Avengers Fan Poster Unites Spider-Man, X-Men & More Pre-MCU Characters

https://screenrant.com/avengers-fan-poster-spiderman-xmen-superheroes-before-mcu/

An alternate Avengers fan poster brings together several pre-MCU characters, including the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. In 2008, Marvel Studios broke ground within the superhero genre by creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. The MCU exists as a massive franchise, in which there are smaller franchises all set within the same world. Characters from one project can be referenced and even appear in another, similar to how actual comic books work. The MCU has found great success with this over the years, and though many franchises have attempted to replicate the format, few have managed it.

Of course, Marvel didn't start their cinematic endeavors with the MCU. For years beforehand, several studios produced their own Marvel films, from the game-changing X-Men in 2000 to the more questionable entries like 2003's Daredevil. Though these movies don't exist within the MCU, many are still regarded as important parts of the superhero canon, and some are even available to watch on Disney+. The streaming service recently rebranded these non-MCU movies as Marvel Legacy films, and it's that imagined universe that gets depicted in this new piece of fan art.

Digital artist artoftimetravel created a poster for a hypothetical movie titled Ultimate Alliance, similar to the Marvel video game series. The poster brings together the characters from every pre-MCU Marvel film: The X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Punisher, Daredevil, Elektra, the Hulk, Ghost Rider, Blade, and Spider-Man. Looming above them all are the villains of the imagined film, and it's quite an impressive lineup: Doctor Doom, the Silver Surfer, Mystique, and Magneto. Check it out down below.

Thanks to Disney's acquisition of Fox, some of the above characters now fall under Marvel Studio's banner once again. This includes everyone within the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, leaving the door wide open for these iconic teams to join the MCU in the future. Marvel boss Kevin Feige has already confirmed they're on the way, and though the studio's plans for the characters remain to be seen, fans are very excited.

Beyond that, several other characters found within the Ultimate Alliance poster have already been rebooted within the MCU, with the most notable being Spider-Man. The upcoming Spider-Man 3 will once again star Tom Holland as the web-slinger, though the MCU's transition into exploring the multiverse has led some to wonder if the original cinematic Spidey, Tobey Maguire, could make an appearance. So far, Marvel hasn't confirmed whether such a thing could happen, but fans still hold out hope in the possibility. In many cases, the MCU's future plans remain a mystery, but one thing is certain: The next Avengers lineup will look very, very different. Could it resemble the fan poster up above? Only time will tell.