Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted even more evidence suggesting Fantastic Four: First Steps' Earth-destroying twist. The Fantastic Four 2025 movie from WandaVision's Matt Shakman is said to take place on another Earth within the MCU Multiverse, following a never-before-seen take on Marvel's First Family led by Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards. However, part of this new retro-futurist epic has been how/why its character will make their way to the MCU prime (like they were teased to do at the end of the recently released Thunderbolts*).
After several teases of a devastating Earth-ending twist to come in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a new poster for the film has seemingly given that the movie's reality is, in fact, not long for this world. First Steps' take on the iconic superhero team has been confirmed to join the fight against Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, but to do so, they will likely need to traverse realities to come to the MCU proper. This has led many to believe their world will be destroyed in the new film by Ralph Ineson's Galactus.
The new Fantastic Four poster, released to promote pre-sale tickets for the film going on sale, features the cast of the film posing for the camera with a stylized artist's rendition of the New York cityscape emblazoned behind them.
However, as a part of this skyline (as shared by X user Ryan Cortero), a curious-looking billboard can be seen that may provide the key to the movie's devastating twist ending.
The piece of in-universe advertising can be spotted on the bottom right of the poster. It features a man and a woman pushing a stroller with the text "Protect your world" splayed across a cream-colored background.
This could be yet another allusion to Fantastic Four's world-ending stakes that have been set up since the movie was first announced to take place in a reality outside of the usual MCU.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025, finally bringing the iconic superhero team into the MCU for the first time. The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss Bachrach as Ben Grimm, as their Earth is threatened by the arrival of an intergalactic world-devouring entity known as Galactus.
The movie's version of Marvel's beloved fantastic foursome is said to have a long and fruity future in the MCU ahead of them, with all four members of the team already confirmed to appear in next year's Avengers: Doomsday.
Will the World End in Fantastic Four?
It is looking more and more likely that Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four movie will not have a happy ending by the time the credits roll. Sure, the titular team may defeat Galactus in some form, but in doing so, they will probably have to say goodbye to the Earth they have called home.
Some have speculated that this tragic ending could result from Galactus' attack on Earth, with the World-Devourer doing exactly that and ridding the First Steps reality of the Fantastic Four's home planet; however, it could go a whole lot deeper than that as well.
One prevailing theory picking up steam among the MCU faithful has to do with the Fantastic Four team themselves. What if Reed Richards and his super-powered team have drawn the eye of Galactus because they are not supposed to be in this particular reality at all?
A certain contingent of fans believe this take on the Fantastic Four (which is already established when the movie starts) is actually from another reality entirely and accidentally traversed the Multiverse during their space-faring mission that leaves all four of them with a unique set of superhero powers.
If that were the case, then this "Protect your world" billboard may be a reference to Reed Richards and co. having to sacrifice the lives they have on this alternate Earth to save the people who have come to celebrate them as heroes. Maybe make a promise to stop Galactus in his tracks, telling the Celestial that they will search the Multiverse for the reality they actually belong to.
This would mean that they do not necessarily end the world but rather end their lives on it, knowing they can never return as a group of heroes lost without an Earth to call home.
