Fantastic Four theory suggests Loki is the key to understanding why we've not seen the group in the MCU yet

Fantastic Four
(Image credit: Marvel)

A Marvel fan theory about the Fantastic Four could suggest why we haven't seen the superhero team in the MCU yet – and it all revolves around Loki

All the clues for the Fantastic Four movie point towards the film being set in the '60s, though, if that's the case, it does raise the question: why haven't we met Marvel's First Family before? In fact, there haven't even been any mentions of the team. It's like they never existed at all. 

Well, considering this is the Multiverse Saga, there's an obvious answer to that mystery: the Fantastic Four come from another timeline. So, why would they be crossing over into the main timeline now? 

"No one remembers the Fantastic Four because they are time travellers on a branched timeline – now allowed to exist," one fan speculates on Reddit, accompanied by a picture of Loki in the Loki season 2 finale

In that episode, Loki became the guardian of all the separate timelines of the MCU. Thanks to his sacrifice, the multiverse can flourish, which means the Fantastic Four would be able to move from another universe to the main timeline with no problems. 

We'll have to wait and see if this theory proves correct, with Fantastic Four hitting theaters on July 25, 2024. Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (AKA the Thing). 

While you wait for Fantastic Four, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has in store. 

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it background detail in the Fantastic Four trailer might be hinting at how the team joins the present-day MCU
Fantastic Four: promotional art for the new Marvel movie, The Fantastic Four First Steps
Fantastic Four: release date, cast, director, and everything else we know
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Fantastic Four: First Steps concept art contains an unexpected MCU Easter Egg that could change the Marvel movie completely
The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer
One moment in the Fantastic Four trailer may have accidentally spoiled a major Marvel rumor that won't go away: Sue Storm is pregnant
The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast assemble
The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer introduces Marvel's first family, big bad Galactus, and John Malkovich's deep-cut comics character to the MCU
The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer
The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer Easter eggs – The 12 Marvel nods we spotted, from the Fantasticar to the Baxter Building
Latest in
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
FC 25
FC 25 FUT Birthday guide and full cards list
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2