Fox had plans for an Fantastic Four movie crossover that ended up never happening, but now, Marvel’s most famous superhero families can finally work together in the MCU. Considering how important to Marvel Comics the X-Men and the Fantastic Four have always been, it was surprising to see Marvel Studios crafting the most successful movie franchise of all time without the mutants or the Fantastic Four. Still, regardless of the 15-year-old foundation built by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the arrival of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four has the potential to change the MCU into a completely different franchise.
In 1993, Marvel sold the movie rights to the Fantastic Four, the X-men, and their associated characters to Fox. This is why, until Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, Marvel Studios could not use mutants and the Fantastic Four or even mention anything related to those characters. This is also why the Fantastic Four and the X-Men have a cinematic history that predates the Marvel Cinematic Universe by almost a decade. Still, while Fox had the rights to both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, the studio never had the two IP crossover and instead focused on two separate franchises.
Why Fox’s Fantastic Four & X-Men Crossover Never Happened
A Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover was planned at Fox. According to Zack Stenz (via Fox X-Men movies, had yet to be released, the studio was probably very confident in the film and was willing to develop an ever-bigger Marvel story with the same writers. According to Stenz, the film would have seen not only the X-Men and the Fantastic Four but also Deadpool and Daredevil.
Per what Stenz described, the X-Men and Fantastic Four crossover would have been Fox’s Marvel universe's version of the Civil War comic book. Fantastic Four’s Human Torch would have caused collateral damage during a mission, thus sparking discussions regarding superhero registration. While Fox’s Marvel universe lacked characters like Captain America and Iron Man, the studio did have the movie rights to enough characters to pull off a solid adaptation of Marvel’s Civil War. Curiously, the MCU ended up adapting Civil War with Captain America: Civil War, a movie that felt much smaller than the comic book arc precisely because it lacked key Marvel characters.
A Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover was one of the many Fox Marvel projects that never came to be. For example, a film focused on Wolverine, Beast, and Wendigo with Mr. Sinister as the villain was written at some point. After X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine put the future of Fox’s X-Men franchise in check, X-Men: First Class reinvigorated the IP with a widely praised movie that introduced new versions of characters like Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique. Fox realized the potential of this new X-Men prequel franchise and decided to focus on a First Class sequel instead of a crossover.
The MCU Already Had A Fantastic Four & X-Men Crossover
The X-Men and the Fantastic Four have yet to properly debut in the MCU, but Marvel Studios already delivered a crossover between them. Doctor Strange 2’s Illuminati team scenes were the first time a Fantastic Four-related character and an X-Men-related character shared the screen, which is curious given how both teams have been on the big screen since the early 2000s. Despite its flaws, Doctor Strange 2 had some of the most “comic-bookish” moments in the MCU’s history.
As great as the MCU managed to be with only the Avengers-related characters at its disposal for so long, a Marvel universe would never be complete without the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. Marvel’s first superhero team, the Fantastic Four paved the way for a lot of superhero stories that would follow, both in Marvel and DC Comics. Likewise, the X-Men’s comic book legacy – which involves not only the most popular heroes like Professor Xavier and Wolverine but countless other mutants – was enough to sustain a successful movie franchise for two decades. Mr. Fantastic working with Professor X is commonplace in the comics, yet it was a massive MCU event.
When Will The Fantastic Four & The X-Men Meet In The MCU?
An MCU X-Men and Fantastic Four crossover, as of now, would make more sense as a multiverse-related story. Marvel’s Phase 4 introduced mutants in the MCU, but it did not reveal the MCU’s X-Men team lineup. In fact, it is not even clear if the X-Men exist in the MCU’s Earth-616. The only two absolutely canon mutants presented in Phase 4 were Mr. Marvel and Namor, the former of which learned her powers come from a “mutation”. Though Earth-616 Fantastic Four will debut in Marvel’s main X-Men roster before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
With High Jackman reprising his role as Wolverine in Deadpool 3, which releases before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and is confirmed to involve time travel, the X-Men will most likely play a significant role in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars – at least through the multiverse. Secret Wars can be the perfect opportunity for the MCU to bring in legacy mutants from the Fox X-Men movies, as both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange 2 proved that the multiverse concepts have a bigger impact when it involves crossovers between previously separate franchises. As such, Secret Wars might be when the X-Men and the Fantastic Four finally meet.
Why The Fantastic Four & The X-Men Are So Important To The MCU
The MCU’s Fantastic Four movie premiers in 2025 as part of Phase 6, meaning it will be one of the final theatrical releases of the Multiverse Saga. Likewise, apart from Deadpool 3, no live-action MCU X-Men project has been announced so far. If the MCU’s actual X-Men team only arrives after Secret Wars, which seems reasonable given the current MCU Phase 6 slate, Marvel will still have a major IP to explore even before its most ambitious crossover event yet. With multiple Fantastic Four films probably guaranteed, Marvel Studios will have two major IPs to dive into for the first time almost 20 years after Iron Man.
If Marvel Studios managed to create such a successful and longstanding cinematic universe with the Avengers-related characters only, then the MCU’s potential now that it can use mutants and the Fantastic Four is almost unmeasurable. Avengers: Endgame set the bar high for the franchise, something that caused Marvel’s Phase 4 to struggle with starting something new, but the Fantastic Four and the X-Men should make everything easier. Even those who do not follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be interested in checking out the new Fantastic Four or X-Men films, which gives Marvel an opportunity to secure the franchise’s future for decades to come without the need for a reboot.
