Kevin Feige reveals if Fantastic Four or X-Men changed MCU multiverse plans – and hints at more announcements

Wolverine
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios/Disney)

Kevin Feige has revealed if gaining the rights to Fantastic Four and the X-Men changed the MCU's plans for the multiverse.

"I think the Ancient One mentions it in Doctor Strange 1, when she's taking Stephen Strange through that mind-warping journey. And it was always one of the most powerful storytelling tools in the comics," the Marvel Studios President told Collider. "One you have to wield carefully, because it can get overwhelming, but one that now with the 80 year history of the comics, now we have a 20 plus history of the movies, and there are enough characters that we can start playing with it that way." 

He continued: "We mention it, obviously, as part of Mysterio's ruse in Far From Home. I think the toys that were added to that toy box increased with that Fox acquisition, but it didn't change the timetable on when we were introducing the idea of the multiverse."

The X-Men and Fantastic Four became available to the MCU when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox. While there's a Fantastic Four movie confirmed to be on the way, it's unclear at the moment when the X-Men will make their MCU debut.

Feige also hinted to Screen Rant that more announcements were in the works.

"There'll be news. There'll be various events. Obviously with the pandemic, the way we've announced things has changed and altered, and in some ways that's been good, because it's kept the focus on what's next," he said. "It's kept the focus on the projects as they come out, and certainly the anticipation for No Way Home, I would say, is as big as anything we've ever felt before, which is good timing as the movie's about to come out."

Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives this December 17 in the US, and slightly earlier on December 16 in the UK. In the meantime, check out our complete guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything else the MCU has in store for us.

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.