Marvel Studios Secretly Hid Fantastic Four's Surprise Character In the Movie's First Poster - And We Somehow All Missed Them

One of Marvel's biggest surprise characters from The Fantastic Four: First Steps was hidden in plain sight on one of the film’s first posters. The Fantastic Four included a massive cast of stars, even outside of its core four heroes and its laundry list of villains. Considering the secrets Marvel kept for this film (as it does with all its movies), many may be shocked to see how early one fan favorite star was revealed in marketing.

Natasha Lyonne’s Rachel Rozman was first revealed in one of the first official posters for Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Following her voiceover work as Byrdie in What If…?, Lyonne's casting in The Fantastic Four led to countless questions about who she would embody in live-action. While Marvel did not reveal this information until the film debuted, they gave fans a small nod to her inclusion months ago.

Marvel shared the poster in question on February 4, 2025, the same day the studio released the first full trailer for the movie. This poster centers on a young girl (played by the daughter of director Matt Shakman) looking up at the sky while holding an action figure of Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Ben Grimm/The Thing.

Looking just right of the girl, fans can see a blurry woman with red hair wearing a white coat. Even blurry, this person looks like Nataha Lyonne's new MCU character, Rachel Rozman. 

Serving as a love interest for Ben Grimm, Rachel was a schoolteacher in Ben's home neighborhood of Brooklyn. Later, she made an appearance at the Jewish synagogue, where she and Ben shared a heartfelt moment as the world pulled together for the mission at hand. She is also named after Rosalind "Roz" Kirby, the wife of the late Jack Kirby, who helped create the Fantastic Four and many of their stories.

Marvel seemed intent on keeping Lyonne's role a secret throughout the movie's marketing campaign, not showing Rachel Rozman in any Fantastic Four trailers. In the end, she was hidden in plain sight from the moment the film's marketing tour began.

Along with Lyonne, The Fantastic Four stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the MCU's first theatrical release of Phase 6. Picking up four years after getting their powers, the team faces their scariest challenge yet, as they have to face Galactus and the Silver Surfer in their intergalactic conquest. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters worldwide.

Will Natasha Lyonne Return to the MCU Post-Fantastic Four?

Making history with her appearance in Disney+'s What If...?, Natasha Lyonne enjoyed almost a year of successes under Marvel Studios' watch, including her place in The Fantastic Four. The big question moving forward is how big of an impact both of her roles will have on the greater story.

Lyonne's Byrdie from What If...? could potentially make the jump from animation into live action someday, which already happened with Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Considering how many universes are likely to be brought into play in the next two Avengers movies, the animated world may have a shot at being realized alongside its live-action counterpart on the big screen.

However, after Earth-828 was spared in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Lyonne's Rachel Rozman could certainly be brought back in a supporting capacity for later movies. Considering she and Ben Grimm were in the early stages of their courtship, along with the four-year gap before the post-credits scene, there is a good chance the two could be paired off when Marvel's First Family returns to the MCU.

While the details are still murky, Lyonne could still have a bright future ahead of her before the Multiverse Saga comes to an end.