A new theory has sprung up amongst the Marvel fandom, suggesting the Fantastic Four will not survive Avengers: Secret Wars if it breaks this one important rule. Marvel's First Family will debut in the MCU in this summer's Fantastic Four: First Steps, finally coming to Marvel Studios' interconnected comic book universe after being teased for years in the super-powered franchise.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn will play the new iteration of the iconic team, setting them on the course for what is assumed to be a long and fruitful tenure in the long-running series of films. This will come into play not too long after First Steps release, as the characters are already confirmed to join forces with the Avengers in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, two films that will bring the ongoing Multiverse Saga to an end in the cosutmed universe.
Whether they will survive beyond that remains a massive question for audiences, and some seem to believe there is one specific factor fans can consider to get a better idea of their survival.
Even though First Steps is technically the first time this new take on the team will appear on-screen together, it will not be the first time Fantastic Four characters have appeared in the MCU proper.
Thus far in the on-screen Marvel universe, otherworldly iterations of Reed Richards and Johnny Storm have appeared on-screen in one form or another.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Office star John Krasinski made a jaw-dropping cameo as Mister Fantastic, appearing before Benedict Cumberbatch's Sorcerer Supreme as a member of the Multiversal Illuminati.
Meanwhile, in Deadpool & Wolverine, former Captain America actor reprised his role as The Human Torch from Fox's Fantastic Four movies.
However, both these characters showed up without the help of their super-powered teammates, eventually being killed by the villain of their respective MCU films (Wanda Maximoff in Doctor Strange 2 and Cassandra Nova in Deadpool 3).
That is where this particular theory takes root. Some have speculated that the primary reason for both these characters' deaths is the fact they they were pulled away from the rest of the Fantastic Four, and how this could perhaps indicate how the new MCU Fantastic Four could live or die in a movie like Avengers: Secret Wars.
It is almost as if a cosmic force is binding the Fantastic Four team together across the MCU Multiverse, and if one member becomes separated for an extended time, they are marked for death. Could this result from their accident in deep space, which gives them their otherworldly powers? Possibly.
That means, if this theory is to be believed, as long as the First Steps take on the fan-favorite comic book team stick together as a 'family' (a theme that has been heavily leaned upon in marketing for their debut MCU film), they will live to see another day after Doomsday or Secret Wars.
However, if one becomes separated, they are as good as gone.
The MCU's Fantastic Four will make their franchise debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The new film from WandaVision director Matt Shakman hits theaters on Friday, July 25, kicking off a new era for the franchise. The super-powered blockbuster will follow its central team of heroes (Mister Fantastic, Human Torch, The Invisible Woman, and The Thing) as they take on Ralph Ineson's terrifying Galactus.
Will the MCU Fantastic Four Die in Secret Wars?
Seeing this new MCU theory lined up like this will almost surely make some fans shiver in their boots. An MCU Fantastic Four team has been one of the franchise's white whales, so it would be a shame to have them leave just as fast as they arrived.
However, the worry may be for naught. This is an interesting theory, and there is evidence to back it up, but it seems unlikely Marvel Studios would kill off characters like Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards or Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm so soon after they were first introduced.
If there is a cosmic tie keeping the four heroes together, and if one of them goes off on their own, they die, then wouldn't it be a fun bit of storytelling to have to have the team break these binds as a part of Avengers: Secret Wars or another upcoming MCU movie?
This could be a fascinating B-plot for one of these upcoming Avengers movies, allowing them to work independently or as a team in the MCU.
And there will almost surely be a lot for them to do well into Marvel Studios' future (read more about the MCU's future plans here). The Fantastic Four's arrival in the series is a big deal and feels like the beginning of a new chapter for the superhero franchise.
These are the kinds of characters you build an entire new foundation off of, with Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm being pillars of the franchise for the next decade and change.
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