When theFantastic Fourreboot bombed big time last summer, many believed the rights to these Marvel characters would eventually revert back to Disney and Marvel Studios. That hasn’t happened yet, even though 20th Century Fox hasn’t announced how they will move forward with the property.The Fantastic Four 2was originally set for June 2017. But when the first one took a nosedive at the box office, the studio quickly rethought their strategy and pulled the sequel off their slate. While there is no word yet on what is happening with the characters inFantastic Four,Guardians of the GalaxydirectorJames Gunnknows what he’d do with the property. And his idea might surprise you.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2is currently shooting in Atlanta, with a script long in place. There won’t be an opportunity to utilize anyFantastic Fourcharacters in this next sequel. But withGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3already announced as one of the movies inMarvel Phase 4, this could definitely change before 2020. Though,James Gunndoesn’t want to use one of the four earthbound superheroes that make up the Fantastic family. He’s more interested in the cosmic villains, who would be more likely to run into Star-Lord and his crew.
James Gunnheld another hour long Q&A on hisFacebook pagethis weekend. Asked if there wereFantastic Fourcharacters he’d like to use if the rights revert back to Marvel, the filmmaker had some pretty interesting choices. This is what he had to say, admitting thatFantastic Fourhas better villains than heroes.
“I probably wouldn’t add Ben Grimm to the Guardians team even if they were a part of the MCU. And of course I would love the FF to be a part of the MCU…Fox owns so many great villains and cosmic characters I would love to play around with including Annihilus, and I think they own Kang.”
A bug-like warlord from another dimension, Annihilus rules a massive army. He is very strong, and known to be crazy. He has appeared in theGuardians of the Galaxycomic books before, but he was introduced inFantastic Four, and is one of the characters under Fox’s Marvel umbrella. At one point, Star-Lord and his team had to stop Annihilus from taking over the entire galaxy. That story also includedThanos, who will next show up inAvengers: Infinity Waras the main villain. Kang is a time-traveler who likes to manipulate various time periods so that he can become a future ruler. He is most associated withThe Avengers, but was originated for and introduced in theFantastic Fourcomics.
It’s interesting that 20th Century Fox still holds the rights to so many cosmic characters that would be perfect forGuardians of the Galaxy. AndJames Gunnhas talked about using them before, with Silver Surfer and Galactus also viable in the world he’s created. Alas, he can’t get his hands on them until the rights change hands. There is no word on what is happening with theFantastic Fourrights at this moment, and Fox has made it clear that they want to still make another sequel. And there is always that much talked about X-Men and Fantastic Four crossover that was rumored to happen beforeFantastic Fourtanked.
In the current run of Marvel’s Fantastic Four comic books, the team has separated. Reed Richards and his wife Sue are off in the cosmos trying to create a multi-verse with their children. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm have both joined other super teams. As you’ll notice,James Gunnmentions not wanting to use The Thing. The Thing, in the comic books, is currently part of the Guardians of the Galaxy team. It doesn’t sound like that will happen whileGunnis at the helm of this franchise. Marvel have already asked the director back forGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but he’s too focused on his current sequel to make a commitment to that right now.
