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.

First Steps includes one key element that really works, convincing me that the MCU should challenge the DCU in one big way.

Despite that hesitant step into the genre, Fantastic Four became a sensation. Thanks to Kirby’s action-packed panels and boundless imagination and to Lee’s angsty, hip dialogue, Fantastic Four truly revitalized the superhero genre. The team launched the Marvel Age of comics, setting the stage for other grumpy heroes such as Spider-Man and The Hulk.