The return of the First Family: why Fantastic Four: First Steps marks a new beginning for Marvel Studios
Fantastic Four: First Steps officially becomes the thirty-seventh Marvel Studios film and the first of Phase 6, undoubtedly a fundamental piece for what is to come in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
What's curious and refreshing is that this new Marvel Studios film arrives like a true oasis in the desert because—against all odds!—you don't need to have seen any other MCU film before enjoying this new adventure! Quite a miracle considering the baggage we've carried with us until now!
The film presents us with a new, retro-futuristic Marvel Universe, where the First Family has long been the only superheroes, complete with their iconic rogues' gallery from the comics, all having already experienced more than one adventure with their origins established. So… why watch anything else?
Because if the Multiverse Saga has taught us anything, it's that even the smallest pieces can be key to what's to come. After all, everything exists or existed.
Fantastic Four (2005)
The Fantastic Four of 2005 arrived in the midst of a new golden age of superhero cinema, or rather, in the golden age of Spider-Man and the X-Men , because all the other franchises that tried to adapt other Marvel heroes ended up crashing or falling into oblivion.
This first official adaptation released in theaters left no one indifferent: a product of its time, a belated reflection of the nineties, and a true masterclass in how to create a sitcom with the First Family at the center of the chaos. The film narrated their origin in a way that was more "believable" for the times, linking their fate to that of Doctor Doom, the story's great villain.
This first official theatrical adaptation left no one indifferent: a product of its time, a belated reflection of the nineties, and a veritable manual on how to create a sitcom with the First Family amidst chaos. The film recounted their origin in a way that was more believable for the era, linking their fate to that of Doctor Doom, the story's main villain.
The film showed how they gained their powers after an accident involving cosmic rays and how fate compelled them to take an active role as defenders of humanity, while still emphasizing that they remained human. However, the tight budget was evident in every frame. It was a production that made it clear the Fantastic Four were, above all, grounded in reality. Literally.
Where it did work was in the dynamic between the characters: the histrionics of some scenes, Chris Evans's brash charisma as the Human Torch - a role that even called into question his professional future before he redeemed himself as Steve Rogers in Marvel Studios - and an uninhibited tone that made it likeable, although somewhat uneven and disjointed as a whole.
Even with its flaws, it remains a fundamental film within the Multiverse Saga, because we already know that these characters existed or exist… Time, after all, is always relative.
Fun. Popcorn flick. Charming. And, at least, with more conflict among the Fantastic Four. Drama at its finest!
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
The First Family was one of the lucky few to have a sequel amidst the cinematic rubbish that Hollywood was producing without filter, adapting, without rhyme or reason, any Marvel property that came within reach.
This second installment played its cards right with an already established team, free from the burden of having to revisit their origin story or reopen their feud with Doctor Doom. It was time to dive right in: pitting the Fantastic Four against Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer, who also gave the film its subtitle.
While the soon-to-be Richards couple dealt with their wedding preparations, the plot once again involved Doctor Doom himself and a US army led by a Nick Fury lookalike. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer tripled the stakes, aiming to deliver a more ambitious sequel than its predecessor. However, it fell short: miracles, after all.
The problem arose with The Devourer of Worlds. Its portrayal as a mere cosmic cloud failed to convince almost anyone, revealing that Hollywood still struggled with certain hang-ups when it came to literally translating the grandeur of the comics to the big screen. That decision definitively demonstrated how stagnant the franchise had become: while in the comics the First Family mapped the Marvel Universe, discovering impossible worlds and extraordinary dimensions in an explosion of colorful science fiction… in film, Fox rejected that original essence outright, unable to find the right tone.
Even so, the sequel offered a decent spectacle, with more successes than the first, and today it even sounds like an echo of Fantastic Four: First Steps , especially due to the presence of Silver Surfer and Galactus. Only now, finally, without any inhibitions and just as Jack Kirby conceived them in his original version. Who said sequels couldn't be relevant?
Fantastic Four (2015)
The Fantastic Four reboot produced by Fox in 2015 came at a time when mutants were setting the pace for the franchise, and it was completely moving away from the style that Marvel Studios was consolidating with its spandex aesthetic and vibrant colors.
This new iteration of the First Family drew inspiration from Ultimate Fantastic Four, offering a more contemporary and supposedly more believable origin. But the result left no one indifferent, and not in a good way. The film strayed so far from the original comic book storyline that it bombed at the box office and with critics alike.
The film adopted a melancholic, dark, and supposedly profound tone, partly betraying the spirit of the First Family. And, to top it all off, it achieved the impossible: angering fans, and rightly so. This was compounded by production problems that originated in its own offices. Fox conceived the film solely to keep the film rights locked away, preventing Marvel Studios from reclaiming the characters. Or at least that was the perception. Marvel even canceled the Fantastic Four comic!
The result was a complete disaster: a soulless film with serious pacing problems, a wasted cast, and Doctor Doom reduced once again to a villain lacking strength and coherence. A total mess.
