Variety reports that Walt Disney Pictures is seeking to reclaim the rights to Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and possibly a few other Fantastic Four characters from 20th Century Fox in exchange for more time to work on a Daredevil reboot. If this happens, it would be the first time rights to put any of Marvel's characters on the silver screen returned to the parent company since Universal Studios willingly let their license on the Hulk expire so Marvel could reboot it with 2008's The Incredible Hulk. EDIT: Forgot that rights to Blade and the Punisher also reverted back to Marvel.

What's interesting to note is that, while trying to take back the rights to characters that were licensed off for the Fantastic Four films, the Fantastic Four themselves are not on the table. As I see it, they want these characters to tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in one of three ways:

• As part of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film.
• To create a Silver Surfer film as part of a Phase 3.
• For Galactus and his heralds to be the primary antagonists in a possible Avengers 3.

If you have any ideas about how Marvel plans to tie these characters in with the MCU, or simply want to express a desire for Marvel and Disney to reclaim the rights to any other characters they licensed off, please leave a comment below.

- LoveWaffle (talk) 21:17, August 6, 2012 (UTC)

UPDATE: Deadline now reports that these characters might not go back to Marvel. Instead, Fox insiders insist that the talks with Marvel/Disney are only to see if the studio is willing to co-finance the Daredevil reboot. Fox is much more focused on a Fantastic Four reboot, having recently brought on Chronicle director Josh Trank, while their hopes for a Daredevil reboot are much smaller due to it being in development hell as the clock on their rights to the character ticks away. As Deadline put it, "[Fox] would be crazy to give away a cornerstone villain it could use now or down the line."

Personally, I feel it would be a misstep for Fox to try their hand at the Galactus trilogy again. They tried it before, and failed miserably. Rather than making us go through that tragedy again, the Fantastic Four reboot should use some of the Fantastic Four's other notable villains such as Namor, Maximus, Annihilus, or even Mole Man.

- LoveWaffle (talk) 07:54, August 7, 2012 (UTC)