- “Welcome to the family.”
- ―Tagline
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It was released on July 25, 2025, and is the thirty-seventh film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first film of Phase Six. It was directed by Matt Shakman and the screenplay was written by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer. It was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Synopsis[]
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" introduces Marvel's First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Plot[]
In 1960, on Earth-828 New York City, Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, are astronauts and members of the Future Foundation, who embark on a space mission, that went horribly wrong, and as a result, they gained superhuman abilities. The ABC News program showcases their various missions over the years, saving the people from danger, including their battle against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. Sue had made peaceful deal with Mole Man.
Four years later, in 1964, the group known as the Fantastic Four have become celebrities in their world, and were regarded by the people are their protectors. One night, during a family dinner, Reed and Sue were acting strangely around Johnny and Ben, and after a quick deduction, Ben figured that Sue is pregnant, which she confirms that it's true. A few months after, after receiving a distress signal, an intergalactic being known as the Silver Surfer arrives in New York. She asks the main four if they're the protectors of this world, and then announces that their planet is marked for death, and that she's a herald and serves the mighty cosmic being known as Galactus.
After studying numerous anomalies that involved the disappearance of planets, the team tracks Silver Surfer's energy signature to a distant star system, and decide to follow that, so they could negotiate with Galactus on the fate of the Earth. But the planet they encounter is immediately destroyed by Galactus' ship and the team is captured.
Galactus offers a deal to spare Earth in exchange for Reed and Sue's unborn child, as he sense an immense power surging within him. But the team refuses and they escape Galactus and Silver Surfer using gravity from a black hole. On the flight back to Earth, Sue goes into labor and gives birth to their son Franklin Richards, while they sent the Silver Surfer inside of the black hole.
At the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four hold a press conference explaining their failed attempt to negotiate with Galactus, saying that in order to save the world, they need to give up their son for that to happen. The people asks why wouldn't they do that to ensure their safety, and they quickly turn against the team. Sue declares to the public, that they will do whatever is necessary to defeat Galactus, and to regain the people's trust again.
Reed then invents and devises a network of teleportation bridges, that would transport Earth thousands of light years away from Galactus' reach. Just as they begin activating the bridges, the Silver Surfer arrives, after a month of being stuck inside the black hole, and destroys most the bridges. Johnny stops her from reaching the last bridge in Times Square. After their first interaction, Johnny has since learned the language that the Surfer speaks, and identifies her as Shalla-Bal.
Shalla-Bal willingly became Galactus' herald, after he promised her to spare her home world of Zenn-La from the same fate that Earth is facing.
The Fantastic Four negotiate with Mole Man to evacuate the citizens of New York down underground, in the city of Subterranea, while they use Franklin as bait to lure Galactus. But the plan fails, and Galactus detects that Franklin is inside the Baxter Building, and grabs him.
After attempting to fight off Galactus, Sue uses her force field powers to push Galactus into the last portal, while Reed goes to rescue Franklin. When Sue begins to falter from overexertion, Johnny prepares to sacrifice himself to give Galactus a final push into the portal. Witnessing what was happening, Shalla-Bal has a change of heart, she stops Johnny and makes the decision to sacrifice herself instead. Her and Galactus were consumed by the portal and thrown into the void in space.
After the battle was over, Reed, Johnny, and Ben, notice that Sue was not moving. She had died from over exhausting her powers. As they mourn over her body, Reed places Franklin on top of Sue's chest, his newly awakened powers revive her back to life. A while later, back at the ABC News program, Ted Gilbert thanks the Fantastic Four for their heroism and celebrated their victory over Galactus, but as they introduced the team and the curtains arose, the stage was already empty, as they team had already left to take on another mission.
In the mid-credits scene, taking place in 1968, Sue was reading a book to a 4-year-old Franklin, and asks H.E.R.B.I.E. to grab another book from the kitchen, and after leaving the room momentarily to grab another book to read for him, upon returning, she notices a man wearing a green cloak, and holding a metallic mask in his hand as he's interacting with Franklin.
In the post-credits scene, an in-universe cartoon intro was showing depicting the Fantastic Four, with H.E.R.B.I.E. turning off the TV by the end.
