The Fantastic Four have had to endure many worse things than cosmic rays during their three forays on to the big screen, but could they have been saved by teaming up with Deadpool? According to newly released concept art from artist Alexander Lozano, Marvel’s First Family was very nearly a part of Deadpool 2, a movie that was already chockablock with new characters and surprise cameos. Join host Jessica Chobot for a look at what the Merc with a Mouth’s sequel could have been on a new episode of Nerdist News Edition.

On his Instagram page, Lozano explains that Deadpool 2‘s original director Tim Miller, who left the project in 2016 due to creative differences, wanted to include the Fantastic Four in his version of the superhero sequel. Obviously, the version that we got did not include the cast of Josh Trank’s ill-fated comic book adaptation, but Lozano’s illustrations kind of make me wish it had.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR! (Mr Fantastic) …character design for the tim miller version of deadpool 2 (5/5). #FantasticFour #Thing #MrFantastic #HumanTorch #InvisibleWoman #AlexanderLozano #Lozano #Marvel

A post shared by Alexander Lozano (@alexanderlozanoart) on Aug 18, 2018 at 9:44am PDT

THE FANTASTIC FOUR! (Invisible Woman) …character design for the tim miller version of deadpool 2 (5/5). #FantasticFour #Thing #MrFantastic #HumanTorch #InvisibleWoman #AlexanderLozano #Lozano #Marvel

A post shared by Alexander Lozano (@alexanderlozanoart) on Aug 18, 2018 at 9:41am PDT

THE FANTASTIC FOUR! (The Thing) …character design for the tim miller version of deadpool 2 (5/5). tim Miller was very precise when it came to the description of “the thing”. he wanted to make sure that I orient myself in the design as close as possible to the comic template to finally give us, the fans, what we always wanted to see on the big screen. it may sound surprising, but the supposedly simple task turned out to be a major challenge after several failed attempts than originally assumed – for the sake of my reputation I will spare you all those design errors. “it’s clobberin’ time!” #FantasticFour #Thing #MrFantastic #HumanTorch #InvisibleWoman #AlexanderLozano #Lozano #Marvel

A post shared by Alexander Lozano (@alexanderlozanoart) on Aug 18, 2018 at 9:47am PDT

THE FANTASTIC FOUR! (Human Torch) …character design for the tim miller version of deadpool 2 (5/5). i always loved the short period when johnny storm wore the red version of the team uniforms and liked the idea of honoring this in my designs. #FantasticFour #Thing #MrFantastic #HumanTorch #InvisibleWoman #AlexanderLozano #Lozano #Marvel

A post shared by Alexander Lozano (@alexanderlozanoart) on Aug 18, 2018 at 9:43am PDT

In addition to illustrations of what the Deadpool 2 versions of the Fantastic Four would look like, Lozano shared artwork of Cable, Domino, and Juggernaut–all of whom made it into the film–as well as the villain Blaquesmith, who did not. However, considering what happened to the members of X-Force, maybe it’s for the best that the Fantastic Four avoided crossing paths with Wade Wilson. As of right now, the Fantastic Four’s fate is still in limbo and there are no known plans to bring them back to the big screen anytime soon. With the long-simmering acquisition of Fox by Disney approved by both company’s shareholders and the Department of Justice, though, it could just be a matter of time until members of the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and even Deadpool make their way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe a la Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Besides, after what happened in Avengers: Infinity War, they’ll have quite a few holes in their roster of living superheroes to fill.

What do you think of Lozano’s concept art? Should Deadpool 2 have included the Fantastic Four? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Marvel; Fox; Alexander Lozano

Additional reporting by Jesse B. Gill.