The New Fantastic Four Movie & Everything You Need to Know

The Fantastic Four were not only one of Marvel’s most recognizable brands before the launch of the MCU, but they were the building block for what fans know as the Marvel Universe in the comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in November 1961, The Fantastic Four not only ushered in the Marvel age of superheroes but changed comic book superheroes forever. The pages of Fantastic Four introduced foundational elements of the Marvel Universe, like Doctor Doom, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Black Panther, the Skrulls, the Kree, the Watchers, and so much more. The property seemed primed to capitalize on the modern trend of superhero blockbusters. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for Marvel’s first family, but Disney is finally ready to unleash them into the larger MCU canon.

The Fantastic Four have had three distinct film incarnations, plus an unreleased film by Roger Corman. There were films in the mid-2000s that were moderately successful at the box office but failed to live up to the comics’ potential, and then a poorly advised 2015 reboot which attempted to do a gritty reboot of the fantastical series. Following the acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, Disney gained the rights to the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, with many fans hoping they’d finally be introduced into the MCU.

Work on The Fantastic Four began immediately, with the film formally being announced in December 2020 during Disney Investor Day. After a long casting process, the movie was retitled The Fantastic Four: First Steps and is finally underway and set to be released in 2025, kicking off a new era for the MCU. Here is everything we know about The Fantastic Four’s upcoming MCU appearance.

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Release Date

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will open in theaters on July 25, 2025. It is the third MCU movie to be released in 2025, following Captain America: Brave New World in February and Thunderbolts* in May. The Fantastic Four: First Steps will kick off Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Fantastic Four: First Steps has gone through several release dates. At San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Marvel Studios set the film for release on November 8, 2024. Then, following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, the date was delayed to February 14, 2025. The movie was again delayed to May 2, 2025, but it would swap that date with Thunderbolts* and is now finally set to open in July 2025. In a strange coincidence, for two decades now, every year ending with the number five has had a Fantastic Four movie, starting with 2005’s Fantastic Four, then 2015’s Fantastic Four, and now 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Who Stars in Marvel’s ‘Fantastic Four?’

Given the importance of The Fantastic Four in Marvel Comics, the search to find the four perfect actors to bring Marvel’s First Family to the big screen was a long one. For nearly three and a half years, rumors were circulating about who would be cast in the part, with names like Adam Driver and Dev Patel rumored for Reed Richards and Mila Kunis and Margot Robbie being rumored to be considered for Susan Storm. None of these rumors were ever verified and spoke to the fan frenzy over who would be cast.

On February 14, 2024, Marvel Studios announced who would play the four fantastic characters:

Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us) is cast as Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic.
Vanessa Kirby (The Crown, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning) will take on the role of Susan Storm / The Invisible Woman.
Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, Gladiator II) will play Johnny Storm / The Human Torch.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear, Girls) will star as Ben Grimm / The Thing.

Following the announcement of the main team, the rest of the cast began to be fleshed out. Ralph Ineson (The Witch) has been cast as the film’s villain, Galactus. Julia Garner (Inventing Anna) will play The Silver Surfer, but not the traditional Norrin Radd version of the character, but rather Norrin Radd’s conventional comic book love interest, Shalla-Bal.

Additionally, Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons), Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face), and Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso) have been cast in undisclosed roles. Lyonne is heavily rumored to be playing either Ben Grimm’s love interest, Alicia Masters, or voicing the robot assistant, H.E.R.B.I.E., who was shown in the cast announcement art and glimpsed in the footage at San Diego Comic-Con.

What Is ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ About?

In 2024, Marvel Studios released a list of five comics that fans should check out to prepare for the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, all of which hinted at a 1960s setting and the arrival of Galactus and the Silver Surfer. The comics provided a pretty good outline of what to expect from the finished film. Marvel Studios released an official synopsis of The Fantastic Four: First Steps on November 14, 2024. The synopsis reads:

“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family 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.”

The fact that The Fantastic Four: First Steps takes place in an alternate reality outside the MCU’s sacred timeline helps explain the team’s absence from the larger MCU. The idea of them operating in the 1960s is a callback to when the team debuted and an idea that Ant-Man director Peyton Reed had for a Fantastic Four movie that he pitched to 20th Century Fox in the 2000s. Marvel Studios first started dropping hints that it would take place in an alternate reality in the 1960s when, on April 4, 2024, they released a piece of art featuring Johnny Storm/The Human Torch flying against a retro-futuristic New York City skyline. The footage screened at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 showcased the alternate reality as well, and audiences in attendance got a glimpse at the Fantastic Car.

