I know which Marvel Comics storyline the MCU should adapt after The Fantastic Four: First Steps to bring Galactus and the Fantastic Four into the franchise’s main continuity. Ever since the main cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps was confirmed back in February 2024, my excitement for the upcoming MCU reboot has grown exponentially. Galactus and Shalla-Bal’s Silver Surfer being revealed to be the main antagonists of the movie only made me even more excited, but there are still many Fantastic Four questions Marvel needs to answer.

I can’t wait to see Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach suit up as the Fantastic Four, but I’m still confused about how they will become the MCU’s official Fantastic Four. Marvel has confirmed that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will take place in an alternate reality across the MCU’s multiverse, not in Earth-616. However, the Fantastic Four have also been confirmed to be returning in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, making me wonder how they’ll move to the MCU’s main continuity, and which villains they might bring with them.

Galactus Will Be The Villain Of The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Alternate Universe

Ralph Ineson Will Voice Galactus In The Fantastic Four: First Steps

While the iconic planet-eater from Marvel Comics hasn’t yet been introduced to the MCU’s Earth-616, Galactus is expected to be the primary antagonist of the new reality explored in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Yorkshireman Ralph Ineson will voice Galactus in the MCU, lending his iconic voice to the cosmic being who travels the universe with his Heralds in search of worlds he can consume to sustain his life force. While not an outright villain, Galactus is a formidable threat, making me incredibly excited to see his comic-accurate depiction in the MCU.

Galactus and Norrin Radd’s Silver Surfer were previously included in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but Marvel Studios will be debuting a humanoid version of the being, rather than depicting him as a cosmic cloud of gas. I reckon exploring an alternate universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps creates the perfect opportunity for a universe-threatening villain such as Galactus to be introduced, but a character of this magnitude shouldn’t be one-and-done. I want Galactus to join the MCU’s main timeline alongside the Fantastic Four, and I know how he can.

Adapting Marvel’s Cataclysm Story Could Bring Galactus & The Fantastic Four To The MCU’s Main Reality

Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand Is A Marvel Comics Story From 2013

I reckon that the best Marvel Comics story the MCU could adapt to bring both Galactus and the Fantastic Four into Earth-616 would be Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand. Set within the Ultimate Universe of Earth-1610, 2013’s Cataclysm saw the main Marvel Universe’s Galactus get displaced into Earth-1610, where he began to wage war on a completely new universe of worlds ripe for the taking. Galactus makes his way to Earth where he’s opposed by Earth-1610’s Avengers team, the Ultimates, alongside Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, Reed Richards’ Maker and the X-Men.

After realizing Galactus comes from another universe, the Maker and Spider-Man travel to Earth-616 to find out more, and they take information back that proves pivotal in sending Galactus through a portal into the Negative Zone. I reckon Marvel Studios could reverse this storyline to bring Galactus into the MCU’s main continuity, as Galactus from The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ alternate universe could be displaced into Earth-616. This would force the MCU’s established heroes and the alternate Fantastic Four to work together to stop the planet-eater, bringing Marvel Studios’ characters together seamlessly.

What Other Elements Of Cataclysm Could Be Used In The MCU?

Cataclysm Was A Game-Changing Marvel Comics Event

The events of Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand completely changed the landscape of Earth-1610 in Marvel Comics, so could do the same to the world of the MCU if the story is flipped on its head. This could culminate in the deaths of the likes of Captain Marvel, Vision, Captain America and Thor, as the latter found himself trapped in the Negative Zone with Galactus at the end of the Marvel Comics storyline. While several iconic MCU heroes could meet their ends in an adaptation of Cataclysm, the event could also introduce some exciting new characters.

Most notably, Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, Reed Richards’ corrupted variant, the Maker, and the X-Men play key roles in Marvel Comics’ Cataclysm. Debuting a live-action Miles Morales could pay off Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Aaron Davis appearance, while I would love to see the Maker introduced alongside Pedro Pascal’s heroic Reed Richards. Marvel Studios’ X-Men reboot will debut a new line-up for the legendary mutant team, and I reckon this could be set-up as soon as The Fantastic Four: First Steps if some notable mutants are introduced before being integrated into the MCU’s main timeline.

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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