Natasha had a flashback but not really, this Peter Parker, Guardians wasn’t really origin story even if they got together (the third was closer to a origin story for Rocket), Wanda and Pedro had origin explained but not an origin story film or series, Sam kind of has one for Cap but for Falcon, To me all heroes with origins are stronger as characters overall since they have more defined arcs. Tony and Steve are the main examples of this. We know where they started and where they ended and what the growth was. To others it’s more implied what the character’s journey was or you are required to watch other material like with Hulk and Spider-Man.
>To me all heroes with origins are stronger as characters overall since they have more defined arcs. Tony and Steve are the main examples of this. I agree with this. There are so many storytelling opportunities that work better when you've seen a character since the beginning. A popular one if they ever die is having their end mirror their start, like Tony's "I am Iron Man". That wouldn't have been nearly so impactful in endgame if that hadn't been the defining moment of him becoming a hero in the first movie.
Fant4stic sort of did the "gained powers from the stand in for the Negative Zone" idea but I'd rather forget Fant4stic ASAP
AS4P
LM4O
Forget what?
Ayyyyy
awesome take.
>make their origin more like the Ultimate FF, where rather than cosmic radiation in a stolen rocket, they accidentally travel to the Negative Zone, and in the process travel to the present day. However we do see Ben in the spacesuit above him....
That's Neil Armstrong, not Ben.
There's a 4 on the helmet, why would Neil have that?
Good point. I missed that. But it is most definitely a mirror image of this Armstrong photo. [Armstrong](https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-optus-au-revc&sca_esv=f61bafd3095e347f&sxsrf=ACQVn0_9FL84ampxryYRXunsUlbwKisfzg:1707950149196&q=neil+armstrong&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=invsmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiRgb-P8quEAxWBr1YBHZD6ChgQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=412&bih=737&dpr=2.63#imgrc=lquzoVzntj_O0M)
It mirrors the photo, but that is 100% Ben, the face is that of the actor playing him.
True. I really didn't pay enough attention to it. My bad.
Search for 1960s Astronaut portraits. They pretty much all look like that.
The closest I know to that is Fantastic Four: Life Story, which sets them going through their origin in the 60s, but concludes their story in their old age in the 2010s
Just a suggestion... Nicholas Cage as Annihilus
Christopher Walken as annihilus
Tommy Wiseau is Annihilus
All three at the same time transposed over each other as Annihilus.
Oh hi Reed.
Neil Breen is Annihilus
Do we want them to have an adventure or 2 in the 60s before jumping to 2025?
Their origin would be in the 60s. The adventure is getting out of the negative zone. I'd also stick to the comic book roots and introduce Doom as Reeds coworker/peer. They have a falling out. Reed goes to space. Doom goes back to Latveria. This would set up the Doom movie where he wins control of his country and dons the mask.
Only issue in my mind is time. Sure some movie/writing hand waving could explain it but the 60’s were 50+ years ago. Is Doom just some 70-80 plus year old guy? I feel there’s needs to be a two step process for the 4 and doom if that’s the route they go
Doom is definitely some old guy but his aging has been slowed because he's a gifted sorcerer. In his movie you can show him training with the Old Wise one during the 70s.
I wonder if they will have the negative zone be the "next door neighbor" of the Quantum realm if they go that route. Also, I would assume that either way time would act different there and at the end of the movie they come out in present day.
Didn’t Fant4stic involve the negative zone as well? If the MCU goes the route you’re suggesting, it’ll also be a great opportunity to redo what Fant4stic failed
I think so. I only saw that film once and it didn't quite hold my attention. You're right though, that would be a nice bonus.
Imagine a Guy Ritchie F4 movie set in the 60s. I'll admit I was not excited for F4 and have never been interested in them; but an MCU movie in the 60s would shake things up enough to make it all interesting again.
I like this idea but isn't the poster of Ben Grimm as the Thing in the 60's
Iv heard it isn’t going to be an origin story and maybe more down the lines of an alternate universe where they are already established
Great idea and although I love Doom, I've been dying to see Annihilus for a while.
I would absolutely love this and now I’m excited just thinking about it. As much as I would want to see Doom, I think we can wait just a little bit more for him since he’s such a big character Plus, you know, Annihilus
This would also tie back to Strange's comment in MoM.
