2025 has brought great changes to the MCU’s status quo. The next instalment of the long-running cinematic universe aims to continue this trend with The Fantastic Four: First Steps!
The film promises a cosmic adventure while also representing a multiverse-sized step towards Avengers: Doomsday. Let’s examine why you should be looking out at the stars with anticipation for the long-awaited MCU debut of “Marvel’s First Family!” It’s gonna be fantastic! And yes, you can say that again.
A FANTASTIC LEGACY
The Fantastic Four consists of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Susan “Sue” Storm (Invisible Woman), Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Benjamin “Ben” Grimm (The Thing). Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this intrepid super-family team and their origins debuted in The Fantastic Four #1, November 1961.
In an endeavour to win the space race against Russia, genius scientist Reed Richards commanders the Marvel-1 experimental spaceship to reach space first. His fiancée Sue, brother-in-law Johnny and best friend Ben join him in this escapade.
Things get off to a rocky start (quite literally in Ben’s case) when the ship flies through a cosmic radiation storm, permanently changing the destinies of these four brave adventurers. After crashing back to Earth, the four vow to use their powers for the greater good.
Their debut defied the odds with its groundbreaking success for Marvel, paving the way for “The Marvel Age of Comics.” FF created the blueprint of superpowered individuals that readers could relate to. Without this blueprint, legendary heroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and Doctor Strange wouldn’t exist as we know them today. This was a stark contrast to their competitors, who focused solely on the super aspect of their characters to create stories.
THE POWER OF FOUR
First Steps is set in a parallel retro-futuristic world reminiscent of 1960s America. Reed (Pedro Pascal), Sue (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny (Joseph Quinn) and Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are well-established heroes, with the daring feats of the Fantastic Four widely celebrated by the public. Joining them for the first time on the big screen are the robot companion H.E.R.B.I.E (Matthew Woods) and Franklin Benjamin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue.
Their well-earned peace is tested when the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), herald to the fearsome cosmic entity and planetary mukbanger known as Galactus (Ralph Ineson), arrives, bearing the grim news of their master’s impending arrival. Will the Fantastic Four be enough to combat the threat of annihilation?
Though one can draw comparisons to the plot of 2007’s Rise of the Silver Surfer, there are many key differences here. For example, the original comic book design of Galactus will be on display in its full glory throughout the film! Meanwhile, his herald is not Norrin Radd; instead, his lover, Shalla-Bal, has taken his place.
COSMIC ADVERSARIES
Galactus had his first big screen appearance in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver with his head in the clouds, with Supa-Star alumni Doug Jones riding the gnarly space waves as his herald. Galactus is a cosmic being that consumes life energy contained in planets for sustenance. He was once a mortal humanoid named Galan of Taa; the sole survivor of the universe before the Big Bang created the Marvel Universe as we know it. A mysterious force known as the Sentience of the Universe bonded with Galan before the Black Winter and the Big Crunch ended all life. Thus, the terrifying Galactus was born.
This was the origin back in Mighty Thor #168 – 169 in 1969, before a 1983 expanded origin included some multiversal shenanigans. The Sentience of the Universe became the Sentience of the Sixth Cosmo, the multiversal cycle before the current cycle that houses the entirety of the Marvel multiverse. This is why Galactus is often portrayed as a multiversal constant, and quite possibly a crucial plot point with how First Steps fits into The Multiverse Saga era of the MCU.
MULTIVERSAL MADNESS
Is Shalla-Bal a sign of the alternative timeline the Fantastic Four are currently inhabiting? Are the Fantastic Four not originally from this retro-futuristic world? Is Galactus a multiversal constant, meaning he’s the same Galactus hiding amongst the clouds in Rise of the Silver Surfer? These are just some of the wild fan theories circulating online.
With Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU in a new role as the diabolical Doctor Doom, it has yet to be seen if his Doom will be related to this iteration of the FF. The multiverse is full of limitless possibilities, and how does Franklin tie into the infinite madness?!
Franklin Richards is one of the most powerful superheroes and mutants in the Marvel Universe. He’s a telepath with psionic abilities and a capacity for reality manipulation (both the Scarlet Witch and Wiccan know a thing or two about reality-warping). Will he be crucial to saving the multiverse in future MCU instalments?
First Steps represents a small step for The Fantastic Four and one giant leap for the MCU. With the MCU introduction of the X-Men and Mutants imminent, it makes sense for Marvel’s “First Family” to lead the charge for the next Marvellous age of films! Get ready to shout, “Flame On”, as the MCU heats up for its next chapter – because “It’s Clobbering Time!” for The Fantastic Four!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens exclusively in cinemas on July 24
