Screenings for The Fantastic Four: First Steps have begun, and that means spoilers are starting to show up online. While we've yet to come across anything too major, now is a good time to be very careful about where you look on social media.
In the meantime, we have an update from scooper Daniel Richtman on the reboot's post-credits scene. He's reporting that there will be two of them; one is going to be a gag, while the other sets the stage for Avengers: Doomsday.
That's all we have for you at the moment, but this doesn't come as a huge surprise with that long-awaited ensemble on the horizon. Marvel's First Family will be front and centre in the movie, as will the team's greatest foe, Doctor Doom.
Thunderbolts* ended with the Fantastic Four's Excelsior spaceship entering Earth-616's atmosphere, suggesting something happens to bring Reed, Ben, Sue, and Johnny to the Sacred Timeline.
With shooting underway on Avengers: Doomsday, it's entirely possible this will be another stinger shot by the Russo Brothers rather than The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman.
According to executive producer Grant Curtis, what sets the Fantastic Four apart from other heroes is the fact that they're a family. "The Marvel Cinematic Universe has explored themes of family in the past with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy — but they’re the family you choose, the family you can walk away from," he explains in the movie's production notes.
"But what if your superhero team is also your nuclear family — the family you can’t walk away from," he continued. "What if they’re your brother, your sister, your husband, your wife, your best friend from college? We realized we had a new canvas to paint on."
Stay tuned for more on The Fantastic Four: First Steps as we get closer to the movie's arrival in theaters next weekend.
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, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles 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.