Marvel Studios dated a fourth movie for 2028 earlier this week. While the expectation is that at least one of those slots will go to another Disney-owned property, the trades have suggested we're getting a sequel to The Fantastic Four: First Steps three years from now.
Provided the upcoming reboot is a success, it would make sense. Marvel's First Family will have a lead role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and launching the next era of MCU storytelling with an adventure set on the new "Sacred Timeline" feels like the right next step.
Today, Mister Fantastic himself, Pedro Pascal, has added further fuel to the fire by liking an Instagram post discussing these supposed sequel plans. This may mean a lot or very little, but we'd have to believe he has a vague idea of what Marvel Studios needs him for in the years ahead.
Galactus and Doctor Doom would likely be off the table in a potential follow-up. However, this team has a long list of villains who have yet to grace our screens, and Annihilus, Wizard, Molecule Man, and Puppet Master are all contenders. We'd bet on them heading into the Negative Zone.
Last year, Pascal was asked why he decided to join the MCU and this movie, in particular. "Mainly, because of the cast that I would be part of. Matt Shakman, the director, has been a lifelong friend of mine. And because of the influence of the world of Marvel, [it's] authored so much of popular entertainment."
"And to be invited into that experience is something that I couldn't say no to," The Last of Us star continued. "I love the comic and I love being in a family."
Ultimately, The Fantastic Four: First Steps getting a sequel will boil down to box office takings next month. Marvel Studios hasn't been on a hot streak in 2025, so it needs to be a critical and commercial hit if this team's adventures are to continue.
What would you like to see from The Fantastic Four 2?
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.