The Fantastic Four: First Steps put its own MCU-style spin on the costumes worn by Marvel's First Family, and while they weren't to everyone's liking, the designs worked for Earth-828's 1960s-inspired setting.
In a blink-and-you'd-miss-it moment, we got to see Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny in comic-accurate costumes. That came during a flashback to their first adventure, when they battled Mole Man and Giganto. While it's a shame they didn't get more screentime, the scene was still a welcome nod to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four #1.
Now, a new piece of concept art from The Fantastic Four: First Steps "Art of" book shows the Fantastic Four racing into battle in their blue and black uniforms. However, these don't look as simple as the one seen in that flashback; instead, they're arguably exactly like what many fans hoped to see from the Fantastic Four in 2025. Perhaps they were too contemporary for Earth-828?
Whatever the case may be, this piece of artwork goes a long way in proving this version would have worked nicely on screen, so here's hoping they make it into the post-Avengers: Secret Wars MCU (the expectation is that it will bring the heroes into the present day alongside the Avengers and X-Men).
Earlier this year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps costume supervisor Dan Grace said this about creating the team's new suits:
Well, because they are a team, so slightly different to...sometimes when you are doing, I don't know, maybe like the Avengers or whatever, where they all come from different worlds and different things. One good thing was that they all have to have the same origin, the same technology, the same look, Because essentially all these suits are designed and built by Reed and Sue."
"So they're all going to have similarities. So yes, you want to bring in differences, but it's not like the difference between Iron Man and Doctor Strange. So the challenge, in that sense, was actually not how to make them all the same, but how to make them subtly different, and to represent their characters in a different way."
Check out this new concept art from Matt Shakman's reboot in the X post below.
In our review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, we concluded, "The Fantastic Four is an exceptional introduction to the MCU’s First Family, and thanks to a Jack Kirby-infused feel that’s unlike anything we’ve seen before, it proves to be a quintessential superhero movie with Marvel Studios at its brilliant best.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) 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.
Also appearing are Natasha Lyonne as Rachel Rozman, Paul Walter Hauser as Harvey Elder/Mole Man, Sarah Niles as Lynne Nichols, and Mark Gatiss as Ted Gilbert. John Malkovich was set to play Red Ghost, but was cut due to time constraints.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman and Eric Pearson and Jeff Kaplan & Ian Springer.
The movie is now available on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Disney+.