So i recently picked up a copy of Fantastic Four 2099 from the 50 cent bin at my local comic store and I got to thinking: Assuming that the people in 2099 were the real Fantastic Four and not imposters or clones or some such nonsense, when does their sojourn into the future take place during continuity?  I am totally open to the idea of an Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix scenario where they spend a crazy amount of time in the future but when they get back no time passed but when did that take place?

NOTE: There is no right answer here, I'm just curious as to what people think...

is 2099 even canon?

Technically I think its an potential alternate future like Days of Future Past.  A potential future that COULD happen but not guaranteed.  But I mean pretend that's the definite future and suspend all other disbelief...based on their knowledge and power skills, when did that FF come from?

i understand your thinking ( Doom 2099, Punisher 2099, and Spider-Man 2099 all showed up in the present 616 timeline and interacted conically as well Spider-Man in Exiles and Peters daughter In Alex Ross's works. The problem really begins however when we get to Timestorm, in which the 2099 future deviation was actually erased and replaced by the 2099-2099 time stream instead. In other words as it stands the 2099 reality never even existed, so did any of the cross-overs (Exiles and Earth X could be exceptions since Miguel and May were pulled from their respective realities)...
In other words, best of luck figuring that mess out, lmao.

2099 = alternate universe. Nothing more.

" 2099 = alternate universe. Nothing more. "

" @CATPANEXE: Sugar Man and Dark Beast came from Age of Apocalypse, as did X-Man and Holocaust. The Apocalypse of AoA and the Apocalypse of 616 are different. Really, X-Man is an alternate version of Cable. "

wait hold up...let me try to clarify my question (although i love the debate anyway and keep it up)...

Pretend that 2099 is real...its the only possible future...and that at some point the 616 Fantastic Four really traveled there and back...

At what point in their history do you think that happened?

I like your Cyclops and Phoenix theory. Makes lots of sence. But then again was Slim and Red older when they came back to their regular time?

@Nicodemus:They flat out told us how it happened...Scott and Jean were returned to their regular bodies only a few hours or days later but their minds really did experience the entire 12 years they they were away...

So I would except this explanation about FF 2099 but when did it happen? Even as an alternate timeline, it had to diverge at some point...so the entire questions it, when during the Fantastic Four timeline did it diverge and they were sent to the future? Did that point pass already or is it still to happen?

Same time as the whole Heroes Reborn story line, they got split on the way and sent to two different realities/time lines. This also explains the new uniforms they wore in 2099 :)  Came back same time and re-converged.

Ugh I hated Marvel 2099. I only have a Spider-man , Hulk, Punisher and a Ravage 2099 but I did some reading up on the other titles and I just can't understand what Marvel was thinking. Some of them would have made great 616 characters but they wasted them on this 2099 nonsense . As far as your question , my guess is whatever made or will make that reality become the 616 future is yet to be seen . Like you said it's just not really a question with a answer although I guess we could say with all the new versions of Hulk going around that you could imagine the mutant Hulk of 2099 being a result of what's been going on lately .