MCU boss officially explains why Fantastic Four takes place in another universe

The director behind the upcoming MCU film Fantastic Four: First Steps has finally revealed why Marvel’s first family is stuck in an alternate universe, and I think the explanation is perfect.

When the first trailer for Disney’s Fantastic Four: First Steps dropped, we all had the same question: why the hell is this set in the 60s?

Naturally, we assumed that the story may take place in the mainline MCU’s past, but it turns out that the Fantastic Four are actually in a completely alternate universe.

But why? That seems like a bold choice for such an important film, so there must be a good reason, right?

Well, as director Matt Shakman explained during BFI’s cast and crew interview (via Dexerto's Cameron Frew) a few days ago, there are two reasons (and I love both).

“The answer is pretty simple, which is that these characters were created in the ’60s by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee,” Shakman revealed.

“They were created in this time of optimism and the Space Race. People were dreaming of the stars, imagining conquering the unknown, and that’s what the Fantastic Four is all about.”

However, while that may be the official explanation as far as artistic choices go, Shakman also noted that there was a simpler reason for the change.

“We didn’t want them to be on this Earth with the other Marvel characters, because… where were they when Thanos came, right?” he continued.

“They would have helped out. They would have solved the problem then. So, we put them on a different Earth – Earth-828 – a different part of the Marvel universe.”

Honestly, this whole explanation makes me weirdly excited to watch the film all of a sudden.

The fact that they actually put some thought into the reasoning behind their omission from Avengers: Endgame, beyond something simple like “they were blipped”, makes me think that they’re putting a lot of care into the FF’s introduction to the MCU.