Though you may not have noticed this even if you did decide to watch the pre-launch livestream counting down to the release of the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps earlier this week, if you listened closely, you might have caught a recurring beeping sound hidden away in Michael Giacchino's score.
Those who did catch the unusual beeps have been speculating about what they could mean, and we now have an explanation - though it's not very exciting.
According to Redditor whatnowayimpossible, this was actually a Morse Code signal that spelled out the word RADIATION.
Again, nothing that would seem particularly relevant to the plot, but there's speculation that this could be a warning message sent back to Earth that wasn't picked up by the team before they embarked on their fateful space mission.
In the comics, Marvel's First Family gain their superpowers after being subjected to cosmic rays. We're not sure how closely the upcoming reboot will stick to this origin, but we do know that something happens to the crew during the launch.
The Fantastic Four reboot stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) 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, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, The Bear) as Ben Grimm, aka the Thing.
Galactus has been confirmed as the main villain, and the Eater of Worlds will be played by Ralph Ineson (The Witch, Game of Thrones). Julia Garner (Ozark, Wolf Man) will play Silver Surfer. Natasha Lyonne, John Malkovich and Paul Walter Houser are also on board in undisclosed roles.
Kevin Feige recently confirmed that the movie will take place in an alternate universe, but we know that Marvel's First Family will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, so we wouldn't be surprised if they find their way into the main MCU timeline by the end of this movie.
"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.