Are we getting closer to an Avengers vs X-Men crossover movie event? Perhaps, but it might still be a decade off. Or it could just be around the corner. Marvel fans are currently enjoying some long awaited happiness in the form of a Spider-Man movie being made that will be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony and Marvel Studios were finally able to strike a deal a little while ago that is allowing for Spider-Man: Homecoming to be a reality, and once that happened, it left many wondering if Fox would finally be willing to do something similar. As it turns out, they very well may be.

Before we dig into this very tantalizing rumor, it is suggested you grab yourself a few grains of salt to take it down with, because we don't want you to get your hopes up too much on this one. That being said, the news came on the latest episode of Collider Heroes and suggests that, some years from now, Fox may be willing to strike a similar deal with Marvel. A produce for Kevin Smith's Fatman on Batman podcast named Matt Key was the one who brought the rumor to the table, and here is what he had to say.

"I've heard from a few of my sources, my little birds that Fox and Marvel have... kind of talked, but not really, but like there's interest from Fox, like, 'Ooh, y'know, what they did with Sony and Spider-Man is actually pretty cool, like, maybe...' We're years away from that ever possibly happening... but I think that's what it would take... Fox joining hands with Marvel..."

Key seemed very confident that what he has heard is true and wasn't at all trepidatious about saying it. The main reason not to get overly excited though would appear to be the possible timeline and the degree to which it has been proposed by Fox. Fox currently has a handful of X-Men spinoffs planned and Deadpool was the highest grossing movie in the X-Men franchise ever, so it isn't like they are in desperate need for something long term like Sony was. But it is easy to see where Fox could be interested in making some sort of deal.

Last year, similar, but somewhat less substantiated rumors, were floating around after Fantastic Four absolutely tanked at the box office. It was very much suggested and hoped for that Fox would make a deal with Marvel to at least get the FF back home, but that never came to pass. And recently, producer Simon Kindberg even talked about a Fantastic Four sequel as still very much being a possibility, even though Michael B. Jordan has since signed on to be in Black Panther. Fun fact: both people who have played Human Torch for Fox in the modern superhero era have jumped ship to Marvel.

We never really know what could happen. Shortly after The Amazing Spider-Man 2 came out, and even after the less than warm reception, Sony had been laying out very lofty plans for a Spider-Man cinematic universe. That never came to pass and the deal with Marvel came together pretty quickly, at least in the public eye. Who knows how long it was really getting worked on behind the scenes. If this rumor is true, it at least means that Fox is not totally closed off to the idea and given the right circumstances, we just might finally get to see some X-Men characters in an Avengers movie afterall.