Tag: MCU Movies

  • Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man 4’ Gets Surprisingly Optimistic Production Update

    A fourth film in the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise has always been a certainty. The same day that Spider-Man: No Way Home released in theaters in 2021, Marvel Studios One Above All, Kevin Feige, attempted to put fans at ease by assuring them that he and producer Amy Pascal had already begun collaborating on the next installment in the the highly successful franchise.

    Amy and I and Disney and Sony are talking about — yes, we’re actively beginning to develop where the story heads next, which I only say outright because I don’t want fans to go through any separation trauma like what happened after Far From Home.

    -Kevin Feige

    2022 was chock full of rumors and speculation about whether or not Holland signed a new contract to reprise the dual roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man but entirely devoid of any news about a new film. 2023, on the other hand, was full of news and rumors with Feige revealing that the film’s unidentified writers had begun “putting pen to paper” having cracked the story for Spidey 4 which scoopers have said could revolve around anything from a street-level Civil War pitting Spidey and his amazing friends against Kingpin to a blockbuster full of Multiversal madness. While the WGA slowed the development of that script, a new report claims that not only has the project picked up steam, but also that it’ll be ready to enter production much sooner than most people believed possible.

    According to Jeff “The In” Sneider, Marvel Studios and Sony are hoping to begin principal photography on Spider-Man 4 this Fall, targeting a September/October start.

    According to Sneider, the time frame fits with the increasingly stuffed schedule of franchise co-star Zendaya, whose commitment to Spidey will not coincide with a delay in production on HBO’s highly successful series, Euphoria. Should cameras indeed roll on Spidey 4 this Fall, it’s possible that the film could hit theaters in 2025, though with Avatar 3 slated for a December 19, 2025 release, 2026 does seem more likely. Interestingly enough, Sony has June 27, 2026 already set aside for an Untitled Marvel movie which would keep the film in theaters for the Fourth of July weekend which Sony seems to prefer.

  • ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ Promo Art Teases Some Absurd–and Comic Accurate–Variants

    It’s no secret that a good portion of Marvel Studios Deadpool and Wolverine will take place in The Void. Introduced in Season 1 of Loki, The Void is a massive space located at the end of time where people, places and things end up when they or their timelines are pruned by the TVA. It’s a fun concept that allowed for the Law of Conservation of Mass to remain intact even in a wild sci-fi romp like Loki; however, once pruned Variants end up there, they have to contend with the trans-temporal entity Alioth, a construct of Kang’s who feasts on those sent to The Void. It’s a scary place to be sure but it’s definitely survivable and it looks as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce a slew of Variants who have done just that. Now, some new promo art for the film gives a pretty clear picture of who some of the Variants who occupy the Void will be.

    A piece of art making its way around social media found an interesting way to tease five total Deadpool Variants, including three that haven’t been revealed until now.

    Embedded in the classic “SNIKT” of Wolverine, a baby version of Wade Wilson and Variants, Kidpool, Deadpool, Dogpool and Headpool can be seen, left to right. Those are certainly not the only Variants we’ll see in the movie (Lady Deadpool is noticeably absent) but it does seem as though Deadpool and Wolverine will introduce some version of the Deadpool Corps. In the comics, the Deadpool Corps was a team of alternate-universe versions of Deadpool that assembled to take on a multiversal threat. That sounds pretty much what they’re likely to do in Deadpool and Wolverine where they will have to take on, Cassandra Nova, the deranged twin of Charles Xavier.

    Deadpool and Wolverine is set to hit theaters on July 26th!

