Marvel’s Fantastic Four poster teases when the MCU movie is set, and it’s a perfect fit
Heading for the Swinging Sixties
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It’s been less than 24 hours sinceMarvel’sFantastic Fourmovie finally received a hype-inducing update, but there’s one big mystery that remains unsolved: what year it’ll be set in.
Well, it’s unsolved unless you’re an eagle-eyed Marvel comics fan and aFantastic Fourfanatic. You see, while most of us enthusiastically greeted the news that Marvel Studios hadfinally revealed the cast for itsFantastic Fourfilm– plus its new title and release date – other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) devotees were busy doing something else: deciphering whenThe Fantastic 4(the movie’s new name) would be set – and it seems they’ve worked that out.
To reveal what era the superhero flick is likely taking place in, we need to backtrack a tiny bit. Alongside yesterday’s (February 14) exciting announcements, Marvel Studios unveiled an official, retro-futurism-inspired poster for the movie, which showed off its iconic quartet and the actors who’ll be playing them – and it’s this piece of artwork that’s convincedMCUfans thatThe Fantastic 4will eventually be installed as the first entry in anyMarvel movies in orderguide’s chronological timeline.
Indeed, MCU detectives believe that a magazine, which The Thing is reading on the poster, is the key to solving this conundrum. It’s hard to tell exactly what’s on the cover of said print publication, but it bears a striking similarity to a December 1963 issue of Life Magazine, which has Lyndon B. Johnson – the 36th US President – adoring it.
If The Thing is reading this specific magazine issue, it all but confirms that theMarvel Phase 6movie – though I suspect it’ll likely be moved into theMarvel Phase 5lineup, given its revised July 2025 release date – will be set in the early 1960s. That would be a near-perfect fit for the group, too, with the superhero team making their comic book debut in The Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961.
With filming set to begin onThe Fantastic 4in mid-2024 (perVariety), it won’t be long until some sneaky industry insiders try and grab some behind-the-scenes shots of its production. If they do, any leaked images might give us confirmation that it’ll be set during the so-called ‘Swinging Sixties’.
A hugely positive week for Marvel
After a chaotic 12-month period that saw two big box-office bombs in the form ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaandThe Marvels, thesacking of Kang actor Jonathan Majors, and other headache-inducing issues, Marvel appears to have turned a corner over the last few days.
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The week began with the debuting ofDeadpool 3’s first trailer, which revealed that the film’s official title would beDeadpool and Wolverine. You can read more about the teaser’s biggest secrets in ourDeadpool and Wolverinetrailer breakdown– and it seems Marvel fans areconvinced thatDeadpool 3’s trailer is hiding two big character Easter eggsin plain sight, too.
But I digress. Two days after its world premiere,Deadpool and Wolverine’s first teaser was confirmed to be the most-watched movie trailer of all-time, with 365 million views in the 24-hour period after its unveiling. Not bad for a supposedly flagging cinematic universe, eh?
Buoyed by the reception to that trailer reveal, Marvel continued to let the good times roll with its multi-partFantastic Fourmovie announcement. Aside from the odd bizarre comment aboutStranger Thingsseason 4actor Joe Quinn’s casting as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, it seems MCU fans are delighted with what they’ve heard so far.
These aren’t the end of this week’s big reveals, either. This afternoon (February 15), Marvel unveiled theMarch release date and exciting, nostalgia-fueled trailer forX-Men 97, the eagerly-anticipated and long-overdue sequel to 1990s classicX-Men: The Animated Series, which will launch onDisney Plus. We don’t have too long to wait, then, for it to debut on one of the world’sbest streaming services.
Remember in Marvel Phase 1 when the Nick Fury-centric events ofIron Man,Thor, andThe Incredible Hulkwere – due to their in-universe proximity to each other – lumped together and colloquially referred to as ‘Fury’s Big Week’? I wonder what the odds are on people labeling February 11 through 18, 2024 as ‘Marvel’s Big Week’. After all, the Disney subsidiary certainly needed one.
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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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