According to Kevin Feige,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis a self-containedMCUmovie that doesn’t require any prior knowledge to be enjoyed.Matt Shakman’sThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsmarks the titular team’s first MCU appearance, just in time for them to meet other heroes like the Avengers and fight multiversal villains like Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. However, the MCU’s Fantastic Four don’t have to jump right into crossover territory to make an impression.
As reported byVariety,Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige revealed the studio always planned to makeThe Fantastic Four: First Stepsas a self-contained MCU installment that works as a standalone film as much as a chapter in the franchise’s overarching storyline. The idea of introducing the team in"their own world"separate from other heroes and stories was settled early on. Read Kevin Feige’s full quote:
“We always were planning, even before that became a talking point, to introduce them in their own world in which they are the only heroes. It is a no-homework-required movie. It literally is not connected to anything we’ve made before.”
What Kevin Feige’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments Mean
The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is The Most Self-Contained Project In Recent Years
Ever since the Infinity Saga concluded, Marvel has introduced a wide variety of new characters and storylines. However, the vast majority of them have been closely connected to past or future arcs. Evena well-rounded team-up movie likeThunderbolts*, which doesn’t rely on each character’s prior stories, is best enjoyed after watching titles likeBlack WidowandThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile,The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis an ideal entry for those who haven’t watched a single Marvel movie before.
The Fantastic Four: First Stepsis the fifth offour live-action Fantastic Four movies, but the first one to be part of a wider franchise. While the MCU’s Fantastic Four team will be key to future movies likeAvengers: Doomsday, their debut movie takes place entirely in a separate universe. Even their foes, like Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, are exclusive to the team — at least before they travel to Earth-616 to join forces with the Avengers.
Our Take On Kevin Feige’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments
Not Every MCU Movie Needs To Reference The Rest Of The Franchise To Be A Hit
Although interconnectivity is one of the MCU’s greatest strengths, it isn’t the only standout quality a Marvel project can have.Solo movies likeIron Man,Black Panther, andDoctor Strangestand on their own as popular and critically acclaimed installments. Likewise, sequels likeCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3can be enjoyed in their entirety by viewers who aren’t acquainted with the rest of the MCU.
Source:Variety
The Fantastic Four’s MCU future is an interesting question, as their home universe might be left behind to integrate the team into the MCU’s main timeline. After the events ofThe Fantastic Four: First Steps,Avengers: Doomsday, andAvengers: Secret Wars, the Fantastic Four will likely interact with other MCU characters much more often. Still, that doesn’t necessarily entail that futureFantastic Foursequels will require extensive knowledge of the franchise.