Cast[]
- Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
- Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/Thing
- Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch
- Ralph Ineson as Galactus
- Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal/Silver Surfer
- Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman
- Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Rupert Elder/Mole Man
- Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols
- Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert
- Ada Scott as Franklin Richards
- Matthew Wood as H.E.R.B.I.E. (voice)
- Maisie Shakman as Donna
- Alex Hyde-White as ABC Newscaster William Russell
- Rebecca Staab as Channel 9 Newscaster Carolyn Haynes
- Jay Underwood as Power Plant Worker #1
- Michael Bailey Smith as Power Plant Worker #2
- Martin Dickinson as Timely Employee #1
- Greg Haiste as Timely Employee #2
- Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller as WHIH Reporter Albert Taft
- Iliana and Vienna Norris as Shalla-Bal's Daughter
- Kiff VandenHuevel as Newscaster
- Corey Burton as Ted Gilbert Announcer
- Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom (uncredited; mid-credits scene)
Production[]
Variety reported on July 20, 2019 that Kevin Feige announced that a Fantastic Four film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in early development, even after four unsuccessful attempts at a successful movie adaptation.[1] The film was officially announced by Marvel Studios with Jon Watts attached to direct.[2]
By April 29, 2022, Jon Watts had exited the project and would no longer direct the film.[3] Matt Shakman was in talks to direct the film, after Watts left the project, which was later confirmed at D23.[4][5]
Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were hired to write the screenplay for the film. By March 31, 2023, they were replaced by Josh Friedman who began rewriting the film's script.[6][7] In an interview with The Playlist, Matt Shakman revealed that Cameron Squires had co-written the film's script.[8]
Disney announced on June 13, 2023 they had pushed back the film's release date to May 2, 2025, taking over the release date from Avengers: Doomsday. This came in line of the ongoing writers strike in America.[9]
In July 2025, Shakman confirmed that John Malkovich was cut from the final cut of the film. He was intended to appear in an early sequence of the film chronicling the Fantastic Four's early years as superheroes.[10]
Filming[]
Filming began on July 30, 2024, in London, and wrapped on November 30.[11][12]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., appears in this movie before returning as the main villain in the next Avengers two parter, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This is because the original villains of the two parter, the Council of Kangs, had to be scrapped due to Jonathan Majors' criminal charges and subsequent conviction.
- Before starring as Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Evans played the Johnny Storm/Human Torch in the 2005 film, its sequel Rise of the Silver Surfer, a role he reprised in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- Also, before starring as Erik Killmonger in the MCU for Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan played the same character in the 2015 film.
- This film released 10 years after the 2015 version by Josh Trank, and twenty years after the 2005 version by Tim Story.
- Peyton Reed expressed interest in directing, having previously been considered back in the 90s,[13] while Joss Whedon was also considered and then immediately dropped following allegations of workplace harassment against him.[14] Fans wanted Brad Bird to direct due to his work on The Incredibles, while Chris Rock campaigned for J.J. Abrams to helm the film.[15] Jon Watts, who directed the MCU Spider-Man trilogy, was hired, but dropped out as he wanted a break from superhero movies.[16]
- This marks the very first live-action Fantastic Four movie to be produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures ever since Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, which is now known as 20th Century Studios.
- Despite this, the movie credits revealed that 20th Century Studios is the author of this movie instead of MVL Film Finance aka Marvel Studios. This implies that 20th Century Studios still has the Fantastic Four movie rights due to them being sub-licensed by Constantin Film, the real owner of the movie rights. However, Marvel Studios can produce Fantastic Four movies and use the characters anytime using 20th Century Studios' trade name due to both studios being owned by Disney.
- This marks the second live-action Fantastic Four movie overall to feature Galactus and Silver Surfer, with the first one being 20th Century Fox and Tim Story's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
- Galactus, unlike in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, has a comic-accurate design instead of being a gigantic cloud.
- The Silver Surfer mantle, unlike in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, is carried by Shalla-Bal instead of Norrin Radd.
- In the comics, Shalla-Bal is the second Silver Surfer aside from Norrin Radd, who is actually her love interest.
- This is the first film in the MCU where the story entirely takes place outside the MCU Sacred Timeline.
- Unlike the other MCU movies, this is the first and only MCU movie to use a brand new logo, which is based on the Cinerama Dome logo, in Hollywood. Complete with the zigzagging letters on the word “Marvel”.
- Also, this marks the first ever Marvel production to use a very different Marvel logo opposed to the usual comic book page flipping one, while this one has a retro 60s logo.
- This is the first MCU movie to take place in the 1960s, albeit retro-futuristic, which is a direct homage to the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby era of Fantastic Four comics.
- This is the third MCU movie to be a period piece and not take place in present day, with the first two being Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain Marvel.
