Will 'Fantastic Four' Characters Join the MCU?
Before the multi-billion dollar deal between Disney and 20th Century Fox was finalized, there had been lots of speculations about the future of some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, including "Star Wars," "Alien" and "The Fantastic Four." If new reports are anything to go by, fans of Marvel's famous first family don't have any reason to worry after all, as "The Fantastic Four" will still be in the MCU even after the recent buyout.
Back in the 1990s, Marvel sold off the film rights to some of its franchises, with "The Incredible Hulk" going to Universal, "Daredevil" going to Regency, "Spider-Man" to Sony, and "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" to Fox. Fox's several attempts to breathe life back into the franchise all failed to the point of killing any hope of the "Fantastic Four" characters going forward. Fox's latest attempt involved outsourcing the production company Constantin Film to produce the movie, but it also failed.
Since Disney's recent Fox takeover, there have been speculations that the "Fantastic Four" will finally be back in the MCU, as Marvel is now one of Disney's properties. However, there have also been speculations that the buyout does not make "Fantastic Four" a Marvel property again, since Constantin Film — which Fox outsourced to produce the latest "Fantastic Four" movie — now owns the rights to the franchise, making Fox not connected in any way with "Fantastic Four."
Luckily for fans, new reports suggest that contrary to early reports, Constantin does not really own anything related to the franchise, and the rights have always belonged to Fox. Now that Fox has been purchased by Disney, "Fantastic Four" now belongs to Marvel. In fact, Marvel Studios executives are reportedly looking at Marvel's "Avengers 4" as an opportunity to bring "Fantastic Four" into the MCU.
Although Marvel has yet to confirm if the post-credits scene for "Avengers 4" will indeed tease the joining of "Fantastic Four" characters in the MCU, the chances are high now that Disney's Marvel owns all the rights to the franchise.