And yet, it's worth revisiting, especially if you understand the context in which it was created. It's not essential viewing before Fantastic Four: First Steps, but if you have some extra time and your curiosity gets the better of you, it's worth taking a look at this flawed version to understand why straying from the original core of the myth was never a good idea.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Today, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is considered one of the most significant chapters in the Multiverse Saga. The film introduced Earth-838, an alternate dimension where the Illuminati watched over and protected Earth with an ambiguous morality, so gray and twisted that it ended up resembling that of the villains the doctor himself had faced, including Thanos, the Mad Titan.
The Illuminati sequence offered one of the film's most impactful moments, introducing a team comprised of races and supergroups that had never before appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Inhumans, Mutants, and the First Family. Somehow, in other worlds, these heroes were already established, even though they didn't yet exist in the main MCU continuity.
Among the highlights was the appearance of Reed Richards, portrayed by John Krasinski, a direct nod to Fantastic Four and the future Future Foundation. Furthermore, the film incorporated crucial concepts such as the Incursions, the Scarlet Witch embodying the sins and errors of the Illuminati, and the iconic return of Professor Xavier.
In just one sequence, the film planted a series of elements that will almost certainly play a vital role in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, especially regarding the architecture of the Multiverse. And, most importantly, it made it clear that the Fantastic Four exist within the entirety of the Multiverse.
A good appetizer for what's to come. And certainly a film that grows on you over time.
Mr. Fantastic in Doctor Strange 2
Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)
Last but not least, we have Deadpool and Wolverine, which became the true Endgame of Fox's Marvel Universe. Literally.
Deadpool's arrival at Marvel Studios resulted in the return of the best, doing what he does best in a hilarious and chaotic film where the Multiverse served as a great excuse to close out an entire chapter. The movie definitively established that the Fox Marvel Universe existed and that all its films, seams and all, carry weight within the continuity of the Marvel Multiverse.
And here's what really interests us: Fox's Fantastic Four also existed! The movie made that crystal clear with Chris Evans' surprise cameo reprising his role as the Human Torch, a moment that confirmed the First Family was an integral part of that multiversal legacy.
But that wasn't all. Deadpool and Wolverine also introduced The Void, Cassandra Nova, the AVT, constant references to Loki, Wolverine variants, and even the Deadpool Corps. Blade. Gambit. Elektra. X-23! The film served as the swan song of Fox's entire Marvel Universe, and at the same time, as the beginning of the end.
Because we know the Incursions are coming and that all Earths will eventually collapse. The post-credits scene of The Marvels with Monica Rambeau already foreshadowed this, and Deadpool and Wolverine came to seal the idea that all the pieces, including those of Fox's Fantastic Four, will resonate in what's to come.
A nostalgic ending that, paradoxically, opens all doors.
Fantastic Four: First Steps
Set in a vibrant world with a retro-futuristic aesthetic inspired by the 1960s, Marvel Studios' 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), who face their toughest challenge yet.
Forced to balance their responsibilities as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god named Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his scheming Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if the threat of Galactus, intent on devouring the entire planet along with all its inhabitants, weren't enough, the situation becomes even more personal.
Set in a vibrant world with a retro-futuristic aesthetic inspired by the 1960s, Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family: Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing. United by their familial bond, they must face their greatest challenge yet: a ravenous space god named Galactus and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer.
And if the threat of Galactus, determined to devour the entire planet along with all its inhabitants, were not enough, the situation will soon become much more personal.
Marvel Studios' thirty-seventh film presents itself as a true oasis in the desert: a breath of fresh air that reminds us that, in other corners of the Marvel Multiverse, there are different heroes, more colorful worlds, and even more extravagant adventures. Universe 828 is merely the gateway to everything that's yet to come.
But beyond its plot, the arrival of Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four is a historic event. For decades, they have been the cornerstone of the Marvel Universe in comics: explorers of the unknown, cartographers of the Multiverse, pioneers of the most imaginative science fiction, and protagonists of some of the most epic moments ever told in comics. Their inclusion opens the door to characters, concepts, and sagas that until now seemed impossible to adapt.
From the potential of the Future Foundation to the emergence of mythical villains like Doctor Doom, Annihilus, or Kang and their many variations, the stories of Fantastic Four are a wellspring of ideas capable of redefining the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially in the lead-up to Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The First Family is not only here to add to the team, but also to change the rules of the game.
Fantastic Four: First Steps could arrive on Disney+ sooner than expected
And that concludes our roundup of which movies to watch before Fantastic Four: First Steps. I hope this article has been helpful, and let's be honest: you don't need to have seen all of these films to enjoy the First Family's new adventure. But it might be necessary to fully understand what's coming with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
And that concludes our roundup of which movies to watch before Fantastic Four: First Steps. I hope you found the video helpful, and let's be honest: you don't need to have seen all of these films to enjoy the First Family's new adventure. But it might be necessary to fully understand what's coming with Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Because, if there's one thing we've learned, it's that all Marvel movies, throughout their different eras, have had their impact on the Multiverse.
And the Fantastic Four were not only fundamental in the past, but will undoubtedly be so in the future of Marvel Studios.