It has been over four years since Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige announced a standalone Fantastic Four film, which would finally bring Marvel’s “first family” into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Since its introduction at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, the studio has confirmed little about this upcoming project, set to release on May 2, 2025. However, among a legion of theories currently on the web about the films’ casting and crew, MCU’s Secret Invasion may have hinted at how the super-powered group could foray into the current timeline.
While Secret Invasion established highly powerful Super-Skrulls, the creation of these enhanced aliens may subtly hint back to their comic origin, which was associated with the Fantastic Four. However, since the series established that the Skrull invasion had already begun, it is still plausible to expect that the Fantastic Four will cross paths with the Skrull cabal currently living on MCU’s Earth.
Fantastic Four May Solve MCU’s Extremis Virus and Super-Skrull Problem
The second episode of Marvel’s Secret Invasion, titled “Promises,” showcased that Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik enlisted the help of Dr. Rosa Dalton (Katie Finneran) to boost his abilities. Dr. Dalton’s research into repurposing the Extremis serum to enhance Skrull’s shape-shifting powers to mimic certain MCU characters’ physiological and cosmic abilities essentially birthed the Super-Skrulls. Meanwhile, in Fantastic Four Vol 1 #18, an enhanced Skrull warrior named Kl’rt managed to mimic the powers of the superhero group. Similar to what happened in Secret Invasion, the Super-Skrull utilized the Fantastic Four members’ DNA to simulate their powers.
Unlike in the MCU, the 1963 comic showcased that Kl’rt’s abilities were boosted by a cosmic energy beam sent by the Skrull emperor from their home planet. Thus, the Fantastic Four, empowered by the knowledge of Reed Richards, defeated the Super-Skrull by blocking the cosmic energy beam. Interestingly, Secret Invasion established that the Extremis virus enhanced Gravik and G’iah’s abilities only after seemingly undergoing radiation-based activation. Similar to the comics where the cosmic beam enhanced their powers, the serum’s effect on the Skrulls in the series was triggered by the seemingly radioactive machine built by Dr. Rosa Dalton.
According to Secret Invasion, Dr. Dalton’s Super-Skrull-making machine used the Extremis serum, infused with the “Harvest” DNAs of the characters to boost their abilities. This suggests that the Extremis virus is readily available in the MCU post the events of Iron Man 3. However, this was not particularly surprising considering the Easter egg of the Extremis-enhanced fighter in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Interestingly, it seems that the shortcomings of the Extremis virus (in regard to its instability in certain users) have been fixed since 2012 (when Iron Man 3 was set in the MCU timeline).
Why Reed Richards Will Likely Save MCU From Extremis
The original scientific minds behind the Extremis virus, including Dr. Maya Hansen, Aldrich Killian and Tony Stark, are all dead in the MCU. Dr. Dalton is also under MI6 and Special Agent Sonya Falsworth’s observation. Thus, there may not be many scientists in the MCU who could create a solution to prevent the evil Skrull faction from enhancing their powers. Most of these scientific minds are currently preoccupied with other priorities in the MCU. To elaborate, Bruce Banner/Hulk will be busy dealing with his son Skaar and potential trips to Sakaar. At the same time, Shuri will have to helm the responsibility of Wakanda as the current Black Panther.
Similarly, renowned MCU geneticist Dr. Helen Cho has had no on-screen time since her one-time appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The lack of updates on Dr. Cho also mothballs possibilities for Amadeus Cho (the seventh-most intelligent individual, according to Reed Richards) to appear in the MCU any time soon. This is where Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards could step in to mitigate the problem. It is plausible that the MCU could be inspired by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four Vol 1 #18 and allow Reed Richards to stop the evil Super-Skrulls in the future.
Depending on whether Marvel Studios decide to go with this hypothesized route, Reed Richards could be established to have had prior association with either Tony Stark or Dr. Maya Hansen in the MCU. Stark and Reeds had a similar association in 2010’s Invincible Iron Man Vol 2 comic series, where the former explained Extremis’ abilities to Richards. Following this, Mister Fantastic helped Iron Man build his famed Bleeding Edge armor. Additionally, in the MCU, Richards can also rework the unidentified serum used by Sonya Falsworth to interrogate the Skrull named Brogan. Such a serum can then be possibly enhanced to work against Super-Skrulls, provided that Extremis does not negate such toxic serums’ effect in a Skrull body.
Quite plausibly, the current source of the Extremis virus in the MCU could be the same as that of the super soldier serum as established in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It’s possible that former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter (Power Broker) would have had access to details about the Extremis virus through her status at Madripoor. Through this, she could have worked with someone — just as she did with the late Dr. Nagel — to synthesize a stable version of the serum. If true, this hypothesis could be answered in upcoming projects like Armor Wars, Ironheart and Captain America: Brave New World.
Per Secret Invasion‘s ending, current MCU U.S. President Ritson has declared war against all Skrulls living on Earth. This may result in further insurgency and the formation of rebellion by the faction of Skrulls who supported Gravik. As these Skrulls are now aware of the utilization of the Extremis virus along with the DNA of super-powered individuals to enhance their abilities, there could be a surge of Super-Skrulls in the MCU. This makes it imperative for someone like Reed Richards to regulate the unchecked availability of the Extremis virus along with authorities like S.A.B.E.R. It also remains to be seen how Harrison Ford’s upcoming U.S. President (MCU cannon) Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross would attempt to mitigate the Extremis issue following President Ritson’s controversial alienation of Skrulls.