'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Has Us Rooting for Marvel’s First Family
Cue orchestral music, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) long-awaited Fantastic Four reboot has finally arrived. Directed by Matt Shakman, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” signals a clear pivot from the superhero formulaic structure and opts for a more mature, lore-rich, and character-intensive direction.
For long-time comic book readers, especially those who are fans of John Byrne’s run or Jonathan Hickman’s multiversal sagas, the film offers rewarding depth, if not almost cinematic perfection.
From its refusal to go for the overused origin story template to its strategic placement of comic book lore without messing with the pacing, the film knows its audience — and caters to them without holding back. The characters are introduced as established figures, a welcome change that allows their relationships, histories, and newer developments to drive the story forward rather than typical, tedious exposition.
It’s a storytelling style that the 2025 adaptation of Superman, starring David Corenswet as the eponymous superhero, used as well — and it was just as much a welcome change. After all, while the comic book universe will always welcome newbies into its ranks, a larger portion of these films’ audience will remain to be their most avid fans and readers. The least filmmakers can do, then, is to cater to them by remaining true to the material and giving them the lore they deserve to see on the big screen.
But the film is not without missteps. While it hits many high notes — especially in its treatment of Sue Storm and Shalla-bal — it occasionally stumbles in balancing its ensemble and escalating Galactus as a true existential threat. But first, let’s talk about the plot.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Marvel’s First Family
Set in Earth-828, a close copy of Earth-616 (where most of the MCU is set) but with a 60s aesthetic, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduced us to the Fantastic Four team — composed of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach).
They’re already entrenched in their roles as this Earth’s protectors, as it’s been years since their space mission that gave them their powers. Practically celebrities, diplomats, and influencers, the Fantastic Four team was in a good place, made even better by news of Sue Storm’s pregnancy.
Apart from the baby-proofing that has overtaken the house, Reed Richards has taken it upon himself to “baby-proof” the Earth as well, revealing how he’s taken down several notorious supervillains – a quick nod to their enemies in the comics.
But then the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner), not Norrin Radd but rather Shalla-bal, comes to Earth, announcing the arrival of Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the Devourer of Worlds. Earth-828 is marked for complete annihilation. The Silver Surfer’s eerily calm voice echoes: “I herald his beginning. I herald your end. I herald…Galactus.”
As expected, the world looks to the Fantastic Four to save them from their doom. They track down Galactus and end up meeting him, but the fruitless meeting leaves them rushing away as the planet-eating cosmic reveals his only request to spare their Earth: Franklin, Sue and Reed’s unborn child. During their frantic escape, Sue Storm goes into labor and eventually gives birth to Franklin, as they manage to shake off the Silver Surfer who was chasing them.
They return to Earth, a month later in the planet’s timeline, and in a press conference, they confess Galactus’ request to save the planet is their baby, which they refused. In an emotional sequence, the Fantastic Four team does their best to devise a plan to stop Galactus, while public outcry demands they sacrifice Franklin. As tension threatens to boil over, not just outside but also within the family, Sue brings Franklin to the crowd of protesters, assuring them that while she will not be sacrificing Franklin to save the Earth, she is also adamant that she won’t give up the world to save her child.
Reed then devises a plan: a teleportation system that would quite literally teleport the entire planet to another galaxy where Galactus cannot find them. With full faith in the Fantastic Four, the world comes together to build the bridges — which the Silver Surfer then destroys before they could be launched. One last bridge remains in Times Square, but before Shalla-Bal could destroy it, Johnny, who managed to learn her native language, attempts to get her to join their side in destroying Galactus.
Despite her immense guilt in her role in the end of worlds, the Silver Surfer flees instead, lamenting that there’s no defeating Galactus, only acceptance.
