The entire plot of Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps, along with every major story development, surprise character appearance, and post-credit scene detail, has seemingly leaked online.
The breakdown was shared on Reddit, and while we're all fully aware that the site does get its share of fake "leaks," we've reached out to a source who is confident that everything is on the level. Plus, based on what we already know about the movie, there's nothing here that stands out as being overly far-fetched or hard to believe.
With this in mind, beware of potentially major spoilers from this point on.
The breakdown reveals that the movie opens with a montage showing the team's past battles against Mole Man and "Red Ghost and his chimps." In present day, Sue Storm learns that she's pregnant shortly before the Silver Surfer arrives to inform them that Galactus is on his way to devour their planet.
The Fantastic Four eventually decide to follow the Surfer into space, and find Galactus on a massive (it'd want to be) ship in the process of consuming a planet. The cosmic entity tells the heroes that he will spare their world, but only if they hand Sue and Reed's son, Franklin, over to him. They refuse, and the final battle commences.
Ultimately, Invisible Woman - who is said to be the leader of the team - sacrifices herself to save the planet by using every last bit of her power to send Galactus through a portal. However, Franklin then resurrects his mother, confirming that this kid is likely going to be every bit as powerful as his comic book counterpart.
You'll find a more detailed description of the post-credits scene below.
"Sue is reading a book to Franklin. She gets up to grab another one. In the background, we hear the sound of a teleportation device activating. When she returns, she freezes. The book slips from her hand. Standing before her is a cloaked figure - Doctor Doom. We don't see his face, but his full body is visible beneath a silver cloak. In one hand, he holds his iconic mask (rendered in CGI); in the other, he carries an unconscious Franklin.
Cut to black. The Fantastic Four will return in Avengers: Doomsday."
Again, we don't know for certain that this is legit, but it does track with previous reports, as well as some of what we saw in the new trailer - which this leak preceded - that was released earlier today.
First Steps stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, Freaky Tales) as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning) as Sue Storm, aka the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place Day One) as Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing, and Julia Garner (Wolf Man, Ozark) as the Silver Surfer.
Ralph Ineson will play Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser and John Malkovich are also on board in undisclosed roles.
"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."
Matt Shakman directs The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025.