Kevin Feige Has High Standards For The New Fantastic Four Film

Kevin Feige has finally revealed that the overarching narrative of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been dubbed "The Multiverse Saga," with plans for the next three to four years of films. Feige brought a slew of title announcements to San Diego Comic Con 2022, including the revelation that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" would mark the end of Phase 4. The full lineup for Phase 5 was shown, giving fans a peek at what will come in the future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 6. 

For now, we know Marvel's Phase 6 features a new take on "Fantastic Four" slated for release in 2024 and two "Avengers" films in 2025. All three of these films could be considered team-up films, with the "Fantastic Four" kicking off Phase 6 of the MCU. The current release date of "Fantastic Four" would mark nearly ten years since the release of Josh Trank's "Fant4stic," which attempted to modernize Marvel's first family until behind-the-scenes drama ultimately sealed the film's fate. This upcoming "Fantastic Four" differentiates itself from the rest because of its place within a shared universe of Marvel characters. Feige is approaching the project with an understanding of the comics' vast history that comes with a property like "The Fantastic Four."

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Feige discussed the origins of the characters and the widely known the "Fantastic Four" origin story:

"A lot of people know this origin story. A lot of people know the basics. How do we take that and bring something that they've never seen before?  We've set a very high bar for ourselves with bringing that to the screen."

This wouldn't be Marvel's first time re-introducing a well-known character who has had several iterations in the past. Spider-Man's introduction in "Captain America: Civil War" is a prime example of Marvel Studios integrating a character with previous movie studio baggage. Only two years after "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" was released in theaters, the MCU brought Peter Parker into the franchise in a deal with Sony Pictures that introduced Tom Holland as Spider-Man. The MCU's Spider-Man was given an offscreen origin story only mentioned in passing, but the core of the character was still there, and it was clear audiences knew how this Peter Parker came to be Spider-Man.

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," Marvel's long-awaited adaptation of the Ten Rings and the Mandarin story, featured Tony Leung as a re-imagined Mandarin with a different power set from the comics, and it's just one of many examples of Marvel taking a different approach while staying true to the spirit of the character. Marvel Studios has remained successful thanks to producers like Feige, who understand audiences' familiarity with varying characters while staying loyal to the source material in all the parts that matter. 

Marvel Studios' success with legacy characters is what set the high standards for bringing the "Fantastic Four" to life, after all. Moreover, it will be interesting to see what changes Feige and co. Incorporate into the origin story of Marvel's first family to smoothly transition them into a cinematic universe with a rich history and lore of its own. If Feige's always vague words are anything to go by, then "Fantastic Four" will live up to the Marvel Studios standards and take the basics of the characters to elevate the team to new live-action heights.