Before The Fantastic Four: First Steps stretches into cinemas, past movies featuring the heroes will be top-of-mind for many.
Superheroes, explorers, 'imaginauts'. However the Fantastic Four are best known, there is one thing which is crystal clear: They represent the very bedrock of the Marvel Universe. In the comics, at least…
On film, the FF have not fared as well, with three big-screen takes produced while 20th Century Fox still held the film rights for the First Family: Fantastic Four from 2005, its direct sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the much-maligned 2015 Fantastic Four (infamously known as Fan4stic)
But Marvel Studios has since regained the rights to Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny and are now in production on their MCU debut, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
How Can Fantastic Four: First Steps Improve Upon Past Attempts?
There have been a total of four Fantastic Four movies made over the years, including the low-budget, unreleased version from 1994. Facing facts, these films got a lot of things wrong (which is not to say that they did not have some bright spots)!
And although Marvel Studios’ First Steps does not hit theaters until 2025, it appears to be shaping up in the mighty Marvel manner. Here are the ways that the film could emerge victorious where the other three theatrical FF movies have failed:
Marvel Studios’ Source Material Reverence
The MCU might have had some perceived low spots since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, but one thing remains constant in their storytelling and world-building— They fully embrace the comic books when crafting their movies, series, and special presentations.
During Marvel’s Phase 4 and 5, the superhero costumes have gotten even more faithful to the comics, dialing up the accuracy and vibrant coloring.
Compare this to the disastrous Fan4stic, which felt so embarrassed to be a superhero movie that the four leads were designed as blandly as possible, with Reed, Sue, and Johnny wearing drab grey jumpsuits.
Interestingly enough, the suits from director Tim Story’s '05 and '07 films were one area where those installments did not fall short.
But judging by the First Steps concept art released in February, or the recently leaked set photos, Marvel has turned the aesthetic accuracy up to 11. The FF’s costumes are a distinct baby blue, perfectly in line with the team’s comic appearance.
But apart from the visuals, First Steps seems poised to deliver an experience that keeps the comics near and dear to its heart. Look at the movie’s villain Galactus for instance. Rise of the Silver Surfer was so ashamed of the giant, purple, planet-eater that it turned him into a cloud!
In First Steps, Galactus will be shown in all his glory, signature armor, high-top helmet, and all.
The 1960s Setting
The sizzle reel for First Steps, showcased at San Diego Comic-Con, presented a sterling, retro-futuristic, 1960s sheen to the project. This is all meant to depict a world where the Fantastic Four’s influence has dramatically changed things for the better.
In short: The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in the '60s, and likely the early '60s at that, but one in which Reed Richards’ brilliance has presumably brought on huge and rapid scientific advances (see: the gleaming, high-tech cityscape from April’s Human Torch poster).
Longtime Marvel fans will surely know that the FF got their start on the publishing side with Fantastic Four #1, written by Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "The King" Kirby and published in November 1961.
It was the book that kicked off the Marvel Universe as fans know it. Lee and Kirby’s first roughly 100 issues on the title formed the foundation of everything that was to come and helped revolutionize comic books as a medium and the things they could accomplish.
So for First Steps to dive headfirst into its 1960s setting is huge. A ‘60s-set FF flick was rumored for years, with Ant-Man co-writer Adam McKay reportedly trying to get a pitch for one of the ground for years.
But for Marvel Studios to do it shows a clear and unyielding respect to the run from Lee and Kirby that started it all.
The other FF movies were much more modern affairs, with Fan4stic arguably taking things too far, making needless changes and updates to the team’s lore. It made the film less reminiscent of the classic books and more adherent to the Ultimate Universe’s edgier Fantastic Four comics from the early 2000s.
The Design of The Thing
Ben Grimm is many things, an accomplished pilot, a loyal friend, and above all else, a deeply caring individual who tries to look out for the little guy. But unfortunately for Ben, many see him as nothing more than a monster, thanks to a fateful encounter with some cosmic rays.
In the accident that created the Fantastic Four, Ben was transformed into the immensely strong, Ever Lovin’, Blue-Eyed Thing. Covered head-to-toe in a rocky orange skin with no easy way of looking human, Ben didn’t fare as lucky as his teammates when it came to superpowers.
But Ben chooses to put his tragedy to good use as a stalwart member of the Fantastic Four. In First Steps, this will likely be the case as well, with the most comic-accurate live-action Thing design yet to boot!
As revealed in the team’s Valentine’s Day-themed poster, as well as the set photos that surfaced online, Ben Grimm’s look as the Thing might as well have jumped right of the comic books and into the film’s production, right down to the character’s instantly recognizable eyebrow ridge.
Michael Chiklis wore a highly restrictive costume to portray Ben which made it difficult for the actor to move and emote. The Thing is a very expressive character, and the practical suit, while impressive for its time, wasn’t cutting it in many respects.
And the less said about Fan4stic’s Ben, the better. Many fans compared the jagged, pants-less design in that movie to a large, walking piece of fried chicken.
Not Jumping Straight to Doctor Doom
Every single previous Fantastic Four film outing selected Victor von Doom as its villain. And every single one of those movies managed to get the character wrong in the eyes of most.
So, one might be thinking “If Doom’s never been portrayed faithfully, Marvel Studios’ should fix that right away.”
But while Doctor Doom is on a collision course with the MCU (Robert Downey Jr. will play Victor in both upcoming Avengers installments) First Steps has displayed patience and picked Galactus as its primary antagonist. His voice will be provided by Ralph Ineson.
This is a solid show of restraint from the House of Ideas. And while Downey’s Doom feels like a lock for First Steps’ post-credit scene, this has yet to be confirmed, allowing Galactus to take center stage. This will likely help keep things fresh for the general audience as well.
Hopefully, the MCU’s Doom will be more authentic than past cinematic incarnations. Although that’s not exactly a high bar. Julian McMahon and Tobey Kebbell’s versions weren’t much to write home about.
Something Fantastic To Look Forward To
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be the MCU’s first, full introduction to the First Family. And that’s monumental, even though the team was not there from the beginning and is joining the universe 17 years in.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn have important roles to play as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm respectively. But with the Four already confirmed for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, the studio must be incredibly confident with their casting.
But as long as First Steps delivers a fun, engaging, compelling time at the movies, Marvel Studios has this one in the bag.
Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.