- However this film takes place in a completely different universe than the other two, which both took place in the Sacred Timeline.
- This is the fifth film in the MCU to be shot entirely with IMAX cameras, after Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thunderbolts*.
- Based on early concept art, it was revealed that Emily Blunt had been a candidate to portray Invisible Woman in the film. Her husband John Krasinski had previously portrayed Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.[17]
- The Thing recreates Superman's action comics issue #1 cover, by lifting a car in one of the scenes.
- The film is not an origin story for the Fantastic Four unlike the previous films, and is instead set in a universe where they are already well known by the public.
- This is the second time an MCU film skips an origin story since Spider-Man: Homecoming.[18]
- The Fantastic Four have been a team for four years by the time of the film.[19]
- This film marks Franklin Richards' movie debut.
- He was previously mentioned by John Krasinski's Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- This is the fourth movie based on the Fantastic Four (but if one counts the 1994 unreleased film, that would make it technically the fifth).
- While Sue Storm is pregnant and gives birth in the film, her actress, Vanessa Kirby, ironically announced her own first real life pregnancy in an event for the film, in June 2025.
- Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ralph Ineson, and Matthew Wood had previously appeared in the Star Wars franchise.
- Ralph Ineson had previously played a Ravager in Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Johnny flies while holding The Thing, which mirrors Woody and Buzz Lightyear "falling with style" in Toy Story.
- Chris Evans, the original Human Torch voiced Buzz Lightyear in Lightyear.
- The universe the Fantastic Four are from is Earth-828, with the numbering being an Easter egg referencing the birthday of the co-creator of the Fantastic Four: Jack Kirby.[20]
- The Ted Gilbert show is a parody of The Ed Sullivan Show, and the set the Fantastic Four stand on in the show is modeled after the one the Beatles performed on for their first appearance on the show.
- The Galactus popcorn bucket holds the Guiness World Record for the largest popcorn container sold in theaters.
- In some parts of the movie, Johnny Storm can be seen eating some Lucky Charms cereal, which ironically first came out in 1964, which this movie takes place in.
- The Lucky Charms box that is seen in the movie is one of the boxes with a toy of Human Torch, which were founded in stores during the time of this film's release.
- This is the first Fantastic Four movie to garner a "fresh" rating on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.
- There is a deleted scene from the beginning of the film, between Sue Storm and Mole Man, where he offers her a drink in his lair.[21]
- Matt Shakman revealed some details in an interview:
- There is a Westview billboard in Times Square, but Matt Shakman stated it does not mean there is a Westview in Earth-828, which there isn't. It was just an easter egg he wanted to put in as a homage to how much it meant to him for working on WandaVision.[22]
- While some of Reed Richards' equipment is similar to what was seen in the TVA in Loki, it is not intentional.[22]
- Ralph Ineson did not have a stunt double for his role of Galactus, he shot everything himself and only a small part of CGI was used for the character.[22]
- This film marks the live-action debuts of Franklin Richards and Shalla-Bal in live-action.
- The events of the film take place in 1964 and the team gained their powers in 1960, which is one year off of the year they got their powers in the comics, which was 1961. The mid-credit scene where Franklin is 4 years old and Doctor Doom appears takes place in 1968.
- The scene where Sue uses her powers to make her unborn child visible within her womb was also featured in the fiftieth issue of the 1998 Fantastic Four comics.[23]
- Sue's temporary death and her son resurrecting her is similar to the 2007 film The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, where the Silver Surfer resurrected Sue after she died. However, this time, it is baby Franklin who does the resurrecting.
- The PANAM building is placed where the MetLife building is in real life New York City. On Earth-616, it is the Avengers Tower, later replaced with the Watchtower, that is in that spot of the city.
- After saluting the street workers, the Human Torch uses his flames to make a 4 symbol in the sky, just like Chris Evans' Human Torch in the 2005 and 2007 films.
- There is a Coppertone billboard with Johnny Storm, which is a reference to the real life sign, which featured a young girl. In this universe, it is Johnny who replaces the little girl and the dog is tugging on his swim shorts.
- The 1994 unreleased Fantastic Four actors have cameo appearances in this movie.
- Alex Hyde-White (Reed) as ABC Newscaster William Russell.
- Rebecca Staab (Sue) as Channel 9 Newscaster Carolyn Haynes.
- Jay Underwood (Johnny) as a power plant worker.
- Michael Bailey Smith (Ben) as another power plant worker.
- In the climax of the opening, in one of the bubbles of people, all four actors make an appearance in a red bubble, thanking the Fantastic Four, themselves.
