I’m genuinely excited for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but a lot is riding on this film—and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige knows it. After two previous attempts to bring Marvel’s First Family to the big screen fell short, the pressure is on Marvel to finally get it right and deliver the adaptation fans have been waiting for.
“I think that there are no four characters that are more important for the history of Marvel,” Feige told Empire. “When Disney bought Fox, it was really an unexpected dream come true. It came at the perfect time, to help us launch into a new era. They are Marvel’s First Family, and I really wanted to do them justice.“
Feige served as an executive producer on Fantastic Four in 2005, and times have changed since those early days of comic-book blockbusters. “There was still a bit of fear of being silly,” Feige said of those early movies. “In another time, some might consider the notion of somebody with a big, angular helmet walking through a city goofy. I consider it awesome.” No giant space clouds for this boy! Speaking of Galactus, Feige said this particular story is one he’s always wanted to tell, because “The coming of Galactus is one of the greatest comic-book stories ever written.“
The official synopsis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps: “Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing 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 film will hit theaters on July 25th
After The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Reed (Pedro Pascal), Sue (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny (Joseph Quinn), and Ben (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) will return for Avengers: Doomsday, which recently had its release date pushed back. Doomsday was initially set to hit theaters on May 1, 2026, but has now been moved to December 18, 2026. As for Avengers: Secret Wars, that film has moved from May 7, 2027 to December 17, 2027.
