Having been consistently building for the last 17 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is quite complicated... and the arrival of The Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn't exactly make things much clearer. Not only is the film set in a separate reality from the main continuity (Earth-828 vs. Earth-616), but it's also notably a period movie. Acknowledging this (particularly the latter), you may find yourself a bit confused about how everything lines up –especially with the big crossover planned in the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday – but we're here to save you from head-scratching activities with some clarity via director Matt Shakman.
CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb sat down with the filmmaker during the Los Angeles press day for Fantastic Four: First Steps (as captured in the video at the top of this article), and one of the subjects discussed was the new 2025 blockbuster's complicated fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thankfully, Shakman provided answers about both the when and the how of the whole thing.
