The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a parallel reality and features a version of Marvel's First Family that hails from a retro-futuristic New York City inspired by the 1960s.
The team will be front and centre in Avengers: Doomsday, and the expectation is that they'll become a permanent part of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe post-Avengers: Secret Wars. We don't know exactly what the MCU will look like after that movie, but The Cosmic Circus' Alex Perez believes the 1960s aesthetic will be a "one-and-done situation."
The scooper claims to have heard "great things" about The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and while that's good to hear, fans remain anxious about how these heroes will fit into the wider MCU.
For starters, there's the Doctor Doom of it all. He's a Fantastic Four villain first and foremost who has a storied history with the team and, more specifically, Reed Richards. However, it sounds like Avengers: Doomsday could be the first time he, Sue, Ben, and Johnny encounter Victor Von Doom.
"I'm not sure he is from their universe," Perez states, "mainly because we don’t get a single inkling of detail that proves that they know who Victor Von Doom is in their universe [during The Fantastic Four: First Steps]."
It makes sense that Doom doesn't hail from the same reality as the Fantastic Four, especially in terms of his appearance and plans for the Multiverse (if what we've been hearing is accurate, the villain's home has already been destroyed).
However, Avengers: Doomsday being where Mister Fantastic and Doctor Doom cross paths for the first time is a little disappointing. Marvel Studios could have done with maybe one more movie featuring the team to establish Doom before he takes centre stage in the two-part Multiverse Saga finale, but it wasn't meant to be.
With Doom being a last-minute pivot from Kang the Conqueror, though, that was always going to be wishful thinking. New merchandise for The Fantastic Four: First Steps has also been revealed. You can check that out below.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.
Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, and Natasha Lyonne have been cast in mystery roles. Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom is rumoured to appear, though that's surely a given with Avengers: Doomsday on the way.
Director Matt Shakman worked with both Avatar: The Way of Water co-writer Josh Friedman and WandaVision's Cam Squires on The Fantastic Four: First Steps' screenplay, with Eric Pearson (Black Widow) later coming on board for a final polish.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 25, 2025.