Directed with both reverence and ambition, First Steps feels like a love letter to vintage Marvel—imagine Interstellar filtered through a kaleidoscope of Jack Kirby cosmic surrealism and grounded by heartfelt family melodrama. It’s a film that’s earnest, imaginative, and unafraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Plus, the tone and storytelling feel ripped right from the Silver Age, striking that sweet spot between awe-inspiring space adventure and intimate character drama. This is the kind of movie Stan and Jack would’ve dreamed up on a late night in the Marvel Bullpen.

What truly makes First Steps soar is its cast. Marvel’s First Family finally feels like a family. Every team member delivers a pitch-perfect performance, each with a clear sense of who they are and why they matter to the group dynamic. Everyone understood the assignment. The chemistry is effortless—like these characters have lived in each other’s orbit for years, through triumph and tragedy alike.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps brings heart and spectacle as Marvel’s First Family finally get a film worthy of their legacy.

But the heart of the film, just like in the comics, is Sue Storm. Vanessa Kirby brings a quiet strength and emotional gravity that grounds the entire story. Her portrayal doesn’t just complement the rest of the team—it holds them together. The team doesn’t function without Sue, and the film wouldn’t work without Vanessa Kirby. She is the glue.

As for Galactus? He’s everything that you waited for in a cinematic version of Galactus. He’s not just a looming galactic threat, but also an actual character brought to life with gravitas and menace. Ralph Ineson’s voice performance is chilling and commanding. He makes the Devourer of Worlds a screen presence that’s as unforgettable as he is cosmic. Every time he speaks, it’s like the entire film pauses to listen. Galactus is a spectacle that steals every scene he’s in.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a Fantastic Four story without visual flair, and First Steps delivers in spades. The production design is gorgeous, capturing that mix of retro-futurism and cosmic awe that defined early Marvel. Every frame bursts with color, detail, and imagination. Complementing it all is Michael Giacchino’s sweeping score that soars alongside the action but knows when to pull back for the quiet, human moments.

Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps captures everything that made the comics iconic: the bold science fiction, the soaring stakes, and most importantly, the family at its core. For the first time, the Fantastic Four feel fantastic. Marvel’s original superheroes finally have a film that does them justice—and it’s one small step for the franchise, one giant leap for superhero cinema.

Rating: 4/5 atoms

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th.

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In the trailer, we have a good look at Julia Garner’s Silver Surfer, the herald of Galactus, a planet-eating giant. She is seen in all her silver glory, flying over New York City on her surfboard-like craft. As she makes an announcement to the people of the city, a giant projection of her face is seen in the sky so that everyone can witness it. It’s a nice visual to show off her powers.

In the comics, she is known as Shalla-Bal, the lover of Norrin Radd, the original Silver Surfer. She became the second Silver Surfer in the 1999 limited comic book series, Earth X.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be in theaters on July 25, 2025.

The film stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. It also stars Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne and Sarah Niles.

Synopsis: The Fantastic Four 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 Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision) and written by Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron. The film is produced by Kevin Feige and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis.

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The footage opens on a retro-style talk show called The Ted Gilbert Show, where the host reflects on the team’s impact: “Our city and our planet owe them a great debt.” Clearly, the world sees the Fantastic Four as heroes—and maybe even saviors.

We catch up with the team in a quieter moment as they celebrate and adjust to a major life update: Sue Storm is pregnant. But before there’s time to enjoy the good news, things take a dark turn with the arrival of a mysterious visitor—the Silver Surfer.

Shalla-Bal asks the team: “Are you the protectors of this world? For your world has been marked for extermination.”

The scientist and strategist Reed Richards grapples with the guilt of possibly dooming the planet. He believes their space exploration and experimentation may have accidentally triggered the coming of Galactus. “We stretched the boundaries of space and made that thing heard,” he confesses.

When people confront Reed with the question, “Are we safe?” he replies, “I don’t know.”

But even with the weight of the world (literally) on his shoulders, Reed finds strength in what’s coming next. “We will protect you,” he says, not just to the world—but to their future child.

It looks like The Fantastic Four: First Steps will explore the emotional stakes and cosmic consequences of Reed’s actions. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Reed has endangered the world before in the name of discovery. In the comics, he once tampered with the Ultimate Nullifier, a weapon capable of erasing existence. He later helped build planet-destroying tech during Jonathan Hickman’s Secret Wars saga, which led to the collapse of the multiverse.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th.

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Today, Marvel Studios unveiled the highly anticipated first trailer for the return of Marvel’s First Family, giving us our thrilling first look at Marvel’s First Family as they enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It’s something that’s been years in the making since Disney bought Fox, and now, the legendary team is ready to take their place in the ever-expanding universe of heroes.

