After years of anticipation, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ is finally here. With a stellar cast, a new setting, and the long-awaited debut of Marvel’s First Family under the MCU banner, this film was always going to be different. However, even die-hard fans were surprised by one major creative choice: The Fantastic Four doesn’t take place in the main MCU universe.
Instead, it’s set in an alternate 1960s-inspired reality, one without Avengers, without Thanos, and without the familiar threads that have defined the MCU since Iron Man. On the surface, it’s a clever move. However, it becomes clear, this decision is a direct response to one of the biggest struggles, continuity.
Why The Infinity Saga Has Made It Difficult For Marvel To Introduce New Characters
According to director Matt Shakman, the Fantastic Four’s universe-hopping origin was a calculated choice. In a recent interview, Shakman said that placing the team in the main MCU timeline would have been confusing. “Where were they during the Thanos invasion?” And he’s absolutely right. That question haunted ‘Eternals’. So, any new team introduced in the same continuity would face the same scrutiny.
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However, here’s the issue: this strategy is essentially Marvel admitting that its own storytelling choices since ‘Endgame’ have created an impossible bar to clear. Every new character must now explain their absence during the most cataclysmic event in cinematic superhero history. It’s not just a fan nitpick anymore, it’s a storytelling obstacle. The Multiverse Saga was supposed to open doors, allowing bold, experimental stories to thrive.
Instead, we now have the Fantastic Four sequestered in their own timeline, in a 1960s reality with no other heroes, just so the MCU doesn’t have to answer uncomfortable continuity questions. Sure, it’s a smart workaround. However, it also exposes a deeper flaw that the MCU is still being held hostage by its own past.
A Reset Might Be What Marvel Needs And ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Can Make It Happen
One of the biggest criticisms of the Multiverse Saga is that it’s become too much. Too many characters, too many overlapping timelines. Too many shows and movies that feel like prerequisites. In short, the MCU has started to feel like homework. Setting The Fantastic Four in an alternate reality gives Marvel some much-needed breathing room. They get to reintroduce the team without dealing with Earth-616 baggage.
In case you missed it: Why ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Will Succeed Where Every Other Versions Failed
It allows for creativity, like a retro-futuristic New York, a Galactus invasion that isn’t instantly interrupted by Thor or Captain Marvel, and a self-contained narrative. However, if Marvel keeps doing this it’s essentially admitting that its own shared universe is broken. If every new hero or team introduced in the coming years has to be tucked away in alternate timelines just to make sense, then what’s the point of having a shared universe.
Marvel used to excel at tight, interconnected storytelling. Now, it’s becoming a burden. There’s a solution on the horizon and it’s built right into Marvel’s source material. ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, slated for release in 2027, is shaping up to be more than just another multiversal clash. If Marvel follows the lead of the 2015 comic storyline, this could be the moment the MCU hits reset.
In that story, the multiverse collapses, and a new one is born. Its a world where different versions of characters coexist, where past mistakes are erased, and where storytelling baggage is, quite literally, wiped away. Moreover, rumors already suggest that ‘Secret Wars’ could act as a soft reboot for the MCU. And frankly, that might be the best thing for it.
