Later this year, the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four will finally return to Marvel Studios when Disney completes its purchase of 21st Century Fox's key television and film assets. That means characters like Wolverine, Mr. Fantastic, Apocalypse, and Annihilus will finally be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something which promises to change this shared world forever.
Last night, Kevin Feige was asked to share his thoughts on their upcoming return and while he's clearly excited for the big names, he also can't wait to start doing things with the smaller ones.
"The truth is, I’m excited for all of them," he said. "I’m excited, and it’s not just the marquee names you know — there are hundreds of names on those documents, on those agreements."
"And the fact that Marvel is as close as we may ever get now to having access to all of the characters, is something I’ve been dreaming about for my almost 20 years at Marvel. And it’s very exciting." Feige is obviously referring to the fact that Spider-Man's stable of characters remains mostly off-limits to them.
While Peter Parker and various other heroes, villains, and supporting players have shown up in the MCU in recent years, Sony Pictures is still doing its own thing with the likes of Venom, the Black Cat, and Morbius the Living Vampire and that's unlikely to change. For now, at least!
For a recap of some obscure characters returning to Marvel
as part of the Fox/Disney deal, click on the "View List" button below.
Lyja
A Skrull with the ability to shapeshift into humans or animals, Lyja is unlikely to appear in next year's Captain Marvel due to the fact her origin is very much rooted within the world of the Fantastic Four. She managed to infiltrate the team by posing as Alica Masters and served as both an ally and enemy to the team. Assuming we see more of the Skrulls in the MCU, Lyja will no doubt get in on the action.