If you were hoping to see the Fantastic Four or X-Men finally debut in the MCU through What If?, then boy do I have bad news – it ain't happening. Despite being a series open to infinite possibilities whether it's a friendly Thanos who puts aside genocide or Peggy Carter getting suped up, Fox's properties aren't being delved into.
"We had very few parameters, but [no X-Men or Fantastic Four] was certainly one of them," executive producer Brad Winderbaum told Collider. "We wanted to make sure the characters were firmly rooted in the MCU. It hadnothing to do with rights, nothing to do with the future stories we wanted to tell.
RELATED: Marvel's What If…? Captain Carter Missed The Point Of Her Romance With Steve
"It had everything to do with what What If? is, which is a spin on an established storyline. We looked primarily at the Infinity Saga. Once it's there [in the MCU], we get to make it."
It's been promised by Kevin Feige himself that "mutants" and the Fantastic Four are coming to the MCU at some point in the future. Right now, there's no clear indication of when that will happen. Deadpool has already crossed over through Free Guy promotion, meeting Korg from Thor: Ragnarok, but that's the extent of the collaboration so far. The shows being plagued by rumors and speculation isn't anything new, though. Fans long thought Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) would crop up in WandaVision.
For context, The X-Men and Fantastic Four are now available to be used in the MCU after Disney bought out 20th Century Fox. The latter owned the rights prior to this deal and, in buying them, Disney acquired the lot as part of the deal. The only ones up in the air right now are Spider-Man and his assortment of characters and the Hulk. The former is owned by Sony while Universal Studios has distribution rights to the latter (at least, in film – hence the She-Hulk show).
Perhaps one day What If? will have the opportunity to dive into these long-awaited characters but, for now, it's not on the cards, and it likely won't be for the second season, either.
Next: Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Interview: How James Gunn's Movies Shaped The Game
