Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Black Panther, Iron Man, Vision, War Machine, and Black Widow at the Berlin airport in Captain America: Civil War - part of our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order
Superhero Movies How to watch the Marvel movies in order (release and chronological order)
Loki
Superhero Movies Marvel timeline: The MCU movies and TV shows in chronological order
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
Marvel Movies Marvel Phase 6 release dates, news, leaks, rumors, and more
Daredevil: Born Again
Superhero Movies Upcoming Marvel movies and shows for 2026 and beyond
Tom Holland as Peter Parker unmasked and in the middle of a fight during a scene in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Marvel Movies Spider-Man 4 release date, cast, leaks and theories, and everything else we know about the Marvel movie
Charlie Cox suits up in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release date, cast, trailer, and everything else we know about the Marvel series
Spider-Man: Brand New Day suit
Marvel Movies Spider-Man: Brand New Day official synopsis confirms a 4-year time jump and Peter Parker's largest mystery yet
Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Lewis Pullman as Sentry, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, and Wyatt Russell as US Agent in Thunderbolts
Marvel Movies Marvel star Lewis Pullman puts Avengers: Doomsday cameo overload fears to rest: "Every character has their moment"
Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Sci-Fi Movies The Mandalorian and Grogu: everything we know so far about the next Star Wars movie
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, trailer, and more news
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery in Wonder Man.
Marvel Movies When does Wonder Man take place on the Marvel timeline?
The Mandalorian
Star Wars TV Shows The Mandalorian season 4 release date speculation, potential cast, trailer, plot, and movie details
Avengers: Secret Wars - three Spider-Men during the Marvel movie No Way Home
Marvel Movies Avengers: Secret Wars release date, cast, plot, and more news
Spider-Man crouching on a car during the Marvel movie Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Marvel Movies Marvel leaks continue as Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer somehow ends up online
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man ending explained: Simon's fate and how does it affect the wider MCU?
  1. Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four theory suggests Loki is the key to understanding why we've not seen the group in the MCU yet

News
By Molly Edwards published 29 February 2024

Could this be why we haven't seen the team yet?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Fantastic Four
(Image credit: Marvel)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

A Marvel fan theory about the Fantastic Four could suggest why we haven't seen the superhero team in the MCU yet – and it all revolves around Loki. 

All the clues for the Fantastic Four movie point towards the film being set in the '60s, though, if that's the case, it does raise the question: why haven't we met Marvel's First Family before? In fact, there haven't even been any mentions of the team. It's like they never existed at all. 

Well, considering this is the Multiverse Saga, there's an obvious answer to that mystery: the Fantastic Four come from another timeline. So, why would they be crossing over into the main timeline now? 

You may like
  • The Fantastic Four: First Steps promo image The Fantastic Four finally arrive in the MCU in Wakanda-centric Avengers: Doomsday teaser
  • Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer Avengers: Doomsday's latest trailer has a suspicious amount of empty space – and fans think it's hiding a major spoiler
  • Letitia Wright as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther as the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet

"No one remembers the Fantastic Four because they are time travellers on a branched timeline – now allowed to exist," one fan speculates on Reddit, accompanied by a picture of Loki in the Loki season 2 finale. 

In that episode, Loki became the guardian of all the separate timelines of the MCU. Thanks to his sacrifice, the multiverse can flourish, which means the Fantastic Four would be able to move from another universe to the main timeline with no problems. 

We'll have to wait and see if this theory proves correct, with Fantastic Four hitting theaters on July 25, 2024. Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards, with Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (AKA the Thing). 

While you wait for Fantastic Four, check out our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows for everything else the MCU has in store. 

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Today's best Disney+ deals
Disney+
Disney+ Monthly with Ads
$11.99
/mth
View
at Disney+
Disney
Disney+, Hulu Bundle - Monthly (With
$7.99
$12.99
/mth
View
at Disney+
Disney+
Disney+ Monthly Premium
$18.99
/mth
View
at Disney+
Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Social Links Navigation
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

Read more
The Fantastic Four: First Steps promo image
The Fantastic Four finally arrive in the MCU in Wakanda-centric Avengers: Doomsday teaser
 
 
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Avengers: Doomsday's latest trailer has a suspicious amount of empty space – and fans think it's hiding a major spoiler
 
 
Letitia Wright as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday
The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther as the latest Avengers: Doomsday trailer hits the internet
 
 
Chris Evans as Cap in the first Avengers: Doomsday trailer
Avengers: Doomsday directors may have revealed too much after deleting a video showcasing the biggest fan theories
 
 
Simon Williams (Yahya-Abdul Mateen II) in red sunglasses in Wonder Man
Could Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man be teeing up a core part of the X-Men’s future?
 
 
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
Marvel Phase 6 release dates, news, leaks, rumors, and more
 
 
Latest in
a ditto human sitting on some logs with pikachu and pichu
Pokopia's unhinged dialogue is tempting me away from Animal Crossing: "It's a pretty nice butt, don't you think?"
 
 
A lady looks shocked.
55-year industry vet made the first CRPG, got laid off, went bankrupt, but "I don't care": "Business does not love you"
 
 
Dragon Quest 11
Dragon Quest creator says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost" when translating games
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem is too scary for series veteran Hideki Kamiya, who argues Capcom "should make a 'non-scary' mode"
 
 
Yoshi and the Mysterious Boook screenshot of Yoshi smiling with eyes closed
The next big Switch 2 exclusive, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, gets a May release date out of nowhere
 
 
Monkey D. Luffy looking confused on an island in One Piece Egghead Island
One Piece season 2 answers a near 30-year-old manga mystery in surprisingly straightforward fashion
 
 
Latest in News
a ditto human sitting on some logs with pikachu and pichu
Pokopia's unhinged dialogue is tempting me away from Animal Crossing: "It's a pretty nice butt, don't you think?"
 
 
A lady looks shocked.
55-year industry vet made the first CRPG, got laid off, went bankrupt, but "I don't care": "Business does not love you"
 
 
Dragon Quest 11
Dragon Quest creator says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost" when translating games
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem is too scary for series veteran Hideki Kamiya, who argues Capcom "should make a 'non-scary' mode"
 
 
Yoshi and the Mysterious Boook screenshot of Yoshi smiling with eyes closed
The next big Switch 2 exclusive, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, gets a May release date out of nowhere
 
 
Monkey D. Luffy looking confused on an island in One Piece Egghead Island
One Piece season 2 answers a near 30-year-old manga mystery in surprisingly straightforward fashion
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. A lady looks shocked.
    1
    55-year games industry vet helped make the first CRPG, got laid off, went bankrupt, but said "I don't care" as long as he got to keep crafting games: "A business does not love you back, unless you are a business person"
  2. 2
    I thought nothing could replace Animal Crossing for my nightly cozy vibes, but Pokopia's delightfully unhinged dialogue is very tempting: "It's a pretty nice butt, don't you think? So shiny!"
  3. 3
    The Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE has returned to take the magnetic crown, but that price tag is going to be a problem
  4. 4
    Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii says English is "a simple language," so "the flavor tends to get lost in many ways" when translating games from Japanese
  5. 5
    One Piece season 2 answers a near 30-year-old manga mystery in surprisingly straightforward fashion

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...