The Fantastic Four: First Steps has an unenviable task ahead. After the exemplary successes of wrapping the Thanos arc with Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios must adapt to real-world crises. It suffered from a lack of visible direction, critically maligned outings, and consequent declining box office returns.
A lot rests on the shoulders of Marvel's first family, but First Steps provides the MCU a much-needed boost. It's an elegant narrative backed by a solid cast and strong script, and it includes one of the best-adapted villains Marvel has had yet, though there are a few missed opportunities.
While the team itself set Marvel Comics off on a high note as the first created by greats Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, film adaptations have fared less well. Marvel buried the infamous Roger Corman-produced 1994 adaptation. 2004's Fantastic Four (27% RT), 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (37% RT), and Fantastic Four (a rock bottom 9% RT) each sport a critical reception low enough that Mole Man is the only qualified projectionist.
While First Steps doesn't benefit from the MCU's troubled recent history or the equally troubled history of attempts to adapt the franchise, thanks to focused storytelling, a family drama that benefits from a highly charismatic, talented cast, and several wise choices, it's a grand entry to the MCU that portends excellent things to come.
The Cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps Is Actually Fantastic
First Steps takes place in an alternative, retro-futuristic Earth where Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Richards/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) discover that Sue is unexpectedly pregnant. It's all celebrations until Silver Surfer Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner) descends from space to herald that the planet-munching Galactus (Ralph Ineson) has Earth next on his dinner plate.
First Steps' greatest strength is its focused narrative simplicity. It's entirely centered on a family in the worst possible crisis: they sacrifice their newborn baby, or Galactus takes the Earth. It's one of the MCU's most streamlined stories since it went Multiversal, and the film's talented cast consequently has genuinely solid material to give memorable performances.
Pedro Pascal is a stellar Reed Richards, portraying a careful balance of emotional earnestness and intellectual detachment that grounds the team in a crisis. Vanessa Kirby is a powerhouse—a believable leader and a mother who would do anything to ensure her baby's safety. Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach give emotional and charismatic portrayals of Franklin's dedicated uncles. All four players are given strong emotional material, and they deliver well. Three cheers that we won't need to wait that long before we see them in action again.
First Steps Is an Excellent MCU Outing Despite Missteps
Julia Garner gives genuine layers to Shalla-Bal, particularly when the character's resigned, stoic nature peels away. Ralph Ineson has a commanding presence as the famished space god Galactus, sporting a measured portrayal reflecting the canonical reality that Big-G isn't evil but a curious force of nature equally victimized by inexhaustible hunger.
Galactus is one of the best comic villains the MCU has adapted to date, with gravitas, awe, and a sense of scale. While focusing on family troubles and the singular big bad is beneficial overall, it creates some minor issues. Building up to a Big Bad as massive as Galactus means the actual skirmishes are few and far between, and with a film focused on one singular crisis, it would be nice to see the team in action to a greater extent.
The final battle is a solid showcase, particularly for powerhouse Sue Richards, who might have the greatest mother-would-lift-car-to-save-child moment in film history. Still, having more opportunities to see the team in action would be ideal, especially for Mister Fantastic (who comes across as a little silly in physical combat) and The Thing (who needs more to do).
The relative lack of conflict in sections also slows the film's pacing in segments, where an action break would be welcome. Some choices also feel like awfully convenient plot devices. Why, for example, would a late-stage Sue come on a deep-space trek into hostile space God territory? Johnny makes a pivotal strategic discovery late in the film, and though he's never portrayed as idiotic, it's unlikely that he'd be making that finding. They're not plot holes, not catastrophic, but far too convenient.
Those issues aside, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is one of the best Marvel outings. It boasts a top-shelf villain, stellar performances across the cast, an excellent script with some cool set-pieces, and genuinely immersive world-building.
Final Rating: 8/10
The Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres in theaters on Friday, July 25, 2025.
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