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When the cast of Marvel Studios’The Fantastic Fourwas announced on Valentine’s Day, the announcement coincided with the release of a poster with a style suggesting a 1960s setting for the movie.
That leaves fans questioning how and if theeponymous superhero teamwill enter the present-dayMarvel Cinematic Universeto interact withAvengersmembers likeSpider-Man,Thor,Captain Marvel, andthe Hulk.
Buta recent theorysuggeststhe Fantastic Fourmay already have an established relationship with oneMCUhero in the form of the originalAnt-Man,Michael Douglas’sHank Pym.
It’s time to look into the potential logistics of that scenario and how the timescales might work out.
How Could This Theory Be Possible?
TheFantastic Fourdebuted in Marvel’s comic books in 1961, inStan LeeandJack Kirby’sThe Fantastic Four #1, meaning there’s a significant chance that’s when the new movie will be set.
Hank Pym’s age in the MCU hasn’t been specified, butMichael Douglaswas born in 1944. Assuming he’s the same age as his character, Pym would be 17 in 1961.
While that makes him a little young for college, there have been instances in the real world where super-bright kids have attended early – andTony Starkcanonically attended MIT when he was 15, so there’s every chance a genius like Pym was fast-tracked to higher education. Also, the age of the actor and character don’t have to match, meaning Pym could have been of college age by 1961. Moreover, the film could realistically be set at any point in the 1960s, ensuring Pym had reached college age.
That means Pym could easily be a student ofPedro Pascal’sReed Richardsin the film, allowing for a potential emotional reunion when the Fantastic Four end up in the current era of the MCU.
Richards’ expertise spans countless subjects, including mechanics, aerospace and electrical engineering, chemistry, all levels of physics, and human and alien biology. He could easily have taught Pym everything he needed to know to begin his experiments with shrinking technology.
What Would This Mean for the MCU?
An established relationship betweenReed Richardsand Hank Pym in the MCU would intrinsically link the franchise’s Fantastic Four to the whole Ant-Man side of the universe.
It would mean the 1960s team already has a connection to the established superheroes fans know in the MCU, allowing for easier integration into the modern setting.
Whichever way the Fantastic Four inevitably make their way to the future – via theQuantum Realm, the Negative Zone, through time dilation, a wormhole, Reed Richards’ time machine, a cosmic or mystical artifact, or something else – they’ll have a valuable friend waiting for them.
Pym will be able to help the team acclimatize to the 21st century, update them on new technologies, provide them with resources and a temporary home, and introduce them to other heroes in the MCU.
Perhaps most entertainingly, it’ll be funny to see Pym getting annoyed that his old professor is now considerably younger than he is!
Kevin Stewart
Articles Published :77
Kevin Stewart is a full-time professional freelance writer and editor with 10 years of experience in the industry. He’s produced more than 2000 pieces of published work on sports and entertainment topics - work that includes listicles, news articles, feature articles, voice-over scripts, quizzes, opinion pieces, and more. He’s worked for the likes of NBC SYFY, Paste Magazine, FourFourTwo, Screen Rant, Digital Spy, CBR, WhatCulture, College Humor, The Richest, SportsKeeda, The Sportsman, and SugarScape. As an editor, he’s managed the work of teams of up to 45 writers. He’s a former business owner who’s educated to degree level and has a BA Hons in Business Management. He loves movies (especially horror, 80s films, and superhero flicks), football (Tottenham Hotspur fan), keeping fit, and travelling the world.
