Reed Richards star Ioan Gruffudd reveals why Fantastic Four 3 never happened during his Marvel era. While The Fantastic Four: First Steps movie has finally brought the iconic team into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is one of the many film takes on Marvel’s First Family, as the 2000s had several incarnations of them in live-action.

From 2005 to 2007, Fox’s Fantastic Four franchise featured the iconic Marvel heroes on the big screen before the MCU had even come to life. While Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was the last time that version of the team was seen together, it appears there were plans for a third installment.

In a new interview with Vulture, Gruffudd, who portrayed Mister Fantastic in the Fox films, opened up about how the original cast was actually contracted for a Fantastic Four trilogy. The Welsh actor shared more on how a Fantastic Four 3 film was initially part of the plans by revealing the following:

The mind-set was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans. I particularly loved working with Doug Jones [as the Silver Surfer] on that movie, who’s just a terrific artist and an expert in the field of movement. If you want to witness somebody bringing a character to life physically, he’s just untouchable. So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control.

Despite Fantastic Four 3 never getting greenlit, the MCU was able to honor the Fox franchise during The Multiverse Saga. The MCU’s own Captain America, Chris Evans, got to reprise his version of Johnny Storm, a.k.a. the Human Torch from Fox’s Fantastic Four movies, in 2024’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine.

What Ioan Gruffudd’s Fantastic Four 3 Comments Mean

Fox Didn’t Know How To Handle Fantastic Four

It’s not shocking that a Fantastic Four 3 movie was initially part of the plans for Fox, as it’s common for actors to sign on for a trilogy, even if sequels are not a guarantee to happen. But given the box office performance of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, as well as its critical reception, it makes sense why Fantastic Four 3 never got developed.

Another huge factor that likely played a crucial part in Fantastic Four 3 getting cancelled was the rise of the MCU in 2008, as Fox rebooted Fantastic Four with a younger cast, which culminated with the 2015 installment. But 2015’s Fantastic Four was even a bigger disaster for the studio, and became the last iteration of Marvel’s First Family before the MCU’s 2025 reboot.

Our Take On Ioan Gruffudd’s Fantastic Four 3 Comments

Fox’s Fantastic Four Could Return In MCU Media

From hearing Gruffudd’s comments about Fantastic Four 3, it’s evident that it was out of his control that a threequel never happened. However, even though Fantastic Four 3 was never able to come to fruition, the MCU timeline could bring them back to Phase 6, especially after Evans’ 2024 return.

With Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars set to focus on the Marvel multiverse, Marvel Studios could always have Gruffudd and his other cast members reprise their versions of The Fantastic Four one last time. Hopefully, despite Fantastic Four 3 being scrapped, the MCU will find a way to bring back that iteration before The Multiverse Saga is over.

Source: Vulture