Next X-Men and Fantastic Four Movies Won't Hit MCU Anytime Soon
As Marvel Studios prepares for the end of Phase 3 with Avengers: Infinity War, fans are curious about the future of the MCU after Disney acquired the film rights for X-Men and Fantastic Four from 20th Century Fox. However, fans will have to wait a while to see characters from either of those properties in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Entertainment Weekly asked Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige about his future plans for the X-Men and Fantastic Four, and his response suggested any Marvel Studios films featuring those characters would be a long way off.
"It's all about getting Infinity War finished and out, starting Captain Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Untitled Avengers, the next Spider-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3. These are the ones that are keeping us busy," Feige told EW. "When and how that deal with Fox finishes and comes together and we're told, 'Hey, now you can start working on it. Now you can start thinking about it,' is when we'll actually start thinking about it. I will say just the notion of having what, frankly, most other companies with [intellectual property] have all along, which is access to all of their characters, that would be fun."
Marvel Studios' confirmed schedule of movies is full through 2019. Looking past that there doesn't seem to be room for the Fantastic Four or the X-Men. With Guardians 3, a Black Panther sequel, and a Black Widow solo film also in the works, that leaves only four slots unaccounted for through 2022.
Fox also has its own plans for future Marvel movies. Deadpool 2 and X-Men: Dark Phoenix will release in 2018. From there, the plan is to release three X-Men films in 2019 and three in 2020. It seems Fox is going ahead with its existing plans, and Marvel Studios may have to wait until Fox is finished to incorporate those characters into its own universe.
Disney acquired assets from Fox for more than $50 billion in December 2017, which includes the film rights for the X-Men and Fantastic Four among other high-profile properties, including a controlling stake in Hulu's streaming service.
An excerpt from the official Disney press release confirms plans to bring the Fox/Marvel properties into the fold:
The agreement also provides Disney with the opportunity to reunite the X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool with the Marvel family under one roof and create richer, more complex worlds of inter-related characters and stories that audiences have shown they love.
When do you think the X-Men and Fantastic Four will show up in the MCU? Let us know in the comments section below.
