In next month's The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we'll visit another parallel reality. The home of the MCU's First Family, this world has a retro-futuristic look inspired by the 1960s, the decade we were first introduced to these heroes on the page.
The reboot's Instagram page was recently overhauled as a source of images and information from this unnamed world. A piece of official concept art has just been revealed, showcasing Marvel Studios' take on the Baxter Building.
As we've previously explained, the expectation is that Avengers: Secret Wars will reboot the MCU, making the Fantastic Four and X-Men part of the same reality as the Avengers. If that does happen, the Baxter Building will be part of New York's skyline; however, will it be this or a modernised version? That remains to be seen.
Marvel Studios using this soft reboot to give the MCU a comic-inspired overhaul wouldn't be a bad thing, especially if it means a building like this can be part of the new "Sacred Timeline." We'll have to wait and see, but it's a stunning design.
"I’m not so much looking at the other movies," The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman previously said of his approach to creating this world. "I'm looking at the comics themselves. I'm a huge comic book fan. I’ve been a big fan of the Fantastic Four since I was a kid."
"So going back to Kirby and Lee and Byrne and following all the way up to what's happening, certainly Hickman and Waid and Ryan North, what he's been doing," the filmmaker continued. "I'm trying to figure out who these characters are to me and how to bring them to life in the best possible way, and that's really where I've started and how we've approached it."
Take a closer look at The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Baxter Building below, along with a new video featuring H.E.R.B.I.E.
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.