Summary

• Marvel Studios' official art for The Fantastic Four suggests that the movie will partially take place in the 1960s.
• Small details in the artwork, such as Ben Grimm reading a TIME magazine and the stylized logo, further the theory of a 1960s setting.
• Setting The Fantastic Four in the 1960s not only pays tribute to the team's comic book origins but also provides a unique and fresh approach to introducing new characters in the expanding MCU timeline.

Marvel Studios has released official art for The Fantastic 4, and several details point to the MCU movie at least partially taking place in the 1960s. The heroes of The Fantastic Four are no strangers to the big screen, having previously starred in three movies across two different continuities. However, Marvel Studios seems to be shaking things up by sending the team to the past.

The official artwork was shared by Marvel Studios on theories about The Fantastic Four going retro may be true after all.

Fantastic Four Art Details A 1963 Setting

In an unexpected turn of events, Marvel Studios chose to reveal The Fantastic Four's cast with illustrated artwork of the team to coincide with Valentine's Day. While the most exciting part of the reveal is confirmation of who will play the titular heroes, several details point to The Fantastic Four embracing a 1960s setting and aesthetic. First and most noticeably, the entire image drips with the Pop Deco aesthetic that was popular in the '60s. From the color scheme to the way the characters and their suits are stylized, it's clear the image intentionally brings viewers back six decades.

Beyond the overall art style, smaller details also point to the 1960s. Benn Grimm appears to be reading a TIME magazine. The cover is stylized to match the overall art, but the cover is a clear recreation of TIME's December 1963 cover featuring President B. Lyndon Johnson at his desk. The movie's logo is also stylized in a way that pays homage to entertainment and product logos from the decade. None of these details are guarantees, of course, but choosing to introduce the movie to the public with such a clear and unified visual style wasn't an accident.

Why The 1960s Make Sense For Marvel's Fantastic Four

Timely Comics, the company that would eventually become Marvel Comics, was created in 1939, but it took its now-famous name along with the introduction of several heroes under the creative vision of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and others in 1961. The Fantastic Four was part of that revival and were introduced in their self-titled comic that same year. As such, The Fantastic Four is intrinsically tied to the 1960s and rightfully earned their nickname as "Marvel's First Family."

The Fantastic Four made their comics debut in Marvel's Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961.

However, the 1960s makes sense for The Fantastic Four for more reasons than paying tribute to the team's history. As the MCU timeline continues to grow, it becomes more and more challenging to introduce new characters without providing an origin story. Moreover, simply using the multiverse risks getting repetitive. Giving the team an origin in the past can help circumvent these issues entirely.

How The Fantastic Four Can Work In The Wider MCU While Set In The Past

While The Fantastic Four being at least partially set in the past makes sense from an origin-story perspective and would allow the MCU to explore some new ground, the team needs to get to the present day eventually. Fortunately, it's not difficult to imagine how that could happen. The Fantastic Four is known for exploring weird and mysterious places, and the MCU already has a strange realm that causes time to differently. If the Fantastic Four found a way into the Quantum Realm in the 60s, they could escape in the modern day while still remaining young.

While it seems clear The Fantastic Four will have ties with their Marvel Comics decade of origin, it is, of course, too early to say with certainty what form those ties will take. It's possible that the 1960s will simply act as the setting for the beginning of the film, and it's equally likely the entire movie will be a period piece that, like Captain America: The First Avenger, ends with the team arriving in the present day. More details will surely be revealed soon as the movie begins its marketing push in the lead-up to its July 25, 2025 release date.