Marvel may have already given away its biggest and most scandalous secret about ‘The Fantastic Four’

The Fantastic Four is finally coming to the fore as Marvel brings the much-anticipated reboot to the floor. With shooting gearing up to begin on director Matt Shakman’s production, we’re learning more about the foursome’s grand entry into the MCU with each passing day.

And maybe a giant, mind-blowing secret was just revealed in plain sight. Marvel Studios delighted fans by following up the news that Julia Garner had been cast as Silver Surfer (not officially confirmed yet, but reliably reported) with a brand-new piece of concept art. From Marvel concept artist extraordinaire Ryan Meinerding, the piece depicts Joseph Quinn’s Human Torch flaming on above New York. But, wait, doesn’t the Big Apple look a little different to you?

Scooper Daniel Richtman pointed to the curious NYC skyline depicted in the artwork to back up the claims he made on his Patreon that The Fantastic Four won’t actually be set in the Sacred Timeline and will take place on another Earth out there in the multiverse. “Look at the background of this poster, the city. Pretty much confirm this isn’t set in the MCU,” Richtman argued.

Others weren’t entirely sold on the idea, however, as they felt that the depiction of the city wasn’t too far removed from its portrayal in Captain America: The First Avenger, which is set in the 1940s. Remember, The Fantastic Four casting announcement artwork practically spelled out for us that the film would take place in the 1960s.

When you closely inspect that skyline, though, it really doesn’t resemble the real-world ’60s NYC very much and has a much more “retro-futuristic” vibe, as many pointed out. Basically, how could Marvel’s New York look like that in the ’60s if we know the modern-day city is like our own version, just with the Avengers Tower thrown in? So maybe it is set on a different Earth after all.

It’s easy to see how that could tie into the whole Multiverse Saga narrative. Galactus is thought to be the main villain of the movie, so perhaps he succeeds in devouring this Earth, which causes Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards and family to hop over to Earth-19999 in time for Avengers: Secret Wars.

Ssh, do you hear that? It’s John Krasinski loyalists awakening from their long slumber…

The Fantastic Four avoiding the MCU might be the best thing for it

At this point, it’s too early to say for certain if The Fantastic Four takes place in the Sacred Timeline or not, but there’s certainly some not-inconsiderable evidence suggesting it doesn’t. On the one hand, some fans might consider this a cheat, as we’ve been waiting for the team to arrive in the MCU for years. However, with the MCU ain’t being what it used to be, it could be beneficial for TFF to detach itself from the constraints of the wider continuity.

At the same time, it would also explain the more off-the-wall decisions the movie seems to be making, like switching out Norrin Radd’s Silver Surfer for Shalla-Bal, a female character who only became a Herald of Galactus herself in the alternate Earth X continuity. Who knows, maybe TFF could establish a new, if similar, canon for Marvel to play in that isn’t weighed down by a metric ton of lore. Much like the Ultimate universe in the comics.

Disappointments like The Marvels and the hype for legacy-related films like Deadpool 3, not to mention X-Men ’97 being the first Marvel Studios project to ditch the MCU, suggests audiences are getting bored with the whole shared universe angle. The Fantastic Four embracing that and kickstarting its own continuity could actually be the secret sauce that makes it a smash hit. All will be revealed come July 25, 2025.