Fantastic Four And X-Men Movies Exist In Parallel Universes

The possibility of a Fantastic Four and X-Men movie crossover may have just flamed out.

While many thought that it was just a matter of time before Fox’s two Marvel Comics properties crossed over, Fantastic Four producers Simon Kinberg and Hutch Parker just complicated the matter. According to the two, the X-Men and Fantastic Four operate in different realities.

“They exist in parallel universes,” Kinberg and Parker told The New York Daily News. “The Fantastic 4 live in a world without mutants. And the X-Men live in a world without the Fantastic 4.”

That’s a pretty big contradiction from earlier reports, which seemingly confirmed that the live-action X-Men and Fantastic Four lived in the same universe—much like Marvel’s Avengers characters—and could potentially meet in the same film. In fact, X-Men director Bryan Singer said last month that such a crossover was definitely “in play.”

Kinberg and Parker, however, seem to have different thoughts.

“Crossing them over would be challenging,” said Kinberg and Parker, “but we sure would love to see all those actors together, the way we had them on stage at (San Diego) Comic Con.”

Regardless of a crossover, both franchises at least have their own movies lined up for the near-future. Fantastic Four arrives in theaters tomorrow, and the X-Men have three different films opening in 2016. To see when each film premieres, head to ComicBook.com’s official Comic Book Movie Database.