As a last-ditch effort, with Galactus’ imminent arrival, they use Franklin as bait to lure the cosmic being into their bridge. The city evacuates underground, and despite their trap, Galactus captures Franklin from their home. Refusing to give up in the face of defeat, Sue summons all of her strength in pushing Galactus towards the final bridge as Reed rescues their child, Johnny opens the portal, and The Thing assists Sue. Galactus is then pushed into the portal, but with a few seconds still left, he manages to crawl out, prompting Johnny to sacrifice himself. Before he does, however, Shalla-Ball stops him and pushes Galactus into the portal with her just as it closes. Having used all her power, Sue dies, but is revived by Franklin, a small glimpse into the child’s powers.
A year later, we see them as a complete family, celebrating another anniversary before being pulled away into another emergency. But not without three men struggling for literally forever to affix the baby seat in the Fantasticar first.
First Steps, Not Baby Steps
The film succeeds not because it reinvents the wheel, but because it aligns closely with comic book lore while refining it to match today’s cinematic standards. Director Matt Shakman pays close attention to character arcs and lore details that are pulled straight from the comics, earning huge praise from comic book fans and newbies-curious-to-learn-more alike.
First, we must praise Garner’s hauntingly icy voice and portrayal, bringing a certain gravitas and elegance to a role that could’ve easily been overshadowed by CGI.
Her subtly layered take on the Silver Surfer delivers a complex villain that deepens not just her own character’s emotional stakes but also others. Her transformation into Galactus’ herald is not just survivalist, but symbolic: an unwilling martyr whose allegiance is conflicted by the time we reach the final act. Fans of the Silver Surfer comics, especially Dan Slott’s philosophical runs, will recognize themes of duty versus identity. Her internal struggle: loyalty and love for her family and the people of Zenn-la versus complicity in mass destruction was well explored. And with her final choice mirroring the storyline in Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #50, where the Surfer betrays Galactus in favor of humanity, comic book fans couldn’t help but pump their fists in the air and cheer out loud.
Then there’s Galactus, the Devourer — modeled closely after the comic book’s original design, not the 2007 gas cloud debacle — adds real weight and another win for fans. His mission is specific: to consume worlds, not out of spite or any real vengeance, but out of survival. In “First Steps,” however, he is intent on consuming Franklin Richards, a clear nod to the child’s canon status as an Omega-level mutant capable of creating multiverses and one of the most powerful beings in the world. Franklin is central to Galactus’ plans for continued — and possibly permanent — survival, given the child’s immense power, but of course, his power is yet to be revealed, and as far as the Fantastic Four is concerned, they will not let any harm befall their child. Valid, honestly. I mean, how were they supposed to know that Franklin is actually destined to survive beyond the end of time?
Although, despite his gargantuan scale and menace, which they deliberately kept hidden in marketing promos for maximum drama (which we can all safely say was a good call), Galactus could’ve been given a bit more time or place in the story to showcase how big of a threat he is, as opposed to just a really massive monster. Despite the team’s collective effort, mostly by Sue, to neutralize him, it still felt like there should have been a bigger struggle, considering he eats planets for a living and predates this universe. Still, the climax kept everyone on the edge of their seats, waiting on bated breath, even though we know MCU’s First Family will pull through. And needless to say, we haven’t seen the last of Galactus yet — so we’re very hopeful in seeing more of his powers in the upcoming installments.
But before we get to that, let’s talk about the middle act, which spent ample time dissecting the family dynamic. With Franklin’s life hanging in the balance as the world eagerly shouts for his head and the family struggling to find a solution, the tense family scenes brought forth the biggest contrast between our favorite “mom and dad” duo. “First Steps” pulled focus on the often-overlooked importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ) in contrast to the heavy display of Intellectual Quotient (IQ) thrown around, courtesy of the “smartest person alive,” Reed Richards. Sue Storm, who the director notes is the most emotionally intelligent person in the world, has managed to negotiate global peace — a near-impossible task.
And in one particularly conflicting scene, when Reed, for a painful moment, was finding logic in them sacrificing Franklin for the survival of their world — Sue managed to ground everyone’s emotions, turning their fear and anger into a unifying moment that turned public opinion around. Reed’s emotionally stunted, borderline utilitarian logic and Sue’s emotional core balance each other out, while also creating tension-filled moments that is not just drama for drama’s sake, but genuine philosophical arguments worth mulling over: Would you sacrifice your baby for the sake of the world?
