No, bit in fringe cases it is still considered "missing link".

Mainstream idea is simply time and interbreeding. Geneticists can trace neanderthal DNA in modern humans which helped strengthen the claim that there never was a missing link at all. It was all compatibility and time like any other animal on the planet.

There are those who make the claim that we where "helped" but they usually have everything they are tied to their viewpoint, much like flat-earthers. Ignoring any proof that doesn't support their theory no matter how well tested and explained.