Kevin Feige on 'Fantastic Four' and 'X-Men' joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Kevin Feige has provided a brief update on the X-Men and Fantastic Four joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, insisting the studio are still in the very early stages of planning.

"It's still early days, but it's been a fun exercise,” Feige told Fandango, before admitting that Marvel Studios has been thinking about how to bring the beloved superheroes into the MCU for “years.”

“Every development meeting starts with cool ideas and fun ideas, and our wheels are always turning in terms of what if... to use a Marvel publishing term. What if we did this? What if we did that? What if we had access to such and such characters?”

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“That's how Spider-Man: Homecoming came together in the first place, and it's fun to now be in this position with the Fox characters, too, because if we come up with a great ‘What If’ we can actually do it."

Feige also teased that an announcement regarding Phase Four and the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be made once the dust has settled on Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

"We were waiting for Avengers: Endgame to drop and for Spider-Man: Far From Home to be released, and now, very shortly, we'll be peeling back the curtain and talking about the future."

That could take place as early as next month, as it was recently reported that Marvel Studios are returning to San Diego Comic-Con for the first time in several years.

Disney’s recent purchase of 20th Century Fox means that Marvel has only just got their hands on the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises and characters. But clearly Feige is chomping at the bit to incorporate them into the MCU.

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"It's great to [finally] have what most companies that hold a lot of intellectual property have, and it's access to all those characters. We were one of the few companies that has a lot of characters but didn't have access to a whole bunch of them, and now that we do, it's wonderful.”

“They're back in the sandbox, in the toy chest, and now as ideas come up and as opportunities come up, we can utilize them, which feels really nice."