In line with this, we must bow down to Sue Storm, whose strength was in full display. The birth sequence in space had us rooting for her, especially when she simultaneously cloaked their ship — talk about multitasking and sheer willpower. But even with her “full power” on display in the final fight scene as she goes toe-to-toe with Galactus to protect her child, we know Sue is capable of much more. The film was supposed to tease this tidbit: how Sue can weaponize her force fields internally, creating microscopic air bubbles inside vital organs, killing a person with “a snap of her finger.” Narratively, we agree that revealing this extent of her power would’ve diminished her emotional sacrifice in the end. It’s a calculated omission, likely saved for future escalation, one we’re so ready to witness. Hello, "Avengers: Doomsday" (which was also hinted at in one of the film’s post-credit scenes).
We also took note of the film’s visual effects, a far cry from the early 2000s iterations. Reed’s stretching mirrors realistic stretching as opposed to his limbs seemingly growing endlessly, while Sue’s force fields adopt a spectral interference style rather than a cartoonish bubble aesthetic. The film’s takes on space were also pleasantly surprising. Shakman revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he took inspiration from “Interstellar” and “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and these paid off, especially when you watch the film on IMAX.
But it’s not all perfect. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm have their moments: Johnny devoting his time to figuring out Shalla-Bal’s origins and her native language to connect with her (and potentially earning an ally), and Ben accepting his form and finding life outside of the group. But they still feel a bit sidelined in comparison with Sue and Reed's character arcs. Hopefully, with a potential love interest for Ben and a more serious side to Johnny both being hinted at in “First Steps,” we’ll see more from them in the future.
Is ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ a Feminist Film?
To answer this, we must answer one question first: “Does it pass the Bechdel Test?”
Barely. While the film features multiple female characters: Sue Storm, Shalla-Bal, Lynne Nichols, and Rachel Rozman, meaningful conversations between women remain brief and largely mission-focused.
Sue Storm and Lynne Nichols, the latter being the Chief of Staff of the Future Foundation, share several scenes together, but they’re all too short. You could even say they were simply thrown in there to meet the bare minimum of passing the Bechdel Test.
That said, the film’s thematic emphasis on maternal power (Sue’s maternal power and birth scene as well as Shalla-Bal’s self-sacrifice for her family and planet) and emotional intelligence over cold logic and brute force suggests a feminist undertone. The contrast between Reed’s detached logic and Sue’s empathic leadership is one of the film’s compelling throughlines.
However, despite all this, the film doesn’t fully commit to giving its women characters room to breathe outside of their relational roles that are still rooted in society’s matriarchal expectations of women. There’s only so much you can do with canon material, but we hope future installments could further explore these characters.
Should You Watch It?
For die-hard fans who have read Lee, Byrne, Simonson, Waid, or Hickman, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” is a gratifying return to form. It’s a carefully crafted homage to Marvel’s oldest superhero team, with modern sensibilities and multiversal ambition. Shakman has delivered a version worthy of their comic legacy, while strong performances from Kirby and Garner elevate it beyond standard superhero fare.
It isn’t flawless, though. Johnny and Ben deserve more screentime, to be more than glorified backup roles. Although we understand that the film’s central focus is on the core family trio of Reed, Sue, and Franklin, given Galactus’ objective. But in terms of deep lore integration, character authenticity, and cinematic vision, it’s a massive leap forward. Again, we can’t quite forgive 2007 Galactus-gate.
With “First Steps,” Marvel has laid strong groundwork for both Secret Wars and the Doomsday arc. For that alone, it’s worth the price of admission.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is now showing in a cinema near you. Follow Fantastic Four on Facebook and Instagram. For more updates and information on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, follow Marvel Entertainment on Facebook and Instagram.
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