    Source: X

  • ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Reveals Joaquin Torres’ New Falcon Look

    Source: Twitter

  • New Rumor May Shed Some Light on Marvel Studios X-Plans

    New Rumor May Shed Some Light on Marvel Studios X-Plans

    As Marvel Studios continues to move toward the finish line of their ongoing Multiverse Saga, they already have one eye on the future of the MCU. One major piece of that future will be the X-Men, who have already begun to be sprinkled into the Multiverse. While Marvel Studios have laid out no clear plans, they did begin taking meetings with creatives last fall to hear pitches on how to fully incorporate mutants into the MCU. Now, a new rumor may indicate that part of the plan will revolve around one of the X-Men’s most devious villains.

    According to insider Daniel RPK, Marvel Studios plans to put Mr. Sinister front and center as the big bad of the studio’s X-Men reboot.

    Created by iconic X-Men writer Chris Claremont in 1987, Mr. Sinister has become one of most fabulous and deadly villains Charles Xavier and his team have ever faced. He played a large role in X-Men: The Animated Series and recently hatched his greatest plan to date in the comics which led to the end of the mutant’s Krakoan Age. Should Marvel Studios indeed choose to put Sinister in the middle of their plans for the X-Men and keep some semblance of who the character is in the comics, his long and incredibly complex personal history could truly be used to set the table for any number of stories to be told. Over the last 25 years and change, Sinister has had a hand in just about every major X-story and has deep ties to Apocalypse, the Summers family, the Weapon X program and both Charles and Magneto. Fox had planned to incorporate him into their X-Men franchise but never did, providing Marvel Studios with a fairly easy choice in a central villain that both helps set their X-films apart and allows for some very interesting stories to be told.

  • Disney Rumored to Be Killing Three Marvel Studios Franchises

    Disney Rumored to Be Killing Three Marvel Studios Franchises

    Since Bob Iger‘s return as Disney’s top dog, the House of Mouse’s major studios have been reflecting on the work they have been churning out. Chief among those is Marvel Studios, who after a string of projects that were critical and/or financial disappointments, has been mandated to slow down production and get back to the basics of what made the MCU the cultural phenomenon it was. The strikes served as a blessing in disguise in that regard, allowing Kevin Feige and the Marvel Studios Parliament to rework several projects that were already in production and get ahead of the curve on others. As a result, it seems as though the end of the Multiverse Saga may ultimately be delayed a bit and while fans wait to find out when it will wrap up and what new projects will join those already known, a new rumor may help put that puzzle together.

    According to Marvel Studios insider Daniel RPK, Disney has decided not to move forward with a trio of sequels, effectively killing three Marvel Studios franchises. The scooper reports that the studio has decided not to move forward with more projects in the Captain Marvel and Ant-Man franchises and has “shelved” a sequel to 2021’s Eternals. The moves come as Iger reportedly wants Marvel to put their energy into projects that are sure-fire hits and reduce the number of risky projects in the pipeline.

    The Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, was a disappointment at the box office, falling well short of the big money its predecessor made in 2019. The target of a preemptive and hateful social media campaign that was successful in keeping fans out of theaters, the film has been fairly warmly received as it made its way to Disney Plus. The same can not be said, however, for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Plagued by rewrites, the film–which was supposed to be a major cornerstone of the Multiverse Saga–is the most critically panned MCU project. Neither of those projects were as risky as Eternals, which was also well-lambasted by critics. Word of development on a sequel to Eternals had been making its way around for some time but for now, it seems fairly unlikely to move forward.

  • ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Provides First Look at Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader

    ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Promo Art Provides First Look at Tim Blake Nelson’s Leader

    2008’s The Incredible Hulk still stands as one of the MCU’s most critically panned films. Outside of Bruce Banner’s ongoing plight and a small recurring role for Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the characters and ideas introduced in the film were phased out of the MCU. Then, in 2021, a brief appearance by the Abomination in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings kicked off a renaissance for the project.

