July 21, 2025 (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion)
July 25, 2025 (United States)
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a 2025 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film was directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, and the team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer. It features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, alongside Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. The film is set in the 1960s of a retro-futuristic world which the Fantastic Four must protect from the planet-devouring cosmic being Galactus (Ineson).
20th Century Fox began work on a new Fantastic Four film following the failure of Fantastic Four (2015). After the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019, control of the franchise was transferred to Marvel Studios, and a new film was announced that July. Jon Watts was set to direct in December 2020, but stepped down in April 2022. Shakman replaced him that September when Kaplan and Springer were working on the script. Casting began by early 2023, and Friedman joined in March to rewrite the script. The film is differentiated from previous Fantastic Four films by avoiding the team's origin story. Pearson joined to polish the script by mid-February 2024, when the main cast and the title The Fantastic Four were announced. The subtitle was added in July, when filming began. It took place until November 2024 at Pinewood Studios in England, and on location in England and Spain.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21, 2025, and was released in the United States on July 25, as the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $218 million worldwide. A sequel is in development.
Storyline
On Earth-828 in 1964, the world celebrates the fourth anniversary of astronauts Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm becoming the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four. They gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission. Since then, the group have become celebrities, fought supervillains, Reed's inventions have progressed technology for the world, and Sue's diplomacy via the Future Foundation organization has led to global demilitarization and peace. When Reed and Sue reveal that they are expecting a child, the world prepares for the new arrival and questions whether the child will also have superpowers.
The Silver Surfer comes to Earth and declares that the planet has been marked for destruction by Galactus, a planet-devouring cosmic being. Reed studies the disappearance of other planets to verify this claim, and the team decides to find Galactus before he comes to Earth. They track the Silver Surfer's energy signature and use faster-than-light (FTL) travel to reach a new planet. As they arrive, the planet is destroyed by Galactus's ship and the team is captured. Galactus reveals that he has an unsatiable hunger which has driven him to consume planets for eons. He senses that Reed and Sue's unborn son has immense cosmic power and would be able to take on Galactus's hunger, freeing himself from it. Galactus offers to spare Earth in exchange for the child, and induces Sue to go into labor. The team refuses and escapes from the ship. They are followed by the Silver Surfer, who destroys their FTL system. They use the gravity from a black hole to delay the Silver Surfer and send themselves back to Earth. Sue gives birth to a son, Franklin, on the way.
On their return to Earth, Reed reveals the details of their encounter during a press conference. Their decision to save one child over the billions of other people on Earth leads to a public outcry, with many calling for Franklin to be sacrificed to Galactus. Based on his interactions with the Silver Surfer, and some deep space transmissions Reed received from her planet as well as planets that Galactus has destroyed, Johnny begins to decipher the Silver Surfer's native language. As Galactus draws near and protests against the Fantastic Four escalate, Sue takes Franklin to meet with protesters. She explains that they will not give up their child, but they will also not give up on the rest of humanity. Using a teleportation system that he has been working on, Reed devises a plan to build large teleportation bridges across Earth so they can transport the entire planet to another solar system where Galactus cannot reach them. Through the Future Foundation, Sue organizes the world's nations into building the bridges and conserving the energy needed to use them.
As the bridges are about to be activated, the Silver Surfer returns and begins destroying them. Johnny stops her from destroying the last bridge in Times Square. He uses her native language to identify her as Shalla-Bal, and she explains that she chose to become Galactus's herald in exchange for his sparing her world, Zenn-La. Johnny plays transmissions from the planets she helped Galactus destroy, and Shalla-Bal flees. Using Franklin as bait, the team plans to lure Galactus to the last bridge and teleport him away instead. Sue negotiates with Harvey Elder to evacuate the citizens of New York City to his underground city of Subterranea. Galactus makes his way through the city and captures Franklin. Sue uses all of her power to push him towards the portal with a force field while Reed rescues Franklin. Johnny attempts to sacrifice himself to give Galactus a final push into the portal, but is stopped by Shalla-Bal. She pushes Galactus in herself, and the portal closes behind them. Sue dies from her efforts, but is revived by Franklin. The world celebrates their victory.
In a mid-credits scene set four years later, Sue takes her eyes off Franklin to find a book that he wants her to read. She comes back to see him interacting with a man in a green cloak who is holding a metal mask.
Also See
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (TV Spots)
Movie Trailer
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (Trailers)