A seven-year-old MCU trend has run its course, and it will be up to The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ тιтular team to end it officially. The reason why there are no Fantastic Four variants in the MCU’s main timeline is unknown, but Marvel Studios’ prime Fantastic Four team is confirmed to be the one introduced in Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. They’re the only superheroes in their universe, which looks like a retrofuturistic utopia that mixes vintage and modern-day aesthetics.

The Fantastic Four’s first MCU movie will take place in a brand-new timeline. Not long after, Marvel’s First Family will travel to the Avengers’ timeline to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in fighting Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. But aside from their potential knowledge of the multiverse and other scientific concepts, they will also bring their unique technology with them.

The MCU Has Overused Nanotechnology

Nanotech Has Gotten Boring And Overwhelming In The MCU

At one point in the MCU’s timeline, nanotechnology seems to have been perfected, as Iron Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man, War Machine, and Spider-Man all received nanotech upgrades to their suits and gear. Tony Stark, Shuri, and Hank Pym apparently reached the same benchmark simultaneously, or a still-unrevealed event made nanotech available for superheroes. From that point on, nanotech costumes and weapons became the norm, and suit-up scenes were reduced to blink-and-you-miss-it costume activations. Heroes were also able to conjure high-end weapons like energy guns and extra limbs.

The MCU’s reliance on nanotechnology soon became monotonous, partly due to the inexplicable abundance of the upgrade and partly due to its lack of realism. Generally, nanotech looks rather weightless, and the ease with which characters summon it only makes matters worse. For instance, Iron Man’s suit-up scenes were far more exciting back when each armor piece had to lock into place mechanically. Even Thor and Mighty Thor’s costumes and helmets began to resemble nanotech out of a sudden, which clashes with the established aesthetic of the MCU’s Asgardian magic.

The MCU Has Already Proved The Fantastic Four’s Retrofuturistic Tech Could Be More Advanced

The MCU’s Fantastic Four Don’t Need Nanotechnology In Their Timeline

In The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ alternate timeline, the Fantastic Four lead their world’s technology with space travel, transportation, AI, and a variety of other inventions. The Fantastic Four are revered as celebrities not only because they’re superheroes, but also because they’re proven geniuses. And yet, the Fantastic Four’s technology is just as retrofuturistic as the rest of their world. All their vehicles, screens, and gadgets look like the 1960s’ idea of the future. Even HERBIE looks like a mock-up robot from sixty years ago.

The MCU’s Fantastic Four have managed to revolutionize space travel, develop advanced AI, build flying vehicles, and engineer highly adaptable materials — all without relying on nanotechnology. It’s clear that Reed Richards has unlocked a more sophisticated form of technology in his universe. The Fantastic Four’s costumes reflect this innovation as well, as they adapt to each hero’s powers while appearing as nothing more than an ordinary set of jumpsuits.

The Fantastic Four Might Revolutionize The MCU’s Technology

The Fantastic Four Will Probably Take Their Technology To Earth-616

As suggested by Thunderbolts*‘ post-credits scene, the Fantastic Four will travel to the MCU’s main timeline in Avengers: Doomsday, and they will probably stay on Earth-616 indefinitely after Avengers: Secret Wars. Reed Richards might then reveal his ideas to the world’s greatest minds and teach them how he created his technology in his home timeline.

Thanks to Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic, the MCU’s Avengers could leave nanotech behind and develop a blend of state-of-the-art Earth-616 technology with the Fantastic Four’s vintage tech, which would likely result in more realistic costumes and gadgets.

Upcoming MCU Movies

• 
  

  

  Thunderbolts*

  Release Date

  
  May 2, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  

  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  Release Date

  
  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  

  Avengers: Doomsday

  Release Date

  
  December 18, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  

  Spider-Man: Brand New Day

  Release Date

  
  July 31, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse
  

• 
  

  

  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date

  
  December 17, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  Powered by

  
  

  
  Expand
  Collapse