Unlike most Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, The Fantastic Four will reportedly not be set within the sacred timeline.

According to trusted insider Daniel Richtman on his subscription-based Patreon account (via X), the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot will take place in an alternate universe and not Earth-616. If true, this would be the second MCU movie to be set in an alternate reality after Deadpool & Wolverine, which is expected to take place in 20th Century Studios' X-Men Universe. Richtman also shared that filming on the hotly-anticipated movie will begin this August in London, England. This news comes after Marvel Studios teased The Fantastic Four being set in the 1960s with its casting announcement artwork.

The Fantastic Four was first announced by Marvel Studios in July 2019, with WandaVision director Matt Shakman signing on to helm the reboot in August 2022. From there, development was slow-going, with Marvel not giving too many updates, especially on the casting front. Rumors swirled online for months over who was in the running to play one of the members of Marvel's First Family, with several names being brought up time and time again. Finally, on Valentine's Day 2024, Marvel Studios officially announced that Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn would be playing Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Johnny Storm/Human Torch, respectively, in The Fantastic Four.

Who Is Playing Doctor Doom?

At the time of writing, Marvel Studios has not revealed who the Fantastic Four will face off against in their MCU debut. Many fans are expecting the movie to include an appearance from Doctor Doom, who has appeared in every previous live-action Fantastic Four adaptation. Joseph Culp played him in 1994's unreleased The Fantastic Four, followed by Julian McMahon in 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 sequel, and Toby Kebbell in 2015's Fantastic Four. However, there's a chance Doctor Doom might not be part of The Fantastic Four as there have been rumors that Galactus will instead be the main villain of the reboot, with Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem reportedly being Marvel's top picks for the role.

Oppenheimer Star Wants to Play the MCU's Mole Man

Another Fantastic Four antagonist that could appear in the upcoming reboot is Mole Man, who was the first villain Marvel's First Family ever faced in the comics. Oppenheimer star David Krumholtz, who unsuccessfully campaigned to play The Thing in The Fantastic Four, recently expressed interest in playing the MCU's Mole Man, believing he'd be "a shoe-in" for the role. He explained, "I'll do anything Marvel tells me to. I'll probably end up playing like a superhero's therapist. Let's face it. There's slim pickings for guys like me in that world, unfortunately. I'm old and I'm not in any kind of acceptable shape. So we'll see how that works out, if it works out at all."

The Fantastic Four is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.

Source: Daniel Richtman, via X