With Thunderbolts*/*The New Avengers serving as something of a comeback for Marvel Studios (critically, albeit not commercially), all eyes are now on The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The characters have better brand recognition than the Thunderbolts, but they're also best known to moviegoers for starring in three consecutive duds.
The odds are already stacked against the reboot as it has to share July with Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and Smurfs. Excitement among fans does appear to be high, though, and more promo art has surfaced as the promotional tie-ins begin.
This latest wave highlights Marvel's First Family; Mister Fantastic strikes a pose not dissimilar to that classic Chris Samnee comic book cover (he's even making a "4" with his hand), and the Invisible Woman shows off one of her force fields.
The Human Torch, meanwhile, flames on, and thanks to the lines on his suit, looks like a piece of Jack Kirby artwork come to life. As for The Thing, he appears ready for Clobberin' Time, though we do wish he’d ditch the upper half of his costume (it’s hard to shake the feeling that this was done to save money on VFX as animating the rocks on his arms and chest would be no easy feat).
"With Reed, his body may stretch, but this is a brain character," Pedro Pascal recently said of his approach to Reed Richards. "I guess I’ll just give it completely away. I thought of the brilliance of an octopus. Not in any literal physical translated way, but I put it into my subconscious. Yeah. That’s the biggest character secret reveal that I’ve given to you."
The cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps will return in Avengers: Doomsday, with Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all set to play lead roles alongside whoever portrays Franklin Richards.
Check out this new promo art for The Fantastic Four: First Steps 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.