Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps set in the MCU? Details explored

The Fantastic Four: First Steps has been buzzing ever since the teaser trailer was dropped on the internet. This Matt Shakman-helmed superhero film will be released theatrically on July 25, 2025, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The four superheroes in the film are played by Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Taking place in the 1960s, the film will showcase how the foursome ended up becoming superheroes.

Amid the buzz around The Fantastic Four: First Steps, people are also wondering if the film is a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Is The Fantastic Four: First Steps set in the MCU?

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The teaser trailer of The Fantastic Four: First Steps showcases that the storyline will be taking place in the 1960s in Manhattan, New York. While the world is futuristic with a very specific retro aesthetic, the film's storyline is different from the timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

This is a departure from the usual timeline that MCU films have followed since the beginning. However, it is still unclear whether First Steps actually takes place in the 1960s or if it merely adopts a '60s-inspired aesthetic. The kitchen showcased in the teaser video features a mid-century style of furnishing which was present in the 1960s.

Despite its setting, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is expected to eventually align with the main MCU timeline.

More about The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Matt Shakman is the director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He had earlier directed the Marvel television series WandaVision. During a 2023 interview with Inverse, Shakman spoke about his inspiration for the film. He said:

“I’m not so much looking at the other movies. I'm looking at the comics themselves. I'm a huge comic book fan. I’ve been a big fan of the Fantastic Four since I was a kid. So going back to Kirby and Lee and Byrne and following all the way up to what's happening, certainly Hickman and Waid and Ryan North, what he's been doing. I'm trying to figure out who these characters are to me and how to bring them to life in the best possible way, and that's really where I've started and how we've approached it.”

In an interview with CinemaBlend, Shakman confirmed that the film will not feature any other superheroes.

"The great thing about this is we're building a new universe where there are no other heroes. It's the Fantastic Four."

He further spoke about setting the film in the 60s when the space race was going on.

"The comic was created in the early '60s, really at the same time that the space race was starting, so it is infused with that idea of looking to the stars and dreaming of a future where we would be space travelers. And so I really wanted to take all of that great stuff from Apollo 11 and just imagine that instead of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, it was the Storms and Ben Grimm and Reed Richards heading off into space."

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released on July 25, 2025. The characters are based on the namesake comic book series that was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.