A new update revealed the final runtime of Fantastic Four: First Steps (aka Fantastic Four 2025), and Marvel fans will likely not be happy. Matt Shakman's upcoming Fantastic Four reboot will finally bring Marvel's First Family to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as they contend with the terrifying Galactus (played by Ralph Ineson). The new film is assumed to be another epic from Marvel Studios, introducing audiences to a unique retro-futurist world, its band of lovable heroes, and a galactic threat that could swallow a planet in one fell swoop.
Given everything the new MCU blockbuster will have to tackle, all while setting its characters up for their forthcoming appearance in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, many had thought First Steps would end up sporting an appropriately lengthy big screen runtime; however, that may not be the case.
A new listing has revealed Fantastic Four 2025's final runtime, and it is much leaner than some had expected.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) website lists the movie's final runtime at one hour and 56 minutes (114 minutes). This may come as a shock to some, as it confirms the new film will be less than two hours—a mark that longtime Marvel fans have long decried within the MCU.
Many of the franchise's lowest-rated entries have all come in at under two hours, which is where these worries come from for Fantastic Four. For comparison, titles like The Marvels, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor: The Dark World all sit at that sub-two-hour mark.
- The Incredible Hulk (2008) – 112 min
- Thor (2011) – 115 min
- Thor: The Dark World (2013) – 112 min
- Doctor Strange (2016) – 115 min
- Ant‑Man (2015) – 117 min
- Ant‑Man and the Wasp (2018) – 118 min
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – 119 min
- The Marvels (2023) – 105 min
- Captain America: Brave New World (2025) – 118 min
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) – 114 min
In total, nine MCU movies over the years have been shorter than two hours, five of which appear in the bottom 10 lowest-reviewed MCU movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
Among these less-than-two-hour Marvel Studios films, the average critic's score on the review aggregation platform is an unremarkable 71.4%, showing just how middling (to bad) these leaner Marvel movies can be.
The First Steps runtime has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent weeks, as reports of the movie's length being trimmed at the last minute have begun to percolate online.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps follows a new take on the iconic comic book team, played by Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The latest film, directed by WandaVision's Matt Shakman, tells the story of an alternate Earth where the Fantastic Four have long been operating as the planet's super-powered heroes. However, after the fate of their planet is put into question following the emergence of a new cosmic threat, they are forced to reckon with what they are willing to do to keep the people of Earth safe.
First Steps comes to theaters on Friday, July 25, rounding out Marvel Studios' year at the multiplex following the theatrical release of Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.
Why Fantastic Four 2025's Runtime Is Worrying for Fans
While yes, it is nerve-wracking seeing the data about how Marvel Studios' shorter-than-two-hour movies have fared over the years, there are other reasons Fantastic Four: First Steps' lean runtime has fans worried about the movie.
Fantastic Four has a lot to do when it comes to theaters in just a couple of weeks. It not only has to introduce MCU audiences to the Fantastic Four team, it also has the tall task of making its alternate reality story make sense, setting up the group's role in Avengers: Doomsday, and tackling one of Marvel Comics' biggest villains ever in the world-devouring Galactus.
From the outside, it seems like a herculean effort. One would think with all these spinning plates, Marvel would opt to make this movie one of its longer efforts. The Fantastic Four characters are worthy of that.
But that does not look like it is the case, as the super-powered studio has opted to make the film one of its shortest movies ever.
Hopefully, this lean runtime will still give all the movie's various elements time to breathe without feeling too packed or rushed, setting the Fantastic Four off on the right foot in the interconnected on-screen universe.
