James Gunn Succinctly Explains Why Fox Won’t Let The MCU Borrow The Fantastic Four

Ever since Sony entered into the landmark Spider-Man deal with Marvel Studios, fans have been hoping 20th Century Fox would follow suit. Guardians Director James Gunn recently broke that down to its simplest terms.

Thomas J. Cory II asked Gunn “I don’t understand why Fox doesn’t let the FF in the MCU. The X-verse I understand, but the MCU needs Reed Richards.” Gunn decided to use a simple neighborhood analogy in response, saying “For the same reason I don’t give my car to my next door neighbor.”

Cory had an answer for that though, saying “But it was the neighbor’s car to begin with, so he should have a say.”. Gunn pointed out that isn’t how capitalism works. “Not if he sold it to me!!” said Gunn.

Marvel sold the rights, and while it is unfortunate that FOX won’t sell them back (since they clearly don’t know what they’re doing with the property), FOX is under no obligation to do so or let Marvel dictate what they do with the characters.

Now, as someone else points out later on, Sony decided to essentially do that with Spider-Man: Homecoming, but that came down to a contractual agreement between the two that served both parties’ interests. Sony got incredible exposure for their character while still allowing them to spin him off as needed (which they plan on doing), while Marvel got the use of one of its icons and all the merchandising money from sales of his toys.

For Fantastic Four things are a bit different. None of the three films have really impressed general audiences or critics, with the first film being the most successful of the three. The most recent was the worst of the bunch, indicating another reboot is in the offing. To get a similar agreement in placem FOX would have to give up something like the merchandising rights, and they don’t seem keen on letting money walk out of the door.

It doesn’t seem like this is in the cards, at least for the foreseeable future.

You can find the official description for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 below, which currently has an 85.30 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings, which you can vote on here.

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is written and directed by James Gunn (Slither). The film marks the return of the original Guardians, including Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Peter Quill/Star-Lord; Zoe Saldana (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Gamora; Dave Bautista (Spectre) as Drax; Vin Diesel (Furious 7) as the voice of Groot; Bradley Cooper (American Sniper) as the voice of Rocket; Michael Rooker (Jumper) as Yondu; Karen Gillan (The Big Short) as Nebula; and Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls) as Kraglin. New cast members include Pom Klementieff (Oldboy), Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Everest), Chris Sullivan (The Knick, The Drop) and Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, The Thing).

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits home video soon, while Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters now. That will be followed by Thor: Ragnarok on November 3, 2017. After that Black Panther debuts on February 16, 2018, while Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp is slated for July 6, 2018, followed by Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019.

MORE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2: Director Jokingly Reveals He Doesn’t Have Sex With Raccoons / Home Video Release Has Over 80 Minutes Of Extras According To Michael Rooker / James Gunn Explains Groot’s Age Gap In Avengers: Infinity War