Marvel’s Fantastic Four: MCU Characters That Could Appear in 1960s Setting

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s reboot of Fantastic Four is finally on the way, with Marvel Studios formally announcing the four leads of the highly-anticipated reboot. An accompanying piece of promo art helped fans visualize what Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will look like in their future roles — and kicked off a slew of new speculation about the film’s potential setting. The art is riddled with 1960s ephemera, not only paying tribute to the decade in which the Fantastic Four first debuted in Marvel Comics, but leading fans to wonder if the film will also be set in the same era.

While nothing has been outright confirmed by Marvel Studios, the possibility of some (or all) of Fantastic Four being set in the 1960s has enticed fans — both for its distinct vibe, and for the ways it could potentially flesh out the MCU’s history. So, which established MCU characters could conceivably cameo in Fantastic Four, if the film is really set in the 1960s? Here are a few possibilities.

Peggy Carter

It can be argued that Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) has had one of the more expanded-upon histories in the MCU, stretching from the events of Captain America: The First Avenger in the 1940s, to her death in the 2010s in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And yet, the 1960s are a decade that we haven’t really seen her in — we know that she helped form S.H.I.E.L.D. in the prior decade, but there is certainly plenty of room for a project like Fantastic Four to explore.

It certainly isn’t impossible to imagine a cameo from Atwell’s Peggy Carter, depending on what involvement S.H.I.E.L.D. may or may not have in the Fantastic Four’s maiden space voyage.

Howard Stark

Similarly, S.H.I.E.L.D. being involved in Fantastic Four could make a way for an appearance from a younger Howard Stark (played by John Slattery and Dominic Cooper in various MCU projects, depending on the character’s age). As established in Avengers: Endgame, the 1960s would be several years prior to Howard fathering Tony Stark, so the film could easily dive into his earlier days without stepping on existing canon.

Plus, Howard’s tangential connection to the Fantastic Four could easily add a bit of serendipity to Tony eventually becoming a scientist and engineer in the modern day.

Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne

Canonically, the 1960s would be almost two decades out from Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) fully operating as Ant-Man and The Wasp, just before Janet vanished into the Quantum Realm in 1987.

This leaves plenty of opportunity for Fantastic Four to briefly show younger versions of the characters, possibly working as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or just kindling their relationship in some way.

Bucky Barnes

If Fantastic Four is set in the 1960s, presumably placing the team’s cosmic voyage amid the backdrop of the real-life Space Race, then a cameo from Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) might not be entirely out of the question.

We know that, by that point, Bucky would have been operating as HYDRA’s premier super-soldier for over a decade, so some sort of appearance from him could help homage the Soviet Union’s involvement in the event.

How do you feel about Fantastic Four‘s possible 1960s setting? Do you hope it leads to any of these cameos? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Fantastic Four is currently scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters on July 25, 2025.