Reed Richards is rumored to be a very important character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being compared to Tony Stark. Needless to say, each member of the Fantastic Four is probably going to be influential in the MCU, but Richards in particular might have had more of an impact than one would put together.
The Fantastic Four will be set in the 1960’s, being one of the rare MCU films that also doubles as a period piece. This has been done twice before, once with Captain America: The First Avenger (which was set entirely during the Second World War) and then again with Captain Marvel (which is set in 1995). However, setting the story in the ’60s opens up a lot of fun ideas for the narrative of the MCU, and one such idea involves the original Ant-Man: Hank Pym.
Hank Pym could have studied under Reed Richards
It is difficult to get the official ages of the characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially for secondary characters like Hank Pym, but it is safe to assume that they are around the ages the actors playing them are. Michael Douglas, who plays Hank Pym was born in 1944, putting him in his late teens in 1963.
While Hank Pym might be in his teens, given his intellect, it is completely possible that the character could be in a class taught by Reed Richards. This won’t be the first time in the MCU that contemporary characters are spread across generations. Richards being Pym’s mentor could also play into a lot of concepts that the characters share, such as being part of a family of supers and having trouble balancing the science side of their lives with the personal conflicts that they face.
Hank Pym would also be a link for the Fantastic Four when they show up in the modern world. Scott Lang also has a history with the Fantastic Four, being hired as a technical consultant when Reed Richards was considered dead. He also was part of the Fantastic Four with the Human Torch, She-Hulk, and Nemorita when The Thing, Sue Storm, and Reed Richards were stuck in the Negative Stone.
Reed Richards could have another MCU connection
Reed Richards is going to be played on screen by Pedro Pascal who is early 50 years old. This would mean that Reed Richards, if of a similar age in the 60s, was an active part of the scientific effort of the Second World War. He could have in fact worked alongside Howard Stark and other minds who were involved in the war effort, perhaps contributing to an unseen theatre of the war that is yet to be explored in the MCU.
Reed and Ben both have a history of serving in the Second World War, collaborating with other geniuses of the time to keep the Axis powers from gaining an upper hand. Reed and Ben’s original space mission also had a Cold War angle to it, with the objective being to get to the moon for the communists capitalize on the position.
