The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer arrives later today, and another teaser has just landed on social media. This one sees the Human Torch encouraging The Thing to say "It's Clobberin' Time," with little success.
However, as Johnny flies Ben to the ground below, we see that The Thing is rocking (pun intended) a beard. It's not made of hair, but actual rock, harkening back to a version of the character seen in Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four #605. That run heavily inspired filmmaker Matt Shakman's take on Marvel's First Family.
Why does The Thing have a beard? This points to us getting a time jump, perhaps after the team travels into outer space to confront Galactus after the Silver Surfer visits Earth. If so, it seems safe to assume they spend months there, suggesting there's a big chunk of the movie we haven't seen.
We'll probably see more of that in the full trailer when it finally arrives; hopefully, the few teasers we've had over the past 18 hours haven't spoiled all the biggest surprises.
"I’m doing a lot of motion capture on ['Fantastic Four']," Ebon Moss-Bachrach said last year. "So for maximum-data facial capture, I have to be clean-shaven."
"They got so many amazing animators working on it, literally hundreds of people working on it," he continued. "We’ve been shooting for about six weeks, and I haven’t been able to see anything yet, I don’t know exactly what the lead time is. I’m very excited to see something."
Asked about his co-stars, Bachrach added, "You got Joseph Quinn, you got Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal. I mean this is a great-looking crowd. [They have] beautiful hearts, just a pleasure working with these guys. I miss them already."
Watch this new teaser for The Fantastic Four: First Steps in the player 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.