Credit: Marvel Studios, HBODespite Fantastic Four (2025) receiving an exciting announcement today, Marvel Studios has quietly replaced it with another highly anticipated MCU film.
Related: MCU Star Gets Second Chance, Could Play Doctor Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot
The internet broke today when Marvel Studios officially revealed the main cast for Fantastic Four, which includes Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (originally portrayed by John Krasinski in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness), Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. There’s no word on whether Doctor Doom will make an appearance.
Needless to say, fans are excited about this impeccable cast, which will be led by director Matt Shakman. However, some people may have missed that the film has quietly swapped places with another highly-anticipated movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
‘Fantastic Four’ Replaced By Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’
Related: MCU Star Chris Evans Breaks Silence on Captain America Return
In the announcement of the new cast, Marvel Studios also revealed that Fantastic Four’s new release date is July 25, 2025, pushing it back from its original date of May 2, 2025.
Instead, that date has been given to Thunderbolts (2025), a film that is supposed to be Marvel Comics’ answer to the Suicide Squad from DC Comics. That film stars Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as US Agent, David Harbour as Red Guardian, Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross, and Olga Kurylenko as Taskmaster, and Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost.
Related: Fan-Favorite Actor Drops Out of Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’
While this seems arbitrary, it could mean that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have more faith in one film over the other. Thunderbolts will now kick off the Summer blockbuster season while Fantastic Four will be released closer to the end.
Despite this, the release dates for Captain America: Brave New World (2025) and Blade (2025), which are reported to release on February 14, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively. No matter what, it looks like 2025 will be a packed year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Which are you more excited about: Thunderbolts or Fantastic Four? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!