    Tim Roth returned as Emil Blonsky/The Abomination in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law which also put Banner’s blood–a key plot point in The Incredible Hulk–back in the spotlight. The renaissance is set to continue in Captain America: Brave New World where one of the MCU’s longest-gestating set-ups will finally pay off when Tim Blake Nelson will return as The Leader. While some photos from the set confirmed Nelson’s Samuel Sterns would be green in the new film, three been no good look at the character’s trademark massive dome, which audiences saw beginning to from after Banner’s blood dropped into an open head wound in The Incredible Hulk. Now, a new piece of concept art for the film, which was originally set to hit theaters in 2024, has found its way online.

    It’s certainly not the most revealing look but it does make clear that Sterns’ cranium has undergone some cosmetic changes since he was last scene.  The Leader’s role in the film has yet to be revealed but given his role in creating the Red Hulk in the comics, it’s possible he’ll find himself together with Harrison Ford’s Ross.

    Captain America: Brave New World is CURRENTLY set to hit theaters on February 14, 2025.

  • ‘Thunderbolts’: New Rumor Has Bucky Barnes Sidelined in the 2025 Ensemble

    ‘Thunderbolts’: New Rumor Has Bucky Barnes Sidelined in the 2025 Ensemble

    Marvel Studios Thunderbolts has faced its fair share of delays since being announced in 2022. The project’s script has passed through several writers since Black Widow scribe Eric Pearson‘s first draft came in. Most recently, The Bear showrunner Joanna Calo was brought on board to take a pass at the script just as cameras are finally set to roll in Atlanta. Sporting an ensemble cast that includes Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, David Harbour and Lewis Pullman as the powerful Sentry, the project seems loaded with potential; however a new rumor indicates that a fan-favorite character won’t have as large of a role as once thought.

    Though details on the film’s plot are scarce, it’s said that the story “centers on villains and antiheroes going on a mission that was supposed to end with their deaths.” When the film’s cast was introduced by Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios One-Above-All said that Bucky would serve as the “de facto leader” of the team. While that may have been true at the time, according to insider Daniel RPK, that no longer seems to be the case.

    Though he was front-and-center on the concept art released for the film in 2022, RPK has indicated that not only is Sebastian Stan’s Bucky not one of the film’s main characters but also that some other, surprising characters are potentially set to play a larger role. In response to a line of questioning on X, RPK claimed that “Bucky is definitely NOT a co-lead with Yelena” and provided a list in which he laid out the priority taken by each character in the film. Bucky, as it turns out, is right near the bottom with characters such as Russell’s U.S. Agent, Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost and even Olga Kurylenko’s Taskmaster ahead of him.

    As has been shared before, the film was originally a nearly full-fledged sequel to 2021’s Black Widow but even as rewrites have changed the film a bit, it’s still Pugh’s film to lead and thus she’s surrounded by supporting characters from her first MCU appearance. While there’s plenty of intrigue around why a character as popular as Barnes might not be one of the film’s leads, there’s less question about why Harbour’s Red Guardian won’t have a ton of screen time. With Thunderbolts having worked through multiple delays, it’s now filming right smack dab in the middle of production on Stranger Things Season 5, meaning the project will have to make due with whatever they can get out of Harbour.

    Bucky’s potential role in Thunderbolts has always been an interesting one. Though he was introduced as part of the team, which is clearly going to be run by Dreyfus‘ CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, the two have never interacted. While she recruited Yelena Belova and John Walker, Bucky never seemed to be on her radar. Furthermore, what we’ve seen of Val’s intentions for the team would seem ideologically opposed to where Bucky found himself at the end of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Wharver the case, it seems far more likely that Bucky will be doing his own thing in the film rather than taking orders from Val.

    Thunderbolts hits theaters on May 2, 2025.

  • RUMOR: Sony Makes a Decision about Miles Morales’ Live-Action Debut

    RUMOR: Sony Makes a Decision about Miles Morales’ Live-Action Debut

    It’s no stretch to say that when Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli created Miles Morales in 2011 for Marvel Comics Ultimate Universe the duo created one of Marvel Comics most important and beloved characters. Miles has been an incredibly popular character in the comics, led a video game franchise and is at the center of two of the best superhero films of the era with a third, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse set to cap that story. All that’s left is the character to make his way into live-action, something fans have been eagerly awaiting for quite some time. Now, a new rumor from a credible insider indicates that the wait is nearing its end.