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The most interesting part of the synopsis is the line, “If Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.” Many have speculated this might hint that Franklin Richards, the son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, will appear in the film. In the comics, Franklin Richards is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. Eventually, he will take Galactus’ place as the devourer of worlds, notably in the very comic where Shala-Bal’s Silver Surfer variant appears. Franklin Richards has not been confirmed to appear, but there is a good chance he is what will make the threat of Galactus personal.

Galactus & Silver Surfer Will Be the Main Villains but Expect More Familiar Faces

As mentioned in the plot synopsis and casting, Galactus will be the film’s primary villain, with his herald, The Silver Surfer, playing a major role. The movie is also rumored to feature many minor Fantastic Four villains, be it as part of a montage or sprinkled throughout the film to lay out the lived-in universe in which The Fantastic Four reside. John Malkovich is rumored to be playing Ivan Kragoff/The Red Ghost, while Paul Walter Hauser is rumored to be The Mole Man.

The big question is whether The Fantastic Four: First Steps will include a role for Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom is the arch-rival of the group, and with Robert Downey Jr. cast as the villain for both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, many expect him to have a minor role in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, likely as his MCU debut. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom is heavily rumored to be from the same alternate timeline as this Fantastic Four, so he will likely appear in some capacity.

The Creative Team Behind ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be directed by Matt Shakman, who previously directed all nine episodes of the critically acclaimed WandaVision on Disney+. Shakman signed on as director in August 2022, shortly after the film’s original November 2024 release date was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Shakman is the second director attached to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The film was initially set to be directed by MCU Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts, which was confirmed during Disney Investor Day in 2020. Watts dropped out of the project in April 2022, instead choosing to focus on directing Wolfs and working on his new Star Wars television series, Skeleton Crew. While Shakman was selected as the film’s director, Marvel Studios also considered Michael Matthews (Love & Monsters) and Reid Carolin (Dog).

Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer were the original writers brought onto the film before Shakman signed on as the director. In 2023, Josh Friedman, best known for creating the cult sci-fi show Terminator: The Sarah Conor Chronicles and working on sci-fi movies like Terminator: Dark Fate, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, was brought on to rewrite the script.

WandaVision writer Cameron Squires was announced to be co-writing the script with Friedman in October 2023, and fellow WandaVision writer Peter Cameron is also said to have contributed. Black Widow and Thunderbolts* screenwriter Eric Pearson was brought on board to do some small rewriter, similar to what he had done on Spider-Man: Homecoming and both Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.

An edited image of Superman and The Fantastic Four: First Steps

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Shakman has assembled an impressive crew. Jess Hall, the cinematographer on WandaVision and Shakman’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series, will serve as The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ cinematographer. Academy Award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne is the film’s costume designer, and this marks her sixth MCU film after Thor, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Doctor Strange. Kasra Farahani is the film’s production designer following his incredible work on Loki.

The score is being composed by Michael Giacchino, who is no stranger to Marvel Studios, having done the scores for Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Thor: Love and Thunder, and also directed the MCU Halloween special Werewolf by Night. The Fantastic Four theme was first heard in the test footage fans saw at San Diego Comic-Con. It was performed in full at D23 during the “Music of Marvel Studios” panel that Giacchino moderated. It was also played later that month at the Hollywood Bowl as part of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience.

How ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Will Tie Into the MCU

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps taking place outside the MCU’s timeline, it technically can stand apart from the rest of the MCU. This allows it to be an entry point for new audience members who might be put off by the soon-to-be 17 years of continuity. The Fantastic Four: First Steps could function like The Guardians of the Galaxy did back in 2014, removed enough away from the main MCU timeline and continuity that it can be new-viewer friendly but still crucial to the overall franchise.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be very important to the MCU, and the team will likely be the central point of Phase 6. Rumors are circulating that the film will end with the four superheroes lost and stranded in the multiverse, and they will appear in the post-credit scene of Avengers: Doomsday the following year in a life raft on the newly constructed Battleworld, similar to the comics where a group of heroes found themselves in Doctor Doom’s new reality. Then they will be a big part of the storyline for Avengers: Secret Wars, which is based on the 2015 comic Secret Wars that very much was a Fantastic Four story at its core. With all that in mind, the gang will likely appear in three consecutive years with 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, 2026’s Avengers: Doomsday, and 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars.

After years of not being able to use the heroes that helped create the world of Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios is investing heavily in The Fantastic Four, and it looks like they will be the new pillars of the franchise. Expect a lot more of them in the MCU’s future.