I Am Losing It Over 1 Fantastic Four Actor's First MCU Appearance (Surely This Isn't The Secret Character She's Playing?!)

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for What If...? Season 3One The Fantastic Four: First Steps actor makes their MCU debut sooner than expected, playing a surprising character in What If...? season 3. What If...? season 3 brings the MCU's animated anthology series to an end with a final wave of alternate universes and a conclusion to the show's overaching storyline. It's unknown whether characters like Captain Carter, Infinity Ultron, and Uatu will eventually return in live-action, but their stories will certainly receive some sort of closure by episode 8 of their animated show.

What If...? is known for featuring wild takes on established MCU characters, like a Star-Lord T'Challa variant in season 1, the 1602 Avengers in season 2, and the Mecha-Avengers in What If...? season 3. What If...? has also introduced a few original characters — most notably Kahhori and Happy Hogan's "Freak" alter ego in What If...? season 2. Before What If...? season 3 concludes, Marvel introduces a new extremely powerful character who's capable of defeating several MCU villains simultaneously before she's even born, as shown in What If...? season 3 episode 4 "What If…Howard the Duck got hitched?".

Natasha Lyonne Is Playing Someone Unnamed In Fantastic Four

Natasha Lyonne's Mystery Character In The Fantastic Four: First Steps Sparks Speculation

Casting news for The Fantastic Four: First Steps have provided hints about its plot and setting, from Reed Richard's recast following John Krasinski's cameo as an alternate-universe Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Ralph Ineson's casting as Galactus and Julia Garner's casting as Silver Surfer both delineating The Fantastic Four: First Steps' main conflict. The Fantastic Four: First Steps' cast also includes Poker Face actor Natasha Lyonne, though her MCU character is yet to be confirmed.

Natasha Lyonne with the Fantastic Four's MCU poster

I’m Convinced An MCU Actor Just Confirmed A Major Fantastic Four: First Steps Casting Theory

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is well into production, and a new update has me convinced that one major casting theory will turn out to be true.

Theories about the identity of Natasha Lyonne's character in The Fantastic Four: First Steps abound, from Fantastic Four villains such as Mad Thinker and Puppet Master to allies like She-Thing and Alicia Masters. Taking The Fantastic Four: First Steps' alternate-timeline setting into account, it's safe to say that the first Phase 6 movie could have any actor playing any comic book role. After Robert Downey Jr.'s return as Doctor Doom was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, everything is fair game.

Lyonne Also Appears In What If...? Season 3 As Its Most Bizarre Character

Natasha Lyonne Plays A Brand-New Powerful MCU Hero In What If...? Season 3

Kahhori, Captain Carter and Byrdie flying in What If...? season 3

What If...? season 3 episode 4, "What If…Howard the Duck Got Hitched?", follows Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis as they escape from a litany of supervillains who want to steal their baby egg, which every powerhouse in the galaxy seemingly considers to be more valuable than weapons like the Infinity Stones. Turns out the villains are right, as Hoard and Darcy's egg obliterates every villain as soon as it hatches, and it unveils a human-duckling baby inside. Apparently, Howard and Darcy's baby is so powerful that its mere birth is enough to kill several of the MCU's most powerful antagonists.

With the Watchers' power, Byrdie and her friends could be considered some of the most powerful heroes in the whole Marvel multiverse.

A grown-up Byrdie the Duck appears immediately after in the following What If...? season 3 episodes, sporting a huge pair of wings and bright orange hair. Byrdie teams up with Captain Carter, Kahhori, and Goddess of Thunder Storm to find Uatu, who appears to have been captured by his fellow Watchers for interfering with the natural flow of events in the timelines he oversees. As evidenced by her duty to save Uatu alongside three multiversal warriors, Byrdie could be considered one of the most powerful heroes in the whole Marvel multiverse.

Is Byrdie In Fantastic Four?

Natasha Lyonne Could Be Playing Two Different Characters In The MCU

Human Torch in The MCU's The Fantastic Four and Byrdie in What If..._ season 3 fly together

Natasha Lyonne's MCU debut in What If...? season 3 might appear to be a clue about Byrdie's involvement in The Fantastic Four: First Steps' plot. Theoretically, the Fantastic Four could end up meeting multiversal characters such as Byrdie, Captain Carter, and the TVA in The Fantastic Four: First Steps before coming over to the MCU's Earth-616 timeline. If Galactus devours the Fantastic Four's Earth in their first MCU movie, Mister Fantastic could figure out multiversal travel and pass through different timelines before arriving in the Avengers' home universe.

Vanessa Kirby's Sue Storm smiles in The Fantastic Four First Steps and the Super Skrull growls in Marvel Comics

The Fantastic Four Has The Perfect Chance To Fix The MCU's Most Wasted Storyline

The Fantastic Four: First Steps could introduce new, more interesting variants of several villains that the MCU has wasted throughout the years.

On the other hand, The Fantastic Four: First Steps probably doesn't have enough room for a character as unusual and powerful as Byrdie. Byrdie's origin as the child of Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis in an alternate universe probably has little to do with the Fantastic Four's battle against Galactus, and audiences who didn't watch What If...? season 3 would be confused if they saw such an extravagant character with no comic book precedent. Since Natasha Lyonne's Fantastic Four: The First Steps casting got an announcement of its own, the actor is likely to be playing a major character who's actually relevant to the Fantastic Four's comic book history.