Following two heavily-panned attempts from Fox, fans are elated to see the Fantastic Four join the MCU under Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige's watchful eye in the coming years. The reboot was just recently set for a November 8, 2024 release date that will kick off Phase 6 on the big screen as the Multiverse Saga builds toward its climax.
With Spider-Man director Jon Watts having recently departed the project, the search is on to find a "big name" director and the right cast to bring Marvel's First Family to life. After months of viral fan castings, John Krasinski brought Reed Richards to the MCU for the first time in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but there's no telling whether he will be back on Earth-616 for the reboot.
Meanwhile, on the comic pages, the Fantastic Four just concluded "The Reckoning War." The story from writer Dan Slott saw the First Family face off with a group of mysterious aliens known as The Reckoning in an effort to save the Multiverse.
Now, with Slott's run with the characters concluded and the MCU reboot around the corner, an all-new take on the team is on the way to Marvel Comics.
Marvel Reveals New Fantastic Four Series Ahead of Reboot
Marvel Comics officially announced an all-new Fantastic Four comic run that will begin this November from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl writer Ryan North and Venom artist Iban Coello, with two cover designs by Alex Ross.
An alternate cover from Ross offers a closer look at the brand-new designs for the team in the comics ahead of 2024's MCU Fantastic Four reboot.
The official Marvel site confirmed the first issue will take the Thing and his wife on an adventure of their own across America to escape trouble in New York:
"To launch this new era of Fantastic Four, North and Coello have landed the team—or, at least, a member or two—in a world of trouble. Something has gone terribly wrong in New York, sending the Thing and his wife Alicia traveling across America to escape it. But when they stop in a small town for the night and wake up the morning before they arrived, they find themselves caught in a time loop that’s been going on since before they were born... That’s been going on since before they were born... That’s been going on since before they were born..."
Following the Thing-led debut issue, the second entry will spotlight Mr. Fantastic's Reed Richards and the Invisible Woman's Sue Storm, before Johnny Storm's Human Torch headlines the third. Marvel's First Family will come back together and unite before long, even as they begin their latest run separate from one another .
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, North explained that after the Multiverse-level event of Dan Slott's recent run, he set out to "tell smaller stories about the Fantastic Four:"
"I had the advantage that Dan Slott's run went super huge. In the most recent arc, 'The Reckoning War,' they saved not just the universe, but the Multiverse. That made the choice obvious: I'm never going to go as big as Dan did, so let's tell smaller stories about the Fantastic Four. That was my way in."
The writer went on to describe his vision for the team as "self-contained stories in the vein of '60s Star Trek" that "tell stories that would feel fresh and not like a retread" of the past:
"I want to do these smaller, self-contained stories in the vein of '60s Star Trek, where they go down to a planet, find a weird thing, fix the weird thing, and move on. Having these four weirdos roll into town where there's a mystery or a problem or some sci-fi thing, solve the problem, and then move on struck me as a very interesting way to position the Fantastic Four and tell stories that would feel fresh and not like a retread of what we've seen before."
Is Marvel Teasing Its MCU Fantastic Four Reboot?
Marvel tends to reset its comic runs to the first issue every few years as new creative teams get involved and bring a fresh take to the series, all while offering an easy jumping-on point for new readers. The latest Fantastic Four run comes at an opportune time as many MCU fans are bound to be eager to learn more about the team as the 2024 reboot approaches.
With the MCU reboot right around the corner as the 2023 production timeframe inches closer, there's no telling whether the direction of this comic run reflects what Marvel Studios has planned. There were previously rumors that the MCU's Fantastic Four would use Star Trek as an influence, with Kevin Feige being a major fan of the sci-fi franchise, and this may support those claims.
Many have already noted the similarities between the new Reed Richards and actor Jamie Dornan, leading to speculation he may have been cast as the MCU's Mr. Fantastic. Although there are currently no signs to suggest Marvel Studios has found its Fantastic Four line-up, this may suggest the direction they are heading in terms of age and build.
As Disney prepares to hold its D23 convention in September, many are anticipating major Fantastic Four announcements at the event, including a cast and director. Who knows whether these claims will come to fruition, but with shooting expected to begin in roughly the next year, news ought to be coming soon.
Fantastic Four hits theaters on November 8, 2024.
