Marvel unveiled the latest long-awaited trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps at the start of May. The film will kickstart Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and many fans will be interested to see if the billion-dollar superhero franchise still has the juice. Ahead of the film’s summer release, here’s what to expect.
First up, when will The Fantastic Four: First Steps land in cinemas?
First steps is penciled in for a release date of July 25, 2025. Expect it to be this year’s summer blockbuster, with a lot of interest about how it will do at the box office.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
When was the first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps released?
The first trailer dropped on February 4, 2025, with a trailer launch taking place in Huntsville, Alabama, attended by cast members Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. A longer trailer - two and a half minutes - was shared at the start of May, with fans who attended the screenings of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* (now rebranded as The New Avengers) being among the first to see it. This second trailer teased many of the details that fans should expect from First Steps, including giving us a first look at the female Silver Surfer (played by Julia Garner) and confirming that Sue Storm is pregnant.
What is the plot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
As with all Marvel films, creators have been tight-lipped about the full plot of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The details that have been revealed so far are both short and tantalising. An IMDB description reads: “Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, the Fantastic Four must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer.”
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Why is there so much audience anticipation for The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
If you’re a follower of film news but you’re not completely clued up on MCU lore, you might be wondering why there has been so much chatter about this new Fantastic Four film, especially compared with more recent Marvel films, many of which have flown under the radar. The reason why First Steps is generating so much attention is that it purports to offer a bold new direction for Marvel, both aesthetically and in terms of plot and direction. First Steps is billed as being set in a ‘retro-futuristic’ alternative universe, with director Matt Shakman saying in an interview that the world is "part what you know from the '60s, but part what you've never seen.” For many fans, this new direction seems to be an indication that Marvel is getting more ambitious and experimenting when it comes to their ideas.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Another reason this film is generating so much buzz is that it will finally incorporate the Fantastic Four into the MCU. Up until 2019, the rights for Fantastic Four were held by Fox and not Marvel Studios. But following Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Reed Richard & Co. came back under Disney control. FF fans were expectant about this comic book favourite finally getting the treatment it deserved - especially after the tepid reception that 2005’s Fantastic Four received, and the commercial failure of its sequel and the subsequent 2015 reboot/horror show.
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Where does The Fantastic Four: First Steps sit within the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
The Fantastic Four: First Steps will mark the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. This phase will run from 2025-2027 and will include several other major releases, such as Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Phase Five of the MCU suffered from poor reviews from critics, as well as several lacklustre results at the box office (The Marvels, we’re looking at you). Indeed, this previous phase led many to ask whether the stakes for the MCU are lower now, following the climactic ending of Phase Three, with Avengers: Endgame. With all this in mind, a lot will be riding on how The Fantastic Four: First Steps performs. Its fate might determine the future direction of the billion-dollar franchise.
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
So, what should audiences expect from The Fantastic Four: First Steps?
Considering that First Steps boasts an ensemble cast - John Malkovich, Julia Garner, and Natasha Lyonne have all got starring roles, alongside the big names who will play the Fantastic Four themselves - and considering that the budget for the film is high (pushing well above 9 figures), its clear that Marvel have invested a lot in this film. First Steps has been marketed as Marvel’s first “superhero family story”, which will no doubt bring a new emotional dynamic to the storytelling. As well as this, its retrofuturistic aesthetic might inject some bold, new creativity into the MCU, which has been accused of being too run-of-the-mill in recent years.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
But beyond all that, if this film does justice to one of Marvel’s most-loved sets of comic book characters, audiences can expect to walk away from The Fantastic Four: First Steps giving it two thumbs up…
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