    According to Daniel RPK, Amy Pascal and Kevin Feige, who have been collaborating on Tom Holland’s MCU-set Spider-Man films for the better part of a decade are planning to continue working together to incorporate Miles Morales into the MCU!

    RPK claims that Pascal and Feige are set to introduce the character in the as-yet-undated fourth Spider-Man film. Additionally, Miles’ solo adventures will be set in the MCU, allowing Spider-Man to continue to interact with Marvel Studios’ fully-stocked universe of heroes.

    The timing of the rumor neatly coincides with Sony’s recent box office failure, Madame Web. Though the studio had success with its first Spider-Man-adjacent project, Venom, they’ve failed to repeat it and the last two projects, Madame Web and Morbius, are among the most critically panned superhero films of all time. While including Miles in the MCU doesn’t indicate Sony’s given up just yet (Kraven the Hunter is due out this year and, for some reason, the studio is still developing El Muerto), it does give fans of the character hope that his story will be done some measure of justice on the big screen. With Avengers: Secret Wars lurking down the road and Miles having played a significant role in the 2015 Marvel Comic book event of the same name, it seems that Sony and Marvel Studios are making a very wise choice at just the right time.

  • 10 Characters Worthy of Inclusion in the MCU’s ‘The Fantastic Four’

    10 Characters Worthy of Inclusion in the MCU’s ‘The Fantastic Four’

    When the First Family of Marvel Comics finally joins the MCU in 2025, it will have been a decade since Fant4astic Four was in theaters and TWO DECADES since Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis brought the team into live-action for the first time in 2005’s Fantastic Four. With the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer added in, Fox made three live-action films in 10 years and all fans got out of it were 2 awful Doctor Dooms, one cosmic fart cloud that was supposed to be Galactus and zero idea of just how fantastic the world of the Fantastic Four really is. Marvel Studios has been working on the project since 2019 and if there’s one thing they’ve hopefully kept in mind while doing so, it should be that working with the Fantastic Four means working with some of Marvel Comics most fascinating characters and ideas and enough storytelling capital to redefine the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    Creating the MCU’s The Fantastic Four isn’t like creating a film in a solo franchise so that the characters in that film can show up in the next installment of The Avengers; creating the MCU’s The Fantastic Four is creating a film with characters, environments and themes so rich that they lead to their own “event films” within the FF’s corner of the MCU. Other characters should be so lucky as to crossover into future FF films rather than the FF being the guests. While the plot of The Fantastic Four is being kept locked away for now, FF mainstays Doctor Doom, Galactus and the Silver Surfer are all rumored to have some role in the (maybe) ’60s set film. That’s all well and good and the FF would not be the FF without those characters; however, for Marvel Studios to really set its adaptation apart from Fox’s (and to convince fans they know how to handle the property better than Fox did), they’ll need to tap into the very deep well of heroes and villains associated with the Fantastic Four and do some significant world-building. Fortunately, that’s something director Matt Shakman has experience with, having worked a bit on HBO’s Game of Thrones and a lot of Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. With that said, should Marvel Studios and Shakman have the big picture and the long game in mind, here are XXXX characters they should be sure to sow the seeds for in The Fantastic Four.

