A new theory for The Fantastic Four: First Steps explains how Thanos’ actions in the Infinity Saga could play a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. Marvel has had its fair share of issues during the Multiverse Saga. The biggest one was Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors’ firing. Due to that, Kang will no longer be the main villain of the Multiverse Saga, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom taking over the role. That puts an even bigger focus on the Fantastic Four, as the team not only debuts, but its nemesis is the MCU’s Big Bad.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ cast is rumored to include RDJ, with Doctor Doom making his MCU debut in a cameo role. However, that has yet to be confirmed. Even if Doctor Doom does not appear in the upcoming MCU movie, there is a chance that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will still be connected to another major MCU villain who was the star of his own saga in the franchise, Thanos. Josh Brolin’s Marvel character connects to the Fantastic Four’s universe in a new MCU theory that could explain a key aspect of the team’s MCU debut film.

The Avengers Had A Very Small Chance Of Beating Thanos

The Infinity Saga’s Main Villain Killed Half Of The Universe

Thanos’ MCU journey is key to understanding The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ theory. The MCU made sure the audience knew just how much of a threat the villain was, despite him only making cameo appearances for years. When Thanos finally appeared for good in Avengers: Infinity War, his first sequence included brutally beating the Hulk, murdering Loki, and torturing Thor. Due to his army and drive to collect the Infinity Stones, there was hardly any chance for the Avengers to defeat him. Doctor Strange realized that when he used the Time Stone to find a way to beat Thanos.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange looked at 14,000,605 possible futures. However, the Avengers only won against Thanos in one of them. For Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to win, they had to pay the ultimate sacrifice — twice. Doctor Strange knew full well that the only way they could defeat Thanos would be through the villain first erasing half of the universe, which was later brought back, and for Black Widow and Iron Man to sacrifice themselves to stop the alternate timeline version of the Mad тιтan in Avengers: Endgame. In the other 14,000,604 futures, Thanos wins, which matters to the Fantastic Four theory.

Thanos Revealed His Plans For A New MCU Universe

Avengers: Endgame Featured Two Versions Of The Mad тιтan

After snapping half of the universe to dust, Thanos retires to his farm on a quiet planet. The Avengers went after him, and upon realizing that he had destroyed the Infinity Stones and the Infinity Gauntlet, so his work could not be undone, Thor killed the villain. However, Avengers: Endgame featured time travel as its main plot device, and so a version of Thanos from earlier in the MCU timeline, 2014 to be precise, came into play. Thanos manages to travel to the Avengers’ time period, waging war against all of the MCU’s biggest heroes.

Before the large-scale conflict began, Thanos met Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man on the battlefield. It was at this moment that he made some interesting comments. According to Thanos, after successfully completing his Infinity Gauntlet, the villain would shred the Avengers’ universe down to his last atom and then create a new universe. This iteration of the MCU would not know loss like the Avengers did when the original Thanos snapped away half of the universe, so they would only be grateful to live in a universe teeming with life. That is where the Fantastic Four come in.

MCU Theory: Thanos Created The Fantastic Four’s Universe

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Takes Place In An Alternate Universe

Official concept art of the new MCU team has been revealed, and it shows how The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in a different universe. The movie is set in the 1960s, but its version of New York is nothing like how it looked in the original timeline of Earth-616. Instead, the new MCU film goes for a retro-futuristic design that makes the Fantastic Four’s universe much more technologically advanced in comparison to the main MCU. The fact that Shalla-Bal was chosen as The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ Silver Surfer, not Norrin Radd, adds to the multiverse scenario.

According to the Fantastic Four movie theory shared on Reddit by user Rt337, Thanos would be responsible for creating the Fantastic Four’s universe. The theory suggests it was not the MCU’s original version of the Mad тιтan that did so, but one of the possible alternate-timeline versions of Thanos. As Doctor Strange said, the Avengers only won against Thanos in one out of over 14 million different scenarios. Disney+’s Loki and Avengers: Endgame itself showed how changes to a timeline can lead to new branches that may vary from slightly different to completely different from the original.

As such, there are millions of possible timelines where Thanos won and then went on to fulfill his promise to Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man. According to the theory, The Fantastic Four: First Steps would be connected to one of those Thanos variants. The Fantastic Four’s universe meets all the elements Thanos mentioned he would include in the new universe he planned to create. A universe that is thriving earlier than the main MCU one did, judging by the retro-futuristic New York City in the 1960s, could be explained by Thanos’ desire to have it teeming with life.

Thanos MCU Return Rumors Could Make The Theory True

Marvel Actor Josh Brolin Has Shared Interesting Hints

Another point in favor of the Fantastic Four movie theory relates to how Thanos could even physically appear in the film. While The Fantastic Four: First Steps could simply reveal through exposition that Thanos really had something to do with the creation of the team’s universe, an actual appearance of the villain in a flashback sequence would be much more exciting. It just so happens that Thanos has been rumored to be returning to the MCU for some time now. In February 2024, Josh Brolin commented on Thanos’ MCU return, revealing he “heard through the grapevine” that Thanos would return.

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That was not the only time the MCU actor would talk about possibly coming back. In October 2024, Josh Brolin addressed Thanos’ Avengers: Secret Wars chances. According to the star, Thanos’ return would have to fit with whom the character is and how Brolin envisions him. That said, the actor revealed that he “would do anything that the Russos wanted” him to do. The Russo brothers directed Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and the duo will return to helm Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. As such, Thanos’ MCU return might happen, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps theory gains strength.

All Announced Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  Release Date

  
  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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