First Trailer for Marvel's First Family... Fantastic Four: First Steps

An old picture of my Sideshow Galactus, which is still proudly displayed in my office.

As a Marvel comics fan, I grew up thumbing through my father’s comics in my grandmother’s basement and transporting myself into the world co-created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and the creative titans that worked for Marvel over the years. One of the series that stood out to me was the Fantastic Four. The series that stands out to me from my father’s collection is the Walt Simonson run. Later on, I continue to follow along to some issues of the Arthur Adams run and eventually I bought the Jim Lee run (which are still in my collection... somewhere).

Fast forward to now: I revisit some runs from time to time and have some figures of the the FF family in my office, along with my Sideshow Statue of Galactus with a few mini Bowen statues of Ben Grimm and Mr. Fantastic. I stated all those elements to highlight that I know a few things about the Fantastic Four and can be considered a moderate fan.

What makes the Fantastic Four great?

When looking at the four main characters of the original FF team, you are faced with how their powers are a reflection of their personality and some of their challenges. Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, is a brilliant scientist who stretches himself thin to also be the husband (and eventual father) that he should be. His role as the leader expands him to different areas and he feels the pressure to cover everything but sometimes falls short. Sue Storm, aka Invisible Girl, is the love of Reed’s life. While she is his steady partner, she can’t help but to sometime be overlooked by Reed’s other obligations and feel unseen. Johnny Storm, Sue’s brother, was the overly confident guy who’s personality was bright as the sun. The tank of the team, Ben Grimm, the Air Force Test pilot, was a tough man with a external shell to shield his heart from the challenges of the world. All of these elements impacted how their space radiation morphed their powers.

The Cinematic Challenges of the Past

While those things are true, I can also call out some of the disappointments from the Fantastic Four films of the past. We had three films that were released between 2005 to 2015. There was also the 1994 Roger Corman produced film that was created for one million dollars but it was never officially released and was only made to keep production rights of the IP. The film is available online and it’s silly but entertaining. It highlighted the limitations of the time and the budget but it did share a view of how the filmmakers tried to bring the comic to life.

Beyond the ‘94 film, the later films had some high points but showed some issues. From the lack of an actual Galactus in the second film to the miscasting of Jessica Alba as Sue Storm (which hurt because I loved her at that time), I grew to understand that the first family of Marvel would be a challenging feat for the silver screen. The FF reboot starred Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, and Kate Mara. The grittier reboot sadly did not land how the studios hoped. While it made it’s budget back, the film did not garner the positive response desired from critics and received negative accolades like the Golden Rasberry Awards.

The brightest light of hope for a good Fantastic Four film did not come from the life action sector but from Pixar with Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles.” While Bird has stated that he was not directly influenced by the Marvel comic when creating his scripts years ago, it still felt like it had some of the Fantastic Four formula in its DNA. I remember leaving the theater with my family when The Incredibles was released and I thought about how cool a period film similar to it but with the Fantastic Four would be. Now, in 2025, I don’t have to wait too long to see how that dream could be realized.

What’s To come…

The teaser starts off with a retro, 1960’s feel as we are greeted by Sue and Reed Richards into the Baxter Building. We are given a glimpse of their unique dynamics of each member of the team, their trusty robot H.E.R.B.I.E., while also getting a glimpse of the Devourer of Worlds. With the trailer only being 1 min and 37 seconds long, it’s hard to pull too much about everything from the film. While you can look for Easter eggs and make up fan theories, I’m glad Marvel did not give away too much. I do plan to avoid any of the upcoming full trailers in the future. I know I will see it when it releases and I want it to be as fresh of a showing as possible. After seeing his work on WandaVision, I have faith in director Matt Shakman and his ability to bring something new but regal about these Marvel characters to the screen. I also know that, with the amazing Michael Giacchino (Up, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, Inside Out) at the helm of the score, the music will be amazing.