    Red Ghost

    The artwork which served as the official casting announcement of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the Fantastic Four hinted at a potential 1960s setting for The Fantastic Four. Furthermore, the photo of astronaut Ben Grimm in the background could also indicate that the Space Race may play some role in the film. If so, Ivan Kragoff would be an ideal candidate to appear in the film. Kragoff both fits the mold of many Marvel Studios villains in that his origins as a villain are uniquely tied to the heroes and he also has enough ties to other characters and potential storylines that he could be kept around and used again down the road. A brilliant Russian scientist, Kragoff was fascinated with Cosmic Rays and, following the exposure of the Fantastic Four to them built his own spacecraft, loaded it up with primates and intentionally exposed himself to Cosmic Rays as well. He and his simian sidekicks were all mutated by the exposure and took on the Fantastic Four on the Blue Area of the Moon. Everything about the character and his early exploits screams campy ’60s sci-fi and with the film reportedly looking to cast an older, male villain, Red Ghost makes as much sense as anyone!

    Annihilus

    If Marvel Studios fails to introduce the Negative Zone and Annihilus through either The Fantastic Four or a sequel, it will stand as a massive waste of a rich storytelling opportunity and an example of gross negligence on their part. Reed’s discovery of the Negative Zone and subsequent exploration of it taps into one of the core values of the Fantastic Four–they are a family of adventurers! Beyond that, the Bug King is one of Marvel Comics most fascinating villains and, in terms of the threat he poses, could stand on the level of Thanos. Among Marvel Studios unused villains, Annihilus stands alongside Magneto and Doctor Doom as having the most narrative potential. All it would take is for Shakman to make mention of the Negative Zone (he’s already shown a willingness to tease via Easter eggs and references over the course of WandaVision) and establish the potential for the anti-matter universe to matter down the road. As much as I’d like to see post-credit scenes disappear, an Annihilus stinger would get back to what was great about them in the first place.

    Molecule Man

    Jonathan Hickman did with Owen Reece what he does best and made him ten times more interesting through is arc in 2015’s Secret Wars. It’s not to say that the Molecule Man wasn’t already a notable character, however, only that the greater, multiversal purpose given to him by Hickman made him an essential Marvel Comics character. That version of him doesn’t need to exist here (though it sure would be a lot cooler if it did) but his connection to The Beyonder and the Beyonders, who could well end up being the new big bad of the Multiverse Saga, would make him a worthwhile addition to the film.

    Mole Man

    The Fantastic Four’s first villain, Harvey Elder needs to be given his due! In August 1961’s Fantastic Four #1, Elder and his army of monsters attempted to take over the surface world before being defeated by Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben…and he never forgot it. As Mole Man stewed on his throne on Monster Isle, the rule of Subterranea and his moloids launched plot after plot against the Fantastic Four. Matt Shakman can find a way to work Mole Man into the script without taking too much time away from the main plot and by doing so, bring the kingdom of Subterranea to life for use in a future project.

    The Wizard

    Though he didn’t debut in the pages of a Fantastic Four comic, Bentley Wittman is as fantastic of a Fantastic Four villain as any. Another super genius, Wittman’s obsession with the Fantastic Four–especially with Reed’s intellect–makes him a fine inclusion while his potential for campiness and relative inability to provide a true threat to the team could also provide some comic relief. Including him in the first film might also open the door for the formation of The Frightful Four in a sequel (yeah, the timeline stuff may make that rough) which would be an incredibly fun group to bring into live-action. Ultimately a loser that the audience will learn to love, The Wizard really seems like a must. I wonder if Ben Stiller is busy?

    The House of Agon

    Whatever parts of ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. you might like to hold onto, the presentation of Inhumans and the subsequent disaster of a series that introduced the Inhuman Royal Family can’t truly be among them. Fortunately, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness established that somewhere in the Multiverse there’s an actual Black Bolt and if there’s one, there can be another and yes, The Fantastic Four might just be the best place to introduce whatever version of the Inhumans the MCU eventually wants to use (if they do at all). If The Fantastic Four is set in the 1960s, it actually provides the perfect opportunity to introduce the Inhuman Royal Family who first appeared in the comics in Fantastic Four #45. Like many of the characters on the list, the House of Agon wouldn’t need to take up much screentime in order to bring them into the MCU and allow for further use later. A mention of an encounter with them or a visit to their Great Refuge is all it would take to establish their existence within the MCU. Should the MCU really want to get funky, they could take their cues for the 616 Inhumans from Alex Ross’ Earth X series.

