TAGGED AS: Marvel, movies, Superheroes
Film has not been great for the Fantastic Four. Despite being the team that initiated the Marvel Age of Comics, their cinematic adventures have been mediocre at best or career-ending at worst. Nevertheless, there are good reasons to put them on screen. They’re colorful and distinct personalities. They have a deep and impressive rogues gallery. And, potentially most importantly, they are a family.
But getting all the pieces to work together properly has befuddled four films (one of which was never actually released) and at least three filmmakers. Is their inability to become a filmic mainstay the work of Doctor Doom or his agents?
We find out soon. At Comic-Con International: San Diego 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed it is finally Marvel Studios’ turn to bring the FF to life and introduce them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The hows and whys may still be something of a mystery, but join us as we assemble everything we know about the studio’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps to see if we can’t shed some light on the Richards clan’s fifth attempt at big screen success.
[Updated 2/4/25]
(Photo by 20th Century Fox Film Corp.)
While the plot is still something of a secret, we have some understanding of where it will go. For one thing: it will not be an origin story, according to Feige. Like Spider-Man: Homecoming before it, First Steps will take into account that the team’s origin has been covered in three films (counting the unreleased 1994 film produced by the late Roger Corman). Although, it is likely we will get a recap of how supergenius Reed Richards; his fiancée, Sue Storm; her brother, Johnny; and Reed’s best pal, Ben Grimm, made their way onto a space ship and encountered the “cosmic radiation” that gave them their incredible powers. Reed emerged with an elastic body, Sue turned invisible, Johnny can switch into a being of flame, and Ben was cursed to live as rock creature also known as The Thing.
(Photo by 20th Century Fox Film Corp. courtesy Everett Collection)
While Doctor Doom is Reed Richards’ archnemesis — adherents of Doom would say the cursed Richards is his own worst enemy — he is being held in reserve as the team face the coming of the planet-eating Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, as Marvel confirmed alongside the release of the first teaser trailer in February. Additionally, Robert Downey Jr. will play Doom in 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, so there is some chance Doom will make himself known at some point in First Steps, even if just to say hello.
No matter the primary antagonist, though, the film has a mission statement: make the Fantastic Four cool. Admittedly, that is no easy feat, considering faithful adaptation and more radical reinvention alike have failed to wow audiences, but maybe the setting will set the film apart from those earlier attempts.
(Photo by ©Marvel/©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Like most Marvel characters, the FF call Manhattan home — famously within the Baxter building at 42nd and Madison — which means familiar locales from Homecoming or other Marvel features may be on display, but with a twist. The film takes place in a different when and where from the rest of the MCU.
Early marketing materials released prior to production contained a decidedly 1960s feel to them, leading many to suspect the film would be set in that era. The notion proved true when Feige told The Official Marvel Podcast in June 2024 that the film will take place in an alternate ’60s. As he mentioned on the show, a piece of promo art featured a Manhattan skyline that doesn’t “look like the New York we know or the one that existed in the sixties real world.” The Marvel Studios boss further cemented the film’s setting at SDCC that July by showing the Marvel faithful a “pre-filming” test real, hinting at the groovy tech and curious difference between the world of the Fantastic Four, the MCU, and our own.
The choice certainly has a lot of appeal. The Fantastic Four are an archly ‘60s concept, from Reed Richards’ science hero persona to The Thing’s body issues. They also exemplify that initial thrust of creativity at Marvel at the time, when Jack Kirby and Stan Lee introduced a new, wild, and provocative idea in every issue of Fantastic Four. Black Panther, for example, debuted just a handful of issues after Galactus’s first attempted to eat the Earth.
(Photo by Jay Maidment/Marvel Studios)
Capturing the energy and optimism of the era serves the characters well, just as introducing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in the WWII milieu of Captain America: The First Avenger set him up as a traditional sort of hero. The contrast between them and, say, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) will be readily apparent when they eventually meet in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.
Additionally, removing them from the present-day, mainstream MCU (a reality designated “616” per Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) means the film will avoid crossovers — beyond, maybe, the Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper or John Slattery) or Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) of the FF’s universe. Considering the complaints of crossover fatigue that many mention online, presenting the film as a fresh start in the heyday of the ’60s definitely has some advantages.
(Photo by Jon Kopaloff, Dave Benett, Jeff Spicer, Alberto Rodriguez/GA/Getty Images)
After a long period of wondering — and rumors of John Kransinki taking the role after his Multiverse of Madness cameo — Pedro Pascal emerged as the face of Reed Richards in February of 2024. Joining him as Sue Storm is Vanessa Kirby. Joseph Quinn flames on a Johnny Storm while Ebon Moss-Bachrach gives voice and a human face to Ben Grimm. And as seen in the teaser for the film, the latter will use all the sophisticated tech to make Ben’s rock-form expressive and as much a part of the world as the other characters. The glimpses available so far look great, and not just because the Thing finally has the right brow ridge.
But as the Fantastic Four are surrounded by a vast array of supporting players, the cast of the film is rounded out with John Malkovich, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, and Natasha Lyonne in as-yet unrevealed roles. We’ll take a guess that Lyonne may end up playing Ben’s girlfriend, Alicia Masters, but that’s just a guess. As for the others? Who knows?
(Photo by Steve Granitz, Mike Marsland/Getty Images)
In April of 2024, many were surprised by the news that Julia Garner will play the Silver Surfer. Although that title is generally tied to a male alien also known as Norrin Radd, Garner’s Surfer is an established Marvel character generally called Shalla-Bal. Debuting in 1968’s Silver Surfer #1, she was originally presented as Radd’s first love, but became the herald of Galactus in the alternate universe chronicled in the Earth X line of comics. That reality featured both characters as the Surfer, so it is always possible Radd will appear in the film.
But the presence of a herald means the world-devouring Galactus cannot be far behind. Ralph Ineson will play him, and we can confirm from the SDCC test reel that that Jack Kirby’s classic design, thrilling headgear and all, will appear in the film. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer director Tim Story opted to present him as an amorphous alien death cloud, so we’re happy to see one of the most arch Kirby creations finally make his way to the big screen.
Another surprising design making its way to the film is H.E.R.B.I.E., the robot first introduced in 1978’s The Fantastic Four animated series. As seen in the teaser, he is part of the FF’s curious family life even if Ben still needs to teach him a thing or two about making a good sauce. While the character is generally capable of speech, the moment in the preview suggests he may not yet have that ability as the film begins. The computer-tape-whirring noise may prove to be a good substitute.
(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Getty Images)
Initially, Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts was on board to direct the film, but after completing No Way Home and its press tour, he resigned, citing a need to do something different after three back-to-back Spider-Man films. In his place: Matt Shakman, director of Marvel’s WandaVision. Considering his ability to recreate television of the 1960s in that series, his appointment had a feeling of destiny to it.
On the writing side, Josh Friedman (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) rewrote an earlier draft from writers Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron will also receive credit for their contributions to the script.
Kevin Feige is, naturally enough, producing the film with Marvel Studios’ Louis D’Esposito set as executive producer. Additional crew includes director of photography Jess Hall, production designer Kasra Farahani, and costume designer Alexandra Byrne. Stalwart composer Michael Giacchino lends his talents to the film’s score, some of which has already been heard by those at SDCC and D23 in 2024.
Production began in July, just days after Shankman and the main four cast appeared at SDCC. Principle photography concluded that November.
(Photo by ©20th Century Fox Film Corp.)
The Fantastic Four is set for release on July 25, 2025. That said, the malleability of Marvel’s release dates — and the fact that its current date comes just two weeks after James Gunn’s Superman — leaves us wondering if the film might still end up moving closer to 2026 even if current posters and teasers are sticking with the July date. The fifth film has to be the charm for the Fantastic Four, and while the cast and crew assembled are good choices, its success will determine if the Richards clan has a place in the MCU — or cinemas at all — at any point in the future.
