Marvel’s First Family are finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year when The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits the big screen. It’s been a long time coming, with the IP once held by 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired the studio in 2019. With a cast of some of the most talented performers working in the industry, fans have a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Fantastic Four – including when they’ll officially cross over with the rest of the MCU, and Kevin Feige has an answer.

During a live virtual appearance at the Disney APAC Content Showcase in Singapore (via Deadline), Feige excitedly talked up Marvel’s First Family – he was even wearing a Fantastic Four hat. It was this very hat that Feige pointed to when he was asked which upcoming Marvel project he was most excited about, and that’s when he also revealed that fans will be seeing a lot more of the team after First Steps hits theaters next summer.

“Finally, [we’re] bringing Marvel’s First Family into the MCU. They wrap next week, the movie comes out next summer, and then all those characters go right into the next Avengers movies, so I’m very excited for the future of the Fantastic Four.”

The next Avengers movies in question would be Avengers: Doomsday, which sees Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom, and Avengers: Secret Wars. The films are slated to be released in 2026 and 2027, respectively, so fans and moviegoers will get three straight years of seeing Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach make their respective Fantastic Four characters their own. The Fantastic Four: First Steps kicks off Phase Six of the MCU and begins a new chapter for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Fantastic Four Has a Rocky History on the Big Screen

The Fantastic Four’s journey to the MCU has been a long one. Even before the 20th Century Fox films, there was the low-budget 1994 Roger Corman-produced endeavor that was never officially released. Bootleg copies can be found online, and while it offers up some campy fun, it’s not how the brand was meant to make its big screen arrival and is largely viewed as a project that was made to retain the license of the property.

Related Disney Confirms Major ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Plot Details in Lengthy New Synopsis The new synopsis for the MCU ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot confirms several major details.

In 2005, Tim Story directed a big screen version of Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon. While critics were harsh on the film, the movie became a hit, grossing $333.5 million globally on a $100 million budget. The 2007 sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was ravaged even more by critics, and even though it was relatively successful in terms of its $130 million budget, its $301.9 million worldwide gross came in lower than its predecessor.

The news was not nearly as bright for 2015’s Fantastic Four. Directed by Josh Trank and starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbell, the film was plagued by issues during and after production, with the studio being dissatisfied with Trank’s original cut. Reshoots soon followed, and when the film was released to dismal reviews, the director publicly disowned the cut sent to theaters and put the film’s creative failure squarely on Fox. The box office was also poor, with the film earning $167.9 million worldwide on a $120 million budget.

All signs point to The Fantastic Four: First Steps rectifying the mistakes that have plagued the previous Fantastic Four big-screen adventures. The film is directed by Matt Shakman, who spearheaded the MCU’s well-received Disney+ series WandaVision, which means the project is in good hands. Also, in addition to Pascal (Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic), Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Woman), Quinn (Johnny Storm), and Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/The Thing), the film’s cast is stacked with even more talent that includes Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps
hits screens on July 25, 2025.