    The Puppet Master

    There’s no doubt that working Phillip Masters into the MCU would take some creative thinking on the part of Shakman and scribe Josh Friedman but if his daughter, Alicia, is going to be part of the plan down the road, then giving the Puppet Master some screen time shouldn’t be too much to ask. A weird dude, to be sure, he could provide a different, serial stalker kind of threat to the team.

    Impossible Man

    Deemed “too unusual and too frivolous” by his own creator, Stan Lee, The Impossible Man is a bit Mr. Mxyzptlk-ish and while he’s no villain, he’s a giant pain in the ass. Disruptive and obnoxious, he’s also served as guide to the heroes in their time of need and as a walking–sometimes floating–talking encyclopedia. If the FF are already established as heroes, as the artwork seems to indicate they are, a cameo by The Impossible Man would be…fanastic.

    The Mad Thinker

    A stereotypical mad scientist, the Mad Thinker could, like Bentley Wittman, provide an ongoing antagonist for the team without ever providing much of a threat. A ’60s setting is perfect for the Mad Thinker, whose obsession with robots and early A.I. could allow for some light-hearted moments, provide an antagonist for another member of the team who showed up in the artwork (H.E.R.B.I.E.) and, of course, lead to the inclusion of his greatest creation: Awesome Andy.

    Blastaar

    If the Negative Zone is going to truly make its way into the fabric of the MCU, than Annihilus can’t be the only would be conqueror to make his way to Earth. Reed’s exploration of the Negative Zone led him into contact with the one time King of Baluur who became a frequent foe of the Fantastic Four over the years. The Living Bomb-Burst also went on to play a major role in Marvel Comics Annihilation event before becoming King of the Negative Zone. He’s a wonderfully designed character who could really help set the Fantastic Four’s corner of the MCU apart from the rest.

  • 12 MCU Characters Who Could Cameo in a 1960s Set ‘The Fantastic Four’

    12 MCU Characters Who Could Cameo in a 1960s Set ‘The Fantastic Four’

    A surprise Valentine’s Day announcement revealed the cast, release date, new logo and a slightly different title for Marvel Studios long-gestating The Fantastic Four. As an added bonus, the artwork that revealed Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the MCU’s First Family hinted at the film being set in the 1960s and that Aunt Petunia’s favorite nephew will be an astronaut giving fans hope that the film will take at least some inspiration from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby‘s original book.

    Should the film–or part of it–ultimately take place in the ’60s (and in MCU’s 616 universe), there would be ample opportunity for Matt Shakman to curate some ties to the MCU by including cameos from existing MCU characters. To that end, here are a dozen characters listed alphabetically that could pop up in 2025’s The Fantastic Four.

    Azzuri

    The grandfather of T’Challa and Shuri, Azzuri would have been the Black Panther of Wakanda in the 1960s in the MCU. T’Challa made his first Marvel Comics appearance in the pages of Fantastic Four #52, so finding a way to include Wakanda and a Black Panther in The Fantastic Four would serve as a nice nod to that comic book history. So far, Azzuri has only been referenced but his sons, T’Chaka and N’Jobu, who were born in the ’50s, have been on screen in the MCU already. Having one of the brightest minds on the planet visit Wakanda would be a great way to add to the in-universe history of Wakanda and, as it was in the comics, provide an opportunity for the team to show their skills.

    Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier

    Given that he killed JFK in 1963, Bucky was out of stasis and active for at least some of the decade. Given the magazine cover of Lyndon B. Johnson in the artwork is from December 13th, 1963–just after LBJ took office–it could hint at either an appearance or name drop of The Winter Solider in The Fantastic Four.