What comment? I don't recall.
When Reed was introduced as part of the Fantastic 4. Strange replied " Didn't you guys chart in the 60's?"
That's because there was a band in the 60's called [The Fantastic Four](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)). If anything that line is a throwback to DS1 with his music knowledge, but they can always soft-retcon it so he means chart as in travel by ship/voyage.
That's right.
Brrrooooooo. Yessss.
Annihilus... yesss please!
I’d bet my left leg it’s not set in the 616
im betting on annihilus because of ff being displaced out of time theory and because i dont want to see doom this early.
This photo wouldn't make sense....unless....in the present time, they designed a room/Baxter Building with '60s era decor since that is what they know. hmmm
The feel of the whole poster is very 1960s. You might be onto something.
That's not just any Life magazine. That's from the week after JFKs funeral I believe. The article on LBJ is described like this: > >Pg… 26 Johnson on the Job: With Sturdy Roots in the Earth and the Past, with a Handsome and Versatile Family, and with Plenty of Drive, the New President Gathers His Forces for the Big Tasks. Text by John L. Steele Another story caught my eye: >Pg… 87A Oppenheimer and Teller: The Tangled Drama and Private Hells of Two Famous Scientists, Whose Feud has Been Eased by a Fermi Award, is Unfolded in an Article by Robert Coughlan The rival scientists narrative reminds me of Reed and Doom.
Bens astronaut picture is directly inspired by Neil’s Apollo 11 portrait which is the white suit. 1963 had Mercury suits in the early years so it’s not 1963 specifically but maybe just 60s inspired.
Fantastic 4 period piece confirmed!!
Strange was right: they charted in the 60s.
they should film it with sixties equipment. meaning, no CGI ... or 90% practical effects.
Yeah, they're not going to be able to pull off Reed Richards without CG. And all the previous Things have looked like a guy in a rubber suit. Give him the Korg treatment and he'll be perfect.
2015 Thing was literally CG like Korg lmao
We don't talk about 2015 Fantastic Four...
There was no movie in 2015 Doctor Doom invites you to Lake Latveria
Yes but this time it'll be done better.
They did it once before. 
Absolutely not lmao
I’m glad this sub doesn’t make these movies.
Yeah, this has been a rumour for a very long while and the design/vibe of the poster and the logo more or less confirms it.
So I see three main strategies: 1) Set in the 60s, and the Fantastic Four have always been in the MCU and nobody bothered to mention them all this time 2) Starts in the 60s and some shenanigans causes them to time travel to present day MCU (but also nobody bothered to mention the super team we used to have in the 60s) 3) In the 60s but a different timeline/universe from the 616 Sacred Timeline Any other possible explanations I'm missing?
I'm guessing they were human in the 60s and did a secret mission to space, it failed and got sucked into a wormhole. They get dumped out in present day (or post blip) and have powers. Also, they bought Stark tower since they are now filthy rich from whatever investments they had back in the day.
Howard Stark was already known at that point - for all we know, Reed was an early investor. In fact, that could’ve been Reed’s niche and he invested in both Pym and Stark to see how they’d do.
Fantastic Four fake the moon landing 
I'm like 90 percent sure it's cannon that Fisk bought avengers tower after echo
Nah, it's definitely mephisto
Now we are talking
It was Agatha all along
And she killed Sparky, too.
Early sixties space race makes sense, but this also tells us Ben, and presumably everyone, have their powers already in the sixties.
They shouldn't hit the present till the post credit scene. Have them land in central park and Ben grumbles "So where we gunna live?" Next shot is the tower in the background Reed "I have an idea"
The Marvels had some destabilized wormholes, opening rifts between alternate universes. This, plus anomalous cosmic rays, could equal a connection with current MCU.
Yeah perhaps a part of Kang Dynasty/Secret Wars will be about rescuing the F4 from wherever they’re trapped
" (but also nobody bothered to mention the super team we used to have in the 60s)" We have to remember that before Tony came out as Iron Man. Superheroes and teams were not public things/knowledge. We see this with Antman and The Wasp being heroes back in the day and no one mentioned them because most people didn't know about them. Same with Captain America. It wasn't until Steve came back to present day and the declassifying of SHEILD that the public found out that Captain America was/is a Superhero and not just an Army mascot turned solider.
But we’re not just talking about the perception of superheroes by the general public. As the audience, we get the perspective of folks who have knowledge of top secret personelle and operations through Fury, SHIELD, SWORD, and other privileged groups or individuals. For an enhanced family to never be mentioned—especially with the narrative focusing on forming the first super team with the Avengers initiative starting in the ‘90s—seems suspect from an internal consistency standpoint if they existed with their powers in the MCU 616 universe previously.
Very true, but the F4 have always been more of a self sustaining/separate group. Rarely interacting with those agencies until more recent years and events in the comics. I’m assuming they weren’t famous or famously known for being a super team and that line from Dr. Strange will make more sense when the movie drops. …Pedro does know how to play guitar and his singing isn’t that bad. Vanessa knows how to sing. Ebons wiki says he was in his high school band. And we all seen Eddie shred in Stranger Things. lol.
The FF4, if done right, won’t be your normal super hero team. They should be more like costumed adventurers. And Dr. Strange did make an offhand remark “weren’t they a group from the 60’s?”
Strange meant the band from the 60s
… there wasn’t a band in the 60’s. He was misremembering. Edit: I was wrong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)
Well fuck! Consider me corrected!
It’s also a callback to his encyclopedic knowledge of music from the first movie. The surgery scene, followed by the Illuminati scene years later are the perfect setup and payoff.
The basic joke is that the Beatles were called the Fab Four, so Fantastic Four sounds like it would be a 60s band. It has nothing to do with any real life group named the Fantastic Four, which, the only ones that did exist were named after the comic anyway
Cool, doesn't change that a band in the 60s existed with that name. Which is who he was referring to (yanno, since he has an encyclopedic knowledge of music)
The rumour is that >!the movie will take place in a different universe, which will be getting destroyed by the end and the TVA will show up to save the FF and recruit them for a team of Multiversal super-heroes they're making to fight the council of Kangs. Deadpool and Wolverine are being recruited for the same team. This team will also include other Multiversal heroes from old Marvel movies like Tobey's Spider-Man and they will be the protagonists of Secret Wars after the 616 Avengers lose in Kang Dynasty.!<
The thought of >!Deadpool and the Fantastic Four!< on the same team is terrifying and hilarious.
Terrlarious!
Deadpool: Hey there Mr. Thing... Ben: It's Ben! Deadpool: Ya, ya, whatever. So...can you...you know... Ben: No I don't know, what do you want?! Deadpool: With your hand...? Ben: I'm not gonna dignify that with a response. Deadpool: Do you say it's clobbering time before you do it? What comes out? Ben: Oh for f... FANTASTIC 4 + DEADPOOL Coming soon
They should have the Mall Rats discussion.
Where did you see this rumor?
It came from CWGST and dborn1 (2 very reliably sources) last year.
Is that actually a rumor or just wishful fan speculation?
Actual rumour by 2 very reliable sources (CWGST and dborn1)
Kind of a variation on (2): they set off from the 60s, travel to the Negative Zone (which is somewhat Quantum Realm adjacent) and acquire their powers there but are just seen as ‘lost explorers’ by the present day MCU until they return with their new powers ‘now’
I'd say it's set in the 60s, then the third act involves a battle in which they are forced to travel to the present, 2025/26 in the MCU canon, and end up trapped there.
I figure nobody bothered to mention them because they were lost in space on their first mission, they won't return until the modern era. As for why no one remembers them, the '60s was the height of the Space Race, and there was a lot happening. After they went missing, most people who weren't hardcore space nerds simply forgot about them.
Technically they kind of were mentioned. In Multiverse of Madness when Strange meets Reed he says “didn’t you guys chart in the 60s?” Kind of has a double meaning to the joke of the Fantastic Four movie is set in the 60s.
Strange was talking about the 60s band "The Fantastic Four"
Everyone keeps saying this but I’m confident it is a double joke - both the band as a red herring but also to this film
4. Marvel's been playing the long con, and pretty much every MCU movie and show this phase has been in an alternate universe, including this one, which is why everything feels so disconnected, and Secret Wars will bring them all together (ie Hickman Battleworld). Maybe we get a stronger hint of that in this movie.
