According to Kevin Feige, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a self-contained MCU movie that doesn’t require any prior knowledge to be enjoyed. Matt Shakman’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps marks the тιтular team’s first MCU appearance, just in time for them to meet other heroes like the Avengers and fight multiversal villains like Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom. However, the MCU’s Fantastic Four don’t have to jump right into crossover territory to make an impression.

As reported by Variety, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige revealed the studio always planned to make The Fantastic Four: First Steps as a self-contained MCU installment that works as a standalone film as much as a chapter in the franchise’s overarching storyline. The idea of introducing the team in “their own world” separate from other heroes and stories was settled early on. Read Kevin Feige’s full quote:

“We always were planning, even before that became a talking point, to introduce them in their own world in which they are the only heroes. It is a no-homework-required movie. It literally is not connected to anything we’ve made before.”

What Kevin Feige’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments Mean

The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is The Most Self-Contained Project In Recent Years

Ever since the Infinity Saga concluded, Marvel has introduced a wide variety of new characters and storylines. However, the vast majority of them have been closely connected to past or future arcs. Even a well-rounded team-up movie like Thunderbolts*, which doesn’t rely on each character’s prior stories, is best enjoyed after watching тιтles like Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Meanwhile, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an ideal entry for those who haven’t watched a single Marvel movie before.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the fifth of four live-action Fantastic Four movies, but the first one to be part of a wider franchise. While the MCU’s Fantastic Four team will be key to future movies like Avengers: Doomsday, their debut movie takes place entirely in a separate universe. Even their foes, like Paul Walter Hauser’s Mole Man and Ralph Ineson’s Galactus, are exclusive to the team — at least before they travel to Earth-616 to join forces with the Avengers.

Our Take On Kevin Feige’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Comments

Not Every MCU Movie Needs To Reference The Rest Of The Franchise To Be A Hit

Although interconnectivity is one of the MCU’s greatest strengths, it isn’t the only standout quality a Marvel project can have. Solo movies like Iron Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange stand on their own as popular and critically acclaimed installments. Likewise, sequels like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can be enjoyed in their entirety by viewers who aren’t acquainted with the rest of the MCU.

Source: Variety

The Fantastic Four’s MCU future is an interesting question, as their home universe might be left behind in order to integrate the team into the MCU’s main timeline. After the events of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars, the Fantastic Four will likely interact with other MCU characters much more often. Still, that doesn’t necessarily entail that future Fantastic Four sequels will require extensive knowledge of the franchise.