    Ulysses Bloodstone

    The great monster hunter was just a crusty corpse when he appeared in Werewolf By Night, but Ulysses Bloodstone’s extra-long life means he was definitely doing his thing in the 1960s. Like many of the characters on this list, Bloodstone does have a shared comic book history with the Fantastic Four and the Fantastic Four have a long list of monsters they’ve squared off with over the years. While there’s certainly a primary antagonist and a primary mission in The Fantastic Four, if Shakman is taking the angle that the team is a known quantity, he could include a fun montage of some of their greatest hits which could include them teaming up with Bloodstone to take down a monster such as Diablo, like they did Tales of Suspense #9.

    Peggy Carter

    If Marvel Studios is going to go the route of including cameos in The Fantastic Four, Haley Atwell‘s Peggy Carter has to be considered the safest bet. S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded in the 1950s and there’s no way someone like Reed Richards would go unnoticed by Carter. Such a cameo could connect to Reed’s father, Nathaniel Richards, a brilliant scientist in his own right who was part of the clandestine Brotherhood of the Shield in the comics; should the MCU wish to go down that road, they could include bits of Jonathan Hickman’s S.H.I.E.L.D., which detailed the secret history of the organization which included Richards and another character included on this list: Howard Stark.

    Cosmo

    Since it’s taken so long for Marvel Studios to be able to roll out The Fantastic Four, Ben Grimm and his buddies won’t be the first space travelers fans of the MCU have met. Though Cosmo didn’t go to space until 1966, the Russians started their space program in 1955 so if the film is set in 1963, Cosmo could make a cameo if part of the story centers on the space race.

    Namor

    Everyone who has even a passing interest in Marvel Comics knows about Namor’s obsession with Sue Storm. The Fantastic Four provides ample opportunity for that obsession to work its way into the MCU, tie into the team’s potential interaction with Wakandans (it’s clear that the lineage of Black Panthers does not come with the promise of full disclosure of anything at all) and add to the story of why the MCU’s El Niño Sin Amor, who was born in 1571, is such a dick.

    Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne

    Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne have already been established to have worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1970 and it wouldn’t take much creativity to have Pym working either with Reed Richards or his father, Nathaniel, in the 1960s. As Marvel Studios looks to reframe things moving forward, giving more screen time to two original Avengers who were shafted by the studio’s legacy issues could hardly be a bad thing!

    Obidiah Stane

    Sure, sure the MCU has a Tony Stark obsession and bringing Jeff Bridges’ Obidiah Stane into The Fantastic Four and the Multiverse Saga would certainly only add to that; however, Obi was working with Howard Stark and Anton Vanko as early as 1963 and with his son set to show up in Ironheart, it would be a fun way to connect the past and present of the MCU.

    Howard Stark

    If Peggy Carter is the safest bet for a cameo, Howard Stark is the clear second choice (and the two may very well be a package deal). Marvel Studios has an opportunity to do something fascinating here (see the Nathaniel Richards bit above), should they choose to do so; they could also apply the K.I.S.S. method and nobody would blame them. Either way, the studio has established Howard Stark as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century so if The Fantastic Four is set in the 616’s ’60s, it’s impossible to imagine Howard and Reed would not have interacted.

    Anton Vanko

    It always felt like Anton Vanko was supposed to matter a bit more than he did and, as it turns out, his defection to the United States occurred in 1963…the same year as the magazine read by Ben Grimm was published (in the real world). While his work with Howard on The Unit Project may have been important to the Infinity Saga, tying him into the Brotherhood of the Shield and The Fantastic Four could keep the character alive into the Multiverse Saga.

    Arnim Zola

    As far as major evil comic book organizations go in the MCU, only A.I.M. has been rendered less relevant than Hydra (unless you count Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). While a cameo certainly won’t settle that debt, an appearance by Toby Jones‘ Arnim Zola, who was definitely busy with Project Insight and building Hydra into the infrastructure of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 1960s, would at least salve the wound a bit.