One question that has constantly been bugging fans about any new Marvel characters brought into the MCU is, “Where were they when Thanos blipped half the world?” It was asked of Eternals, and it would certainly have been asked about The Fantastic Four. That is something that led directly to the setting of the new MCU movie, as director Matt Shakman recently explained at the movie’s launch event in the U.K.
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‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Director Reveals If There Will Be Any Crowd-Pleasing MCU Cameos
Don’t expect to see 1960s-inspired versions of The Avengers or X-Men in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps.’
Having already told almost 20 years of stories, and featured some huge events, the need to explain where everyone was at certain times in the MCU timeline has become an almost impossible task to keep up with. That is why Shakman avoided it entirely by deciding to keep Marvel Comics’ original superhero group away from the main MCU setting. He said:
“[The Fantastic Four] were created in this time of optimism during the space race, people were dreaming of the stars, they were imagining conquering the unknown and that is what the Fantastic Four is all about. So, putting them back in the 60s, we were getting close to their point of origin which felt like the right place for them to be.
But we didn’t want them to be on this Earth on the Earth with the other Marvel characters because where were they when Thanos came. They would have helped out and would have solved the problem. So, we put them on a different earth, Earth-828 a different part of the Marvel universe.”
Will ‘The Fantastic Four’ Beat ‘Superman’ at the Box Office?
Despite James Gunn saying on several occasions that there is no rivalry between this summer’s DCU and MCU movies, fans would probably disagree. Superman is in cinemas this weekend, and in two weeks, The Fantastic Four: First Steps will take its box office crown. The question is, which will be the bigger winner when all is said and done?
Projecting total box office grosses for movies is like spitting in a lake and expecting the water level to rise. Previously, it looked like Superman might have the edge when it comes to its opening weekend haul, especially with its incredible $21 million preview sales. Early projections claimed that the Man of Steel’s return to the big screen could reach as high as $175 million domestically on its opening weekend, and its opening day could see that project be accurate.
In comparison, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was initially set for an opening of around $125 million, but was then amended to a possible top end of $155 million as of last week. It is still a couple of weeks until we see a final prediction for the MCU’s biggest movie since last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine, but if the numbers stay as they are, then the “Summer of Superman” could well end up being more fantastic for Marvel Studios.
While some MCU movies have left audiences feeling disappointed or underwhelmed, as well as being a prominent sub-franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Fantastic Four has also been confirmed by Kevin Feige as the movie that will open a door directly into Avengers: Doomsday in 2026, and that could help drive a few more fans into cinemas at the end of July.
Source: SFX
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