We’ve wondered since we heard that an Avengers film was in development whether the X-Men and the Fantastic Four – along with all of the characters associated with them – would ever return to Marvel. The first glimmer of hope came when it was announced that Spider-Man would join the MCU. However, even with all the speculation and the failure of the Fantastic 4 reboot, it appeared that there was no hope for another historic deal.

But it turns out that a deal was much closer than we thought. It’s not the sort of deal we expected, but it would bring the X-Men and the Fantastic Four closer to the MCU, because Disney and 21^st Century Fox (which owns 20^th Century Fox) are discussing a major transaction. 21^st Century Fox is looking to sell its movie division, and Disney is interested.

Of course, by the time it went public, discussions had stalled. But that doesn't mean the parties can’t still reach a deal. Such a break provides them with an opportunity to reassess their prospects and look at how they might benefit from such a major change.

Of course, this goes beyond just the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. For example, Disney would also gain a share in overseas companies such as Sky Television.

With that in mind, we wonder whether Kevin Feige had prior knowledge of this move. We also wonder how the MCU will look beyond Phase III.

Ryan Reynolds tweeted about the deal, concerned about its impact on the Deadpool franchise, which really isn’t the best fit for Disney:

 

If this is true, I wonder how the fudge it would affect Deadpool? https://t.co/66RNUDU80S

"” Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 6, 2017

Of course, any outcome remains to be seen.