The Fantastic Four: First Steps Has A Secret Link To Kang Marvel Already Revealed

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps may be taking place in an alternate reality to the MCU’s primary continuity of Earth-616, but the events of the Phase 6 movie will surely have a huge impact on the Russo brothers’ upcoming crossover events and the franchise beyond. Pedro Pascal’s Reed Richards will become a central part of the MCU following Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, alongside the other members of Marvel’s First Family. Fantastic Four: First Steps can establish just how important he is by connecting Mister Fantastic to already-seen characters and organizations – a process that might have already begun.

Reed Richards Has a Wild Connection to the TVA That the MCU Hasn’t Explored Yet

Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed that Reed Richards’ computer screens in the trailers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps appear to be very similar to the screens used by analysts and Minute Men at the Time Variance Authority. This has spurred theories as to the connection between Mister Fantastic and the TVA, but diehard Marvel Comics fans may already be aware of said connection. This is something that has never been explored in live-action before, but Marvel Studios is perfectly primed to finally explore Reed Richards’ backstory, family heritage, and his connection to the villain Kang the Conqueror.

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In Marvel Comics, Reed Richards’ father is the time-traveler Nathaniel Richards. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s also shared by Nathaniel’s descendant and namesake, Nathaniel Richards, the man who becomes Kang the Conqueror and his time-traveling variants, including Immortus, Rama-Tut, the Scarlet Centurion, and, in the MCU, “He Who Remains.” Jonathan Majors portrayed Kang and his variants in the MCU, namely in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and since no familial connection has yet been determined, The Fantastic Four: First Steps can change that.

The fact that Reed Richards and Kang are very distant cousins (the exact relation is unclear) means that Marvel might have already explained how Richards has the same technology as the TVA. In the MCU, the TVA was originally created and ruled over by He Who Remains, a variant of Kang living at the end of time, so the origin of his technology and knowledge may be exactly the same as his long-lost family member, Mister Fantastic. Should it explore this connection, The Fantastic Four: First Steps has the perfect opportunity to make Kang relevant in the MCU once again.

Reed Richards TVA Theory Provides a Great Chance For Marvel to Reintroduce Kang the Conqueror & His Variants

When He Who Remains first appeared in Loki season 1’s finale, “For All Time. Always,” Jonathan Majors was set to become a central part of the MCU as the Multiverse Saga’s primary antagonist. Quantumania debuted the Conqueror himself, and the 2023 movie’s mid-credits scene teased the Council of Kangs, all portrayed by Majors. This created an awkward situation for Marvel when Majors was arrested and convicted on two counts of reckless assault and harassment, leading to him being immediately fired from Marvel, and throwing Kang’s future in the MCU into jeopardy.

RELATED: Avengers Star Jonathan Majors Describes the Moment He Discovered Marvel Fired Him

Some theorized that Kang and his variants could simply be recast, as Marvel could have used the endless possibilities of the multiverse to supplant Majors for new actors. However, Marvel Studios instead chose to move on from Kang’s narrative, with the Russo brothers and Robert Downey Jr. being brought back to introduce Doctor Doom as the new primary antagonist of the Multiverse Saga in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars. Even so, this doesn’t shut the door on Kang returning in the future, and Reed Richards’ connection to the TVA in The Fantastic Four: First Steps can set this up perfectly.

Teasing Pedro Pascal’s Mister Fantastic as a long-lost family member of Kang in the MCU opens the door for the multiversal threat to be reintroduced as a Fantastic Four villain somewhere down the line. This could take place in a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps or even a future crossover, but it’s unlikely to be soon. Kang’s storyline would be stronger with a familial backbone, rather than having him simply seeking to destroy multiversal timelines for no distinct reason, so it would be fantastic – pun intended – to connect him more definitely to Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.

Do you want to see Kang the Conqueror reintroduced alongside the Fantastic Four in the MCU? Let us know in the comments!