The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Fantastic Four reboot has a director and a placeholder logo, but that’s about it. The Phase Four sizzle reel had fans hyped that we might be seeing the movie in 2023, and while that’s not entirely out of the question given that the release schedule is empty after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lands on May 5th, there’s been a distinct lack of movement on the project.
Of course, Watts is currently wrapped up with Spider-Man: No Way Home, so we can expect development on Fantastic Four to ramp up once Tom Holland’s third solo outing arrives in December. Kevin Feige teased that casting news could be a lot closer than we think, but Marvel’s What If…? may have planed a major seed that could eventually lead to the team’s introduction.
The animated series is official multiversal canon, and it’s all overseen by Jeffrey Wright’s Watcher. The actor has hinted that he might end up crossing over into the live-action realm eventually, while Uatu just so happened to make his comic book debut in a 1963 issue of Fantastic Four, and he’s remained a recurring figure in the mythology surrounding Reed Richards, Sue Storm, her brother Johnny and Ben Grimm ever since.
We’ve heard plenty of speculation about how, when, where and why the Fantastic Four will be incorporated into the MCU, but the Watcher is the first major figure introduced for their debut in Phase Four with strong and direct ties to Marvel’s First Family. That surely can’t be a coincidence with the reboot in active development, and the cosmic nature of their origin story could lead to Wright’s mysterious being playing a significant role in how it all comes together.