A New Era Begins

Since their comic book debut in 1961, the Fantastic Four has been a cornerstone of Marvel storytelling, blending science, adventure, and family. They have always been one of Marvel’s most iconic teams. Still, in recent years, they haven’t had a mainstream presence since the massive failure of Fantastic 4 (otherwise known as Fan4stic). However, their long-awaited return to the MCU comes at the perfect time, coinciding with a resurgence of interest in these legendary characters.

Thanks partly to the massive success of Marvel Rivals, the Fantastic Four have been introduced as major playable heroes in the game’s first season. Their inclusion has reignited fan excitement, bringing them back into the spotlight and proving that the world is more than ready for their cinematic debut. The game has created fresh enthusiasm among longtime Marvel fans and a new generation of players eager to explore their unique abilities.

Now, their journey begins in the MCU with First Steps. This film promises to reimagine their origin while staying true to the heart of what makes Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm so beloved.

Marvel Studios has finally dropped the first-ever Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer, and it’s everything fans have been waiting for. Instead of just telling you what’s in it—watch it for yourself right here:

On the Path to Avengers: Doomsday

Beyond their own story, the Fantastic Four are deeply connected to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially with Avengers: Doomsday looming. Fans of the comics know that Doctor Doom has a long and storied history with the Fantastic Four—particularly with Reed Richards.

Could Fantastic Four: First Steps lay the groundwork for Doom’s inevitable rise in the MCU? The tension between Doom and the Fantastic Four has always been one of Marvel’s most compelling rivalries, with Victor Von Doom serving as a scientific equal to Reed Richards and a fearsome adversary with unparalleled ambition. With Avengers: Doomsday shaping up to be a game-changing event, it’s impossible to ignore the possibility that the Fantastic Four will play a pivotal role in the battle against Doom—if not as Earth’s last hope, then as the ones who know him best.

The trailer teases a breathtaking cosmic adventure, a fateful experiment that changes their lives forever, and glimpses of their challenges—both on Earth and beyond. Fantastic Four: First Steps is shaping into one of the most exciting MCU films yet.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25th.

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We had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Giacchino about his many projects, which you can check out below.

Giacchino wrote the Fantastic Four: First Steps theme that can be heard during the Marvel Studios drone show above Petco Park and its Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con last week. The film is directed by Matt Shakman, who is known for directing WandaVision.

“I think what Matt Shakman, who is directing Fantastic Four, is bringing to the table is very fresh, very fun, very different,” Giacchino tells Nerd Reactor. “And even on the outside, you go ‘Oh, this is that! They actually aren’t and they’re very different and unique in different ways. And we’re going to do that with the music as well. So I’m just excited to work on that film. It’s it’s really going to be a fun, fun project, for sure.”

Giacchino is revisiting the past with his new album, Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume One, which includes many of his popular tracks that have been rendered in the retro lounge style of Exotica from the 1950s.

“When I was a kid, my dad had a couple of records in his collection that were Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, things like that,” the composer said about his inspiration for the album. “And I loved those records so much because I was able to listen to them and be transported to a make-believe place. And it’s one of the reasons I always loved listening to film scores. They transported me to a different place, and usually the place that they would take me would be back to that movie or back to that story.

“When I would listen to something like these records, these old records, they would transport me to a brand new place that I was creating in my head. And I thought ‘What a fun thing to be able to combine those two ideas, take something that exists like the Star Trek music and what if we did it in this room? Could I then transport somebody to somewhere brand new? Who knows, but it was really just me. I wanted to hear it done in this fashion so badly for so many years, I thought it would just be fun to do.”

The album represents almost everything that Giacchino has worked on up until 2011, and if you enjoyed the album, expect a volume 2 on the way.

Michael Giacchino’s Exotic Themes for the Silver Screen – Volume One is available on Spotify, with the CD and Vinyl available at the online Mutant store.

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Set in the 1960s, The Fantastic Four: First Steps captures the era’s essence with a retro-futuristic aesthetic. The story follows Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), a visionary scientist who is optimistic about the future and space exploration. The film also introduces the Future Foundation, where Reed plays a teaching role with his iconic white temples. The Fantasticar, a futuristic rocket, also makes an appearance as well.

The upcoming movie will feature the entire Fantastic Four family together on screen for the first time. Additionally, Vanessa Kirby will play Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), while Joseph Quinn will portray Johnny Storm (The Human Torch). Moreover, Ebon Moss-Bachrach is set to join the cast as Ben Grimm (Thing) alongside Pascal in this cosmic adventure. Furthermore, the story will focus on Earth facing the cosmic threat of Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

The Fantastic Four will also appear in the upcoming Avengers films, directed by the Russo Brothers. After their emotionally charged experience with Endgame, the Russo Brothers are excited to return and take audiences on another epic journey with Avengers: Secret Wars and Avengers: Doomsday. These films, with their complex storytelling and world-colliding events, will make the audience feel excited and part of a larger cinematic universe, especially with Robert Downey Jr. portraying the enigmatic Doctor Doom.

Discover all the latest at San Diego Comic-Con 2024.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25, 2025.

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