- The film makes mention of several Fantastic Four rogues:
- The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes - Ivan Kragoff is a Russian communist spy who subjected himself and his apes to cosmic rays and gained powers. He can make himself intangible and is a super genius as well. A whole sequence featuring John Malkovich playing him was filmed, but deleted. Instead, only a brief scene of Reed Richards battling one of his apes made it into the film.
- The Mad Thinker - A mysterious individual identified simply as Julius, he is a mad scientist who has computerized his brain, allowing him to think twice as fast. He builds robots and believes himself to be smarter than Reed Richards.
- A female incarnation named Rhona Burchill exists in the Ultimate Marvel Universe who surgically places pieces of other people's brains into her own.
- The Puppet Master - Philip Masters is a sculptor who discovered radioactive clay that when used, can allow him to bend anyone to his will. His step-daughter is Alicia Masters, the primary love interest of The Thing.
- The Wizard - Bentley Wittman is a former child prodigy who grew bored of his privileged life and decided to become a career criminal. He built gravity disks and initially started as an antagonist for the Human Torch before shifting his focus to the rest of the team. He formed his own group known as the Frightful Four.
- A variant of the character appears in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, voiced by Paul F. Tompkins.
- Diablo - Esteban Corazón de Ablo is an alchemist from the 9th century who sold his soul to Mephisto for knowledge and power. He has gained immortality and is looking for absolute power.
- Vanessa Kirby confirmed it was Robert Downey Jr. on set as Doctor Doom in the post-credits scene and not a stand in.[24]
- During a montage of Reed trying to calculate formulas on the blackboard, the music is "Nation on Wheels" by George Bruns, which originally played on the PeopleMover at Disneyland.
- Every week following the teaser trailer in February, Marvel released a "every Sunday at 7" clip, but it was one of few scenes removed from the film. The scene itself was actually taken from a promo video that was screened at Disney D23 and San Diego Comic-Con. The clip itself featured sequences that were not necessarily intended to be in the film. Among them, a scene featuring the Thing on the set of a dating game show.
- This is the second MCU film to include an animated scene after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- This is the first MCU film to use a heavy set of Hanna-Barbera sound effects, though only for its animated sequence.
- After Sue's pregnancy is revealed to the media, one of the magazines uses the same Valentine's Day artwork that was released by Marvel Studios in February 2024.
- Two artists are seen working on comic books. Those men are meant to be a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and the building they are in is meant to be Timely Comics, which was the original name for Marvel Comics.[25]
- The men are seen drawing Giganto based on the Fantastic Four's encounter with the creature.
- Uatu the Watcher is also seen on a poster, which is a reference to a comic in which first featured the Watcher.
- Sue mentions her parents and when her mother died in a car crash, while Sue, Johnny and their dad survived, which is a reference to one of the comic books which showed this backstory on how they lost their mother. A photo of the parents are actually seen on Sue's bedside table when she and Reed are discussing her suit.
- All the sets and the Fantasticar were practical.[26]
- Ada Scott who played baby Franklin is actually a female baby, not male.
- The actor who plays 4-year old Franklin in the post credit scene is uncredited.
- Ada Scott, the baby who played Franklin Richards, was not guided to clap after Sue was resurrected. She did it herself as she somehow sensed what was happening in that scene and decided to clap.[27]
- In the final scene where Ben, Reed and Johnny are fitting the baby seat, behind them is a banner that reads "five years of the Fantastic Four", placing that scene one year after the opening scene when Sue and Reed discovered she was pregnant with Franklin.
- There were originally more flirtatious scenes between Johnny Storm and Shalla-Bal in the original draft of the film.[28]
- Pedro Pascal and Joseph Quinn previously worked together in Gladiator II, which was released in 2024.
- Just like with Thunderbolts*, the post credit scene is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, due to it being a scene from Avengers: Doomsday.
- The set for Yancy Street is actually the same street for the final battle in Deadpool & Wolverine.
- At the end, this film marks the debut of Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- This is the first time since Captain Marvel, where the "Will Return" caption says what movie they'll return in.
- ABC is the TV channel that owns “The Ted Gilbert Show”, ABC is owned by Disney, but in real life, Disney didn't buy ABC until February 9, 1996. Not 1965, like in the movie.
References[]
External links[]
The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Wikipedia- The Fantastic Four: First Steps on IMDb
- Fantastic Four on 𝕏
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Instagram
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Marvel Database
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