Kevin Feige teases Fantastic Four as a 'big pillar' of the MCU's future

Devan Coggan
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

After 15 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has assembled a whole pantheon of on-screen superheroes. But there are still a few A-list comic book characters that fans have been waiting for — specifically, four of them.

After multiple movie attempts (some more successful than others), the Fantastic Four are finally joining the MCU, with a new film scheduled to hit theaters in 2025. (Feb. 14, 2025, to be specific — exactly two years from today.) In a new exclusive interview with EW, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige offered a few updates about the film, and how it will play a major role in Marvel's future plans.

"Fantastic Four is the foundation for everything that came after in the comics," Feige told EW. "There's certainly been versions of it [on screen], but never inhabiting the storytelling of the MCU. And that's something that is really exciting for us."

'Fantastic 4' title card
'Fantastic 4' title card

Marvel Studios 'Fantastic 4'

Perhaps it's no surprise that Marvel Studios is eager to bring the Fantastic Four into the fold: Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch), and Ben Grimm (The Thing) have long been referred to as "Marvel's First Family," playing a key role in some of the most iconic comic storylines. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the four heroes made their comic debut in 1961, and they've appeared in multiple film adaptations, including the 2005 film and its 2007 sequel, Rise of the Silver Surfer, as well as a less successful 2015 reboot.

So far, details about the new Fantastic Four movie have been scarce, and casting for Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben has yet to be announced. (Although John Krasinski made a cameo as an alternate-universe version of Reed in last year's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.) Meanwhile, WandaVision's Matt Shakman is on board to direct the new film from a script by Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, replacing previous director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home).

"People will start to hear more about that soon," Feige added. "We plan on that being a big pillar of the MCU going forward, just the way they've been in the comics for 50 or 60 years."

Marvel is now kicking off Phase 5 of its ever-expanding universe, beginning with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (in theaters today) and stretching several years, leading up to 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and 2026's Avengers: Secret Wars. For more Marvel news, read EW's full interview with Feige here.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content: