Rather than wait for the Super Bowl to debut the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios opted to unveil the trailer today on the appropriate date of F(ebruary) 4th. Check out the Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer below:
As announced last year, suiting up as Marvel’s First Family is Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. Rather than the present day sacred timeline, the MCU’s new F4 hails from a new/old corner of the multiverse in the 1960s, with us being introduced to Reed and Sue by way of a 4:3 aspect ratio TV interview in the Baxter Building.
It’s a relatively brief teaser, focused on introducing us to our new Fantastic Four’s family dynamics, including Ben Grimm’s unexpected camaraderie with H.E.R.B.I.E., as well as emphasizing how the origin story will restricted to flashbacks and archival footage: we only see the back of main antagonist Galactus (Ralph Ineson)’s mighty helm, and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) is a no-show, although we do see briefly John Malkovich‘s unnamed, sagely figure. Other cast members in undisclosed roles who don’t appear include Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.
The film is directed by Matt Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis and Tim Lewis. It was scored by Michael Giacchino, whose theme, featuring a choir proclaiming the Fantastic Four’s name, closes out the trailer.
It goes without saying the Marvel’s First Family hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to big screen adaptations. 20th Century Fox’s first two outings in 2005 and 2007 with Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer respectively, while financially successful to a degree, left little to be desired by comic fans. The studio’s next attempt to reboot the franchise with 2015’s Fantastic Four (or in the ill-conceived stylized as FANT4STIC) was a complete disaster on every conceivable level. (And the less said about the unreleased 1994 film the better, or you can check out the Doomed!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four documentary for the full story.) Basically, the bar was already pretty low for Marvel Studios after reclaiming to the rights to the Fantastic Four characters in the wake of Disney’s acquisition of Fox.
It should also be added that Marvel Studios has been experiencing a rough patch the last few years, with the less-than-stellar reception of some of its Phase 4 and 5 projects. Bringing back the Russo Brothers to helm Avengers: Kang Dynasty Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, as well as Robert Downey Jr. to portray Victor Von Doom, appears to reflect a desire to return to what previously worked.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025. In the meantime, check out the official posters and stills below:
Those are shockingly bad AI generated posters.
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