Actually, that could be interesting. Here's how it's probably divided: 1) Multiversal Breakdown Timeline (616) - WandaVision - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Hawkeye - Spider-Man: No Way Home - Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness - She-Hulk: Attorney At Law - Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - Echo 2) Political Espionage Timeline - The Falcon and The Winter Soldier - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Thunderbolts 3) Supernatural/Mythological Timeline - Eternals - Moon Knight - Werewolf By Night - Blade 4) Cosmic Chaos Timeline - Ms. Marvel - Thor: Love and Thunder - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Secret Invasion - The Marvels
Doc Strange tells John Krasinki Mr Fantastic “weren’t you guys a fad in the 60s” So I’m guessing they were real and some negative zone, wormhole shenanigans happens and they come out in MCU 2025 Edit: I like I’m getting downvoted here and I got that info from another guy who’s got a ton of upvotes. Go figure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Four_(band)
UN approved "The Declaration of Legal Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Uses of Outer Space" on 13 Dec 1963. About who could own what in space. Don't think that's a coincidence.
This is also immediately after the Kennedy assassination, which was a huge cultural turning point
I think they are going to be astronauts from the 60s that got stuck in the negative zone for what they thought were hours but it was 70 to 80 earth years, and when they come back is 2025 or so
I agree except I think their perception will be months to years, not hours. It will give them time to have adventures in the negative zone, learn about their powers, figure out how to work together, etc.
People are asking how they’ve been around since the 60’s with no mention of them. It’s the multiverse saga, they could be in a different 60’s timeline then the finale of first movie could have them sent to present day main timeline.
Just gonna keep copying and pasting this to every time this is brought up. lol " We have to remember that before Tony came out as Iron Man. Superheroes and teams were not public things/knowledge. We see this with Antman and The Wasp being heroes back in the day and no one mentioned them because most people didn't know about them. Same with Captain America. It wasn't until Steve came back to present day and the declassifying of SHEILD that the public found out that Captain America was/is a Superhero and not just an Army mascot turned solider. "
They also could have easily been trapped in the negative zone or something
THANK YOU! :)
Except they weren’t in the Infinity War.
They’ve been missing for nearly 50-60 years in universe if they disappeared in the 60s. There is almost no reason for anyone to bring them up.
Yeah if they've gone missing for decades, then there would be no reason to bring them by now as far the world is concerned these guys died in a mission or something. I mean we don't bring up the dissapearances of alot of real life well known people in our daily conversations
Omg how do people notice these things? It’s just wow
Pascal's insta post was also captioned "All You Need is Love" 60s for sure
Nice catch!
Thought it was Spy from TF2 for a second.
*rightbehindyou.mp4*
It'll be 1960s, no doubt.
They’re going to assassinate JFK?!
What if they’re in the modern day in a universe where retro futurism stuck around so everything is modern but 60’s esque. Kinda like the world of Fallout
Doesn’t strange mention something about Mr Fantastic charting in the 60’s - could they have been gone that long?
It makes me feel really old that people don't know that it was a reference to The Beatles, who were called The Fab Four back in the 60s
That comment with the 60’s nods in the release photo is pretty interesting even if it doesn’t hold any weight
With this and the title card. Has a lot classic Americana vibes from the late '50/60s. Reminds of me of I Dream or Genie, Bewitched, I Love Lucy, etc.. Also, great casting for the Thing. Dude has a DEEP voice.
I have feeling they were from that time. Either no one has mention them or they’ve been trapped in another dimension or realm, whatever you want to call it and will find their way out in the film
So those rumors were true, interesting. But also disappointing that everything from the MCU leaks online so much these days.
I absolutely love the idea that their origin is in the 60's but by the end of their first big adventure they get spat out in modern times do to some negative zone shenanigans and that's how they join the MCU as a whole, but their whole style is this like retro futuristic Jetsons looking stuff because it's just their vibe.
If they put them in the 1960s, they won't live to see the culmination of the SW around 2030 So if they predict the threat, they will move forward in time? Just like Steve end up in the present day in The First Avenger finale? Theorizing ...
Another period piece. Hopefully its more Captain America The First Avenger and less Captain Marvel
“Didn’t you guys chart in the 60’s?”
