Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is easily one of the most anticipated movies in the MCU's Multiverse Saga, as Marvel's First Family finally joins the same story as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. There is still plenty of work to do in terms of development before its release in February 2025, although the team behind the MCU is already laying out the stepping stones for their arrival before Phase 5 and Phase 6 take off.
With Kang the Conqueror being such a key player in the next few years, and with Doctor Doom likely to hold the same status once he's introduced, the Fantastic Four could potentially be one of the most important pieces of the MCU's future moving forward. That idea was set even more firmly into stone with a recent update surrounding one of the team's other major supporting characters making his own MCU debut.
The Cosmic Circus recently teased that Marvel Studios is early in development for a Special Presentation on Disney+ centered on the Silver Surfer, one of Marvel Comics' biggest villains who largely serves as the herald for the even bigger Galactus. And while no production schedule for the Silver Surfer special was revealed, fans already have an early idea of when it will be available to stream on Disney+.
MCU Fantastic Four Reportedly Gets Prequel
On top of The Cosmic Circus' reveal that Marvel Studios is developing a Special Presentation for the Silver Surfer, the same report revealed that it will serve as a prequel to the MCU's Fantastic Four.
The outlet's sources were told that the special will release "a few months before" Fantastic Four comes to theaters on February 14, 2025. Although the MCU's schedule remains flexible and unpredictable, it's said that the Silver Surfer project must premiere on Disney+ ahead of Fantastic Four.
Special Presentations Becoming MCU Prequel Projects?
Marvel Studios is taking an exciting new direction with its Special Presentation format, the first of which came with Michael Giacchino's Werewolf By Night in early October 2022. While it's unclear if that entry will tie into anything specific after bringing Jack Russell's first MCU appearance, it's been confirmed that these entries will all have their own unique purpose.
Later this year, the Guardians of the Galaxy will have their own Holiday Special that will serve as a direct prequel to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and it will concretely impact the story that comes in next year's summer blockbuster. Nova will also receive the same treatment when the character gets his own Disney+ special, with a real chance that his story could set up something in a future movie as well.
As for the Silver Surfer specifically, this project will only help to expand the Fantastic Four's lore even further within the MCU, particularly since they only get to have their first MCU movie more than a decade and a half into the game.
Marvel also confirmed that this movie won't be an origin story like its predecessors from Fox, so the Silver Surfer project will likely tackle some of that responsibility in setting up the team's MCU-specific journey. Whether the team itself appears in the special is another mystery entirely, although it's clear that Marvel intends to give the Silver Surfer the depth and development he deserves as such an important piece of Fantastic Four history.
Although it will still be plenty of time before either project moves further into development, it's becoming clear that Marvel intends to give the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer more than enough room to shine in the Multiverse Saga.
The Silver Surfer Special Presentation should premiere on Disney+ sometime in mid-to-late 2024. Fantastic Four will then arrive in theaters on February 14, 2025.
