Vanessa Kirby Reveals 3 MCU Stars Who Encouraged Her To Join Fantastic Four 2025

The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Vanessa Kirby credits three veteran MCU stars for helping her make the decision to join the Marvel universe. The MCU has become a family and fraternity in its own right over the last 17 years, with dozens of megastars embracing Marvel's biggest characters on screen. Kirby is about to take her own first step into the saga, and it appears she has plenty of support already.

Vanessa Kirby shared that Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) all encouraged her to join the MCU before taking her role as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. These three represent multiple eras of MCU storytelling, having been a part of the franchise since 2011 at the earliest. Now, Kirby will join them for some of the MCU's biggest stories yet.

Speaking with the German news outlet Kino.de (response translated from German), Kirby described the MCU as a "community" and talked about the three aforementioned actors who gave her "great advice." She also teased her excitement to "interact with them" in future movies involving all of their characters:

"It's like a community, and they gave us great advice. It's like an extended family, especially when you're involved in projects like 'Avengers.' When we interact with them, it's going to be really fun."

While Kirby is about to star in her first MCU movie this year, she will embark on her first team-up effort alongside two of the three actors she named in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday. Kirby, Stan, and Pugh were all announced for Doomsday's cast as part of Marvel's massive announcement of the film's first 27 cast members in March 2025. Although Ruffalo is not confirmed yet to reprise his role as Bruce Banner, he is widely expected to be part of the story.

Meanwhile, Kirby will join Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios' first solo movie featuring the iconic team after years of work under 20th Century Fox. Together, they will show the team in operation a few years after forming, all before they take on the most dangerous threat their universe has ever seen - Ralph Ineson's Galactus. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will debut in theaters on July 25, 2025.

How Vanessa Kirby & Fantastic Four Will Mesh With MCU's Avengers

Described as the de facto leader of the Fantastic Four in the MCU's first solo movie, Sue Storm will be a vital member of the team as she, her husband, her brother, and her old friend join forces against Galactus. However, the team is also set to play major roles moving forward in Avengers: Doomsday, which will come after they find their way to Earth-616.

Kirby was also the second person announced in Marvel Studios' Doomsday cast live stream after Chris Hemsworth's Thor. While this alone does not confirm a bigger role for Sue Storm, she is expected to be one of the central characters when Marvel's First Family meets the X-Men, Avengers, and New Avengers.

Looking at Pugh, Stan, and Ruffalo's roles as central pieces of the Avengers and New Avengers, fans are also curious to see how much interaction Kirby will have with these three MCU veterans. While Reed is expected to connect with other brilliant minds like Stephen Strange, with fans also hoping to finally see a bromance between Johnny Storm and Spider-Man, Sue's potential allegiances could float across the Doomsday roster.

For now, the wait continues to find out more about Vanessa Kirby's character in The Fantastic Four, but all eyes will also be on Doomsday to find out how much of an impact she will have when the multiverse is at stake.