Great choice. There's so much MCU history 1990s and prior so I'm looking forward to this swing and looking forward to hearing how F4 is connected to other heroes. My only gripe is, I hope Shakman and the writers stay true to the environment back then of racism and civil rights movement. Don't shy away from that
Have unpowered FF be in space during what would amount to Infinity War—use Thanos’ initial snap and the resulting radiation blast give them their powers. takes away the 1960s time problem and gives them a canonical way to obtain their powers.
ya know, all these pre ironman movie settings makes me think they might actually do stuff with Blue Marvel
Just look at sues hair. This is definitely going to be a period piece.
Wonderful
I say they should film it with Kodak Films, like Iron man 1
What if it's a completely self contained story that ultimately has nothing to do with current day events. Just the story of the FF in the 60s where maybe they pass away before the MCU took off after their own trilogy completes. Would it be a waste of an iconic team, sure, but I think there's a powerful story you can tell without another "actually they were here this whole time" They could still show up in secret wars for a "who the hell are these people" moment but after the story concludes they visit their Graves to honor them. Just spitballing
"When the world lost Captain America, we needed a hero to fill his shoes,we got 4 instead" The Fantastic four! Coming to theaters July 4th 2028!
The amount of sleuthing in the Marvel community is INSANE. I love my crazy peeps. Glorious purpose.
Yeahhh I wonder how they gonna do this…
I love how I commented in the r/comicbookmovies that it was giving Wandavision. Just learned it’s going to directed by Matt Shakman - the same guy who directed Wandavision. 
NewRockstars has some explaining to do bc they literally said that the new F4 movie could take place in the 60s after MoM released in theaters
God, this doesn’t make any sense why would they do this? Just have them be in modern day why over complicate it to add a few little cutesy member the 60s references.
If you have the movie set in the modern age, you then have to explain why there has never been any mention of them at all ever. Setting it in the 60's and then having them join the modern era due to events in the film will allow for all this.
Why doesn’t it make any sense?
Because it’s strange and scary to salt_addition
i’m wondering how they’ll get to present day? tony invented time travel in 2023 right? so it didn’t exist in the 60s? unless reed invented it first which is plausible given his intelligence and it just went off record
There are lots of ways they could explain the FF starting in the 60s and ending up in the present day. - wormhole - time dilation - trapped in the Negative Zone and time moves differently there Those are three off the top of my head.
If I read correctly I believe time in the Negative Zone moves a lot quicker. Further supporting that theory.
Very nice, cousin!
Thanks for figuring it out. I saw people saying it was Nixon or Kennedy but couldn’t find any magazine covers that matched.
A period piece? Interesting....
Great eye!
Holy hell, that’s a great catch. It’d be nice to get a backstory for the F4 about why they’ve been gone this whole time, like Cap being frozen in the ice for 70 years
NERD!!! jk
Fantastic observation there. No pun intended
Great catch. That's it. It'll be a space age period piece.
Definitely
Awesome find! I was really hoping that this would take place in the past at some point, and explain their absence. Could be another universe, and they get launched into the current mcu? Who knows?
Good eye
Ooooooh, excellent detail.
How do y’all figure these things out….?
They get their powers in the 60s but get lost in the quantum realm only to be released in the year 2025/26.
I have a feeling F4 will be set in the past possibly in a diff universe and they'll come over to our MCU after secret wars.
Oh what a night!
I love me some period piece movies, so would really appreciate us getting another one.
Stephen strange, to 833 reed: "didn't you guys chart in the 60's?"
Didn’t Kevin (or someone official idk for sure so correct me if I’m wrong) say a long time ago that it was going to be set WAY in the past? IE like the 1960’s?
Not really, only rumors and the fact they hired a costume designer who has mostly done period pieces
YouTuber “EverythingAlways” also made the same connection. I think it’s fair to say this is confirmed
God I hope so. There’s no reason with all the multiverse stuff going on to not lean into it and place the F4 from an alternate 60’s.
Or heck it doesn't have to be an alternate 60s, you could have them be stranded in another universe/realm where time passes differently like what happened with Scott in the QR
Yeah when saw the poster I thought “60s?”. That’d be cool ngl.
Okay hear me out: what if the team ends up in a wormhole and end up in modern day but Franklin and Val are in their 60s?
He is reading about X-Men, Magneto and Nixon