So there's been a lot of bad blood between FOX and Marvel, what with FOX holding onto the FANTASTIC FOUR and X-MEN rights to dear life. Many fans (and Marvel, I assume) I'm sure are hoping that one day FOX will finally give them up and let Marvel give everyone a proper version. Hell, no one thought Sony would cough up SPIDER-MAN, and look what happened! We've already seen a definitive Spider-Man in CIVIL WAR, who'll also be getting his own film next summer to the profit of both Marvel and Sony. Why, fanboys cry, can't FOX just do the same and just share?
Well, funny enough, that has already happened! Apparently, according to co-screenwriter of FOX's DEADPOOL Paul Wernick, they had to ask Marvel if they could change Negasonic Teenage Warhead's power (chosen because everyone loved the name) from being a psychic to shooting explosive blasts. Marvel agreed with the change, under one condition: that FOX let them use Ego the Living Planet for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2. This was corroborated by James Gunn himself on his Facebook page, where he expanded on the situation:
When I first pitched Ego as Quill’s father, I THOUGHT we owned the character. After I had worked out a very elaborate story with Ego the Living Planet as a very important part of the Marvel cosmic universe, I learned that we actually didn’t own the character. I had no back up plan, and it would be nearly impossible to just drop another character in. Thank God Fox came to us and wanted to make a trade.
This is an awesome story! And, who knows, maybe in a few years we'll see more of this kind of sharing. Hell, maybe FANTASTIC FOUR will finally be in the MCU? The mind reels.
DEADPOOL is already out on Blu-Ray/DVD while the sequel will break the fourth wall again January 12th, 2018. Meanwhile GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2 will blast into theaters May 5, 2017