Nabil Luqman

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Marvel

can't wait

new movie

The Fantastic Four

First Steps

fresh take

Silver Surfer

Galactus

After years of anticipation, speculation, and a string of misfires outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the Fantastic Four are finally coming home. Marvel Studios has officially unveiled its upcoming blockbuster The Fantastic Four: First Steps, offering a retro-futuristic take on the legendary superhero team that promises to reshape the MCU&rsquo;s narrative as it heads towards its multiversal climax.
Scheduled for release on 25 July 2025, this film serves as the long-awaited introduction of Marvel&rsquo;s &ldquo;First Family&rdquo; into the mainline MCU timeline, reimagining the characters with a nostalgic flair, high-stakes cosmic storytelling, and a fresh sense of heart and humour.
A Fresh Take on an Iconic Team
Unlike previous adaptations, The Fantastic Four: First Steps does not seek to retell the familiar origin story of four astronauts turned superheroes. Instead, it places the titular team in a stylised alternate 1960s setting, where they already exist as established global icons. Drawing inspiration from retro-futurism and Silver Age comic book aesthetics, the film blends the optimism of the past with the visual polish of modern cinema.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ffb4451b30f804f2fefd5c68ba5c67d82add2f631d32e1a9d9d33e77be42f1ce" />
The core cast includes:
<ol>
<li>Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic &ndash; the brilliant but emotionally distant leader who can stretch and bend his body at will.</li>
<li> Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman &ndash; Reed&rsquo;s partner and the team&rsquo;s emotional core, with powers of invisibility and force field projection.</li>
<li>Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm / Human Torch &ndash; the impulsive, fiery younger brother of Sue who can engulf himself in flames and fly.</li>
<li> Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm / The Thing &ndash; Reed&rsquo;s closest friend, transformed into a hulking rock creature with super strength.</li>
</ol>
The film is directed by WandaVision alum Matt Shakman, with a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Peter Cameron, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer, and is produced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Together, they aim to present a version of the Fantastic Four that is at once familiar and groundbreaking.
A Star-Studded Supporting Cast and Cosmic Threats
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/d0d99ae56d1add42a7c88bc6b21961db8a3653da59e46ae8f7f094c3be1ad80a" />
In addition to the main four, First Steps boasts a high-profile supporting cast:
<ol>
<li>Julia Garner as Shalla-Bal, a new version of the Silver Surfer. Known in the comics as a romantic partner of the original Surfer, Norrin Radd, Shalla-Bal takes on the mantle in this version and serves as the herald of an even greater threat.</li>
<li>Ralph Ineson as Galactus, the world-devouring cosmic entity whose arrival sets off the events of the film.</li>
<li>Paul Walter Hauser, Natasha Lyonne, Sarah Niles, and John Malkovich in undisclosed roles.</li>
<li>A CGI version of H.E.R.B.I.E., the team&rsquo;s robotic assistant, also features.</li>
</ol>
The introduction of Galactus &mdash; last teased in various Multiverse Saga whispers &mdash; is being treated as a major narrative moment. He is expected to become the next overarching antagonist in the MCU, setting up Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: Doomsday.
The Plot: A Homecoming Before a Cosmic Farewell
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pAsmrKyMqaA" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Rather than an origin tale, the film begins in a world already shaped by the Fantastic Four. In a trailer filled with warm colours, mid-century architecture, and enthusiastic crowds, the Four are celebrated not just as heroes but as cultural icons. Children wear their uniforms. Statues have been built in their honour. They have reshaped New York in their image &mdash; a utopian, Jetsons-esque Manhattan that mirrors their scientific optimism.
However, the arrival of Julia Garner&rsquo;s Silver Surfer &mdash; Shalla-Bal &mdash; heralds a catastrophic shift. She brings with her a cryptic, devastating message: Earth has been marked for death by Galactus.
The trailer shows Shalla-Bal effortlessly overpowering the Human Torch and the Thing in a confrontation, slicing through the cityscape and carving a warning into the Earth&rsquo;s surface. Unlike the more emotionally conflicted Norrin Radd from previous depictions, Garner&rsquo;s Surfer exudes an air of solemn inevitability &mdash; a figure caught between duty and destruction.
The emotional centre of the film, however, appears to be Sue Storm, who is revealed to be pregnant. This detail &mdash; likely referencing her comic book children Franklin and Valeria Richards &mdash; hints at deeper stakes, especially for long-term Marvel fans who know of Franklin&rsquo;s cosmic-level powers in story arcs such as Secret Wars. Reed&rsquo;s guilt, driven by his scientific ambition and his failure to prevent Galactus&rsquo; arrival, may form the emotional crux of the story.
In the final moments of the trailer, we see the team fleeing Earth aboard a spacecraft as Galactus towers over the city, suggesting a cliffhanger ending that sets up future battles &mdash; or perhaps even reality-altering consequences.
An Alternate Timeline &mdash; But Not a Multiverse Detour
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/26518399903ab5b0bd257158b4f57d956dccd44df17303c119868c6939e1d835" />
Marvel has confirmed that Fantastic Four: First Steps will take place in a separate timeline from the mainline MCU &mdash; but not in the Multiverse-hopping sense seen in Loki or Doctor Strange. Instead, it unfolds in a self-contained 1960s-inspired universe, preserving a sense of coherence while allowing the film to explore its unique aesthetic and worldbuilding.
This also allows the Fantastic Four to stand apart from the more jaded tone of recent MCU entries, positioning them as optimistic, hopeful figures at a time when audiences may be craving a return to brighter, more character-driven storytelling.
Despite its alternate setting, the film is expected to tie into the broader Multiverse Saga, particularly through Reed Richards' experiments with space-time, which may have drawn Galactus&rsquo; attention &mdash; or fractured timelines in a way that introduces the main MCU to this new cosmic threat.
A Complicated Cinematic Legacy
&nbsp;<img src="https://r2.myc.my/f51f0c56f45a95b6bdd6c86329860a7b44c91fe699806f662befff06658b200d" />
This is far from the first time the Fantastic Four have appeared on screen &mdash; but it may be the first time the formula truly works.
<ul>
<li>The 2005 and 2007 films, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis, found commercial success but received mixed reviews.</li>
<li>The 2015 reboot, directed by Josh Trank and featuring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, was critically panned and failed to launch a new franchise.</li>
<li>A version of Reed Richards, portrayed by John Krasinski, appeared briefly in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), only to be swiftly killed by the Scarlet Witch.</li>
<li>In 2024, the original Chris Evans version of Human Torch made a surprise cameo in Deadpool &amp; Wolverine, poking fun at the franchise&rsquo;s convoluted past.</li>
</ul>
But Marvel&rsquo;s First Steps marks a definitive new beginning &mdash; one that no longer borrows from Fox-era canon, but instead builds a fresh, MCU-first foundation.
What&rsquo;s Next for Marvel&rsquo;s Multiverse Saga?
With The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Marvel Studios is clearly laying the groundwork for its next chapter. Galactus is poised to become a long-term threat akin to Thanos, while the introduction of Reed Richards&rsquo; offspring &mdash; particularly Franklin &mdash; could reshape the stakes of the entire Multiverse Saga.
Following Avengers: The Kang Dynasty being retooled and Secret Wars still looming, Fantastic Four may well become the emotional and narrative cornerstone of Marvel&rsquo;s next phase.
Whether First Steps marks the beginning of a trilogy or leads directly into Secret Wars remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the Fantastic Four have finally been given the MCU treatment they deserve &mdash; and this time, they&rsquo;re not starting over. They&rsquo;re starting strong.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media &amp; various cross-references for context.
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The Fantastic Four return — new era, different timeline, no multiverse.

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Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps – A Bold New Chapter Begins

Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps – A Bold New Chapter Begins

The Fantastic Four return — new era, different timeline, no multiverse.

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