The how the Fantastic Four will enter the MCU.

The debuts of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing in the MCU is something fans have been waiting over a decade to see happen. Now that they are within Feige's control, fans have been left theorizing how Marvel Studios could introduce them. Theories have suggested they are the new  Nick Fury and work with SWORD. But, another MCU theory speculates that Tony Stark could be responsible for their creation.

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The potential set up for Tony Stark to have a connection to Fantastic Four comes in Captain America: Civil War. At the beginning of the movie, Stark unveils his Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing technology at a presentation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). After showing off his latest invention, Tony announced the September Foundation Grant, which fully funds the projects of every student at MIT. He says there are no strings or taxes, and that he wants them to just "reframe the future." Without knowing it, Tony could've just funded a project from MIT student Reed Richards, one that potentially could take him and others to space, where they could be exposed to cosmic radiation and gain superpowers, or experiment with dimensional technology.

Although Reed's MCU backstory has yet to be revealed, him being a student at MIT is entirely possible, especially since he attended the university in the comics. This could also be another piece of connectivity that the MCU loves to have in general and even more so when it pertains to Tony Stark. Quentin Beck aka Mysterio was at the presentation and the original creator of the BARF tech. If Tony unknowingly helped create the origin of a supervillain, it's entirely possible he could also have helped fund a project that could bring about some of Marvel's greatest heroes.

If this theory does come to fruition, it will be fascinating to see what Marvel Studios does with the Fantastic Four then in of the timeline. Although Reed's project could receive funding in 2016, the complexity of it might still require years of research before tests could begin.  of the team could be added to the list of Thanos' snap victims, and the disappearance of Reed could be the reason why the project was delayed. Once they are reunited and learn of the threat Thanos posed, Reed could look to space in search of answers and bring about the creation of the Fantastic Four. And in this scenario, none of it would even be possible without Tony Stark's MIT announcement. His final words, "reframe the future," could even inspire the creation of the Future Foundation.

Tony Stark having ties to the Fantastic Four's origins is just a theory at this point, but it is easy to see how it can fit in the MCU. This could even be an get their own movie until 2023 at the earliest. With that in mind, it might still be several years before the Fantastic Four's MCU origins are explored, regardless of any ties they might have to Tony Stark.

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