An old deleted scene from 2005’s Fantastic Four is doing the rounds – and it gives us a deeply cursed glimpse at an MCU-style crossover before Phase 1 was even a glint in Kevin Feige’s eye.
The scene in question features Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) speaking to Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) about her wanting a "stronger man." To illustrate his point he stretches (I guess? Try not to think about it too hard) into Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. See the horrifying results for yourself below, complete with ropey mid-2000s unfinished CGI.
In case you didnt know, Fantastic Four (2005) had a deleted scene where Reed morphs his face into Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. pic.twitter.com/BnOYrFnGWhAugust 10, 2023
Of course, that didn’t make it into the final cut. Fox’s superhero movies, from X-Men to Fantastic Four, were kept separate. Marvel Studios eventually changed Hollywood forever just years later with 2008’s Iron Man and the birth of the MCU, but this is a fascinating ‘what-if’ – and something that would have blown our tiny minds back then.
Hugh Jackman will exist in the same space as the Fantastic Four very shortly, however, when he jumps over to the MCU for Deadpool 3. The current release date for the team-up with Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth is currently set for May 3, 2024, though it has just been removed from Disney's slate of new movies.
Despite casting rumors aplenty, there’s been no official confirmation on who is playing the Fantastic Four just yet. The Marvel Phase 6 movie hits cinemas on May 2, 2025.
For more on what's coming next, here's our guide to upcoming Marvel movies. If you're planning an MCU marathon, then you'll need to know how to